
Class "PAl 
Book 



SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT 




Gbnbt -..v. 

M S)3EA£3E 



THE 



WORKS OF HORACE, 



ENGLISH NOTES, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY. 



BY CHARLES ANTHON, LL.D., 

PROFESSOR OF THE GREEK AND LATIN LANGUAGES IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE, 
AND RECTOR OF THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 



A NEW EDITION, 

CORRECTED AND ENLARGED, WITH EXCURSIONS RELATIVE TO THE 

WINES AND VINEYARDS OF THE ANCIENTS J AND A 

LIFE OF HORACE BY MILMAN. 




NEW YORK: 
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
82 CLIFF STREET 
^ 1849. 



^n 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-nine, by 

Harper & Brothers, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District 
of New York. 



TO THE MEMORY OF 

MY OLD AND VALUED FRIEND, 

JAMES CAMPBELL, ESQ., 

WHO, 

AMID THE BURDENSOME DUTIES OF AN OFFICIAL STATION, 

COULD STILL FIND LEISURE TO GRATIFY A PURE AND 

CULTIVATED TASTE, BY REVIVING THE 

STUDIES OF HIS EARLIER YEARS. 



PREFACE. 



The text of the present edition has been corrected 
throughout, principally by that of Orelli, and the notes 
have been carefully revised and emended. Much ad- 
ditional matter has also been introduced, not only in 
the shape of new notes, but also of Excursions. The 
latter have been taken from the larger edition, and will 
be found to contain much interesting information re- 
specting the vineyards and wines of the ancients. 
Milman's Life of Horace has also been appended, 
from the splendid edition of the poet, which has re- 
cently appeared under the supervision of that scholar, 
and likewise a biographical sketch of Maecenas. 

The larger edition contained a list of the authori- 
ties whence much subsidiary matter was obtained for 
the notes. This list was omitted in the previous edi- 
tion of the smaller work, as the latter professed to be 
a mere abridgment, and as it was at that time the in- 
tention of the editor to publish a new edition of the 
larger Horace. This intention being, however, now 
abandoned, it has been thought advisable to transfer 
the list of authorities from the larger edition to the 
present one, the last thirteen works enumerated there- 
in being those from which materials have been more 
immediately obtained for the improvement of the pres- 
ent volume. The list is as follows : 



Vlll PREFACE. 

1. Horatius, cum Annotationibus Mu- 

reti Venet., 1555. 

2. Horatii Opera, Grammaticorum XL. 

Commentariis . ... . Basil, 1580. 

3. Horatii Opera, ed. Bentleius . . Cantab., 1711. 

4. Horatii Poemata, ed. Cuningamius . London, 1721, 2 vols. 

5. Horatius, ed. Sanadon . . . Paris, 1729, 2 vols. 

6. Horatius, ed. Watson . . . London, 1743, 2 vols. 

7. Horatius (typis Andrese Foulis) . Glasgow, 1760. 

8. Horatii Epistolse ad Pisones et Augus- 

tum (Hurd) London, 1776, 3 vols. 

9. Horatii Opera, ed. Valart . . . Paris, 1770. 

10. Horatius, ed. Wakefield . . . London, 1794, 2 vols. 

11. Horatii Opera, ed. Mitscberlich . Lips., 1800, 2 vols. 

12. Horatius, ed. Bond .... Paris, 1806. 

13. Horace, translated by Francis, with 

the notes of Du Bois . . . London, 1807, 4 vols. 

14. Horatii Carmina, ed. Jani . . Lips., 1809, 2 vols. 

15. Horatius, In Us. Delph. . . . London, 1810. 

16. Horatii Opera, ed. Fea . . . Romse, 1811, 2 vols. 

17. Horatii Eclogae, cum notis Baxteri, 

Gesneri, et Zeunii . . . Lips., 1815. 

18. Horatius, ed. Wieland . . . Lips., 1816, 3 vols. 

19. Horatii Opera, ed. Kidd . . . Cantab., 1817. 

20. Horatii Opera, ed. Hunter . . Cupri, 1819. 

21. Horatius, ed. Gargallo . . . Mediol., 1820. 

22. Horatius, ed. Fea, cum addit. Bothii Heidelb., 1821, 2 vols. 

23. Horatii Opera, ed. Jseck . . . Vinar., 1821. 

24. Horatii Eclogae, cum notis Baxt., 

Gesn.. Zeun., et Bothii . . . Lips., 1822. 

25. Horatius, ed. Batteux, cum addit. 

Achaintre . . . . . Paris, 1823, 3 vols. 

26. Horatii Carmina, ed. Knox . . London, 1824. 

27. Horatii Epistola ad Pisones, ed. Ayl- 

mer London, 1824. 

28. Horatii Opera, ed. Doriug . . Glasgow, 1826. 

29. Horatius, ed. Bip., cum addit. Gence. Paris, 1828. 

30. Horatii Epist. Libri Primi 2da, ed. 

Obbarius Halbers., 1828. 

31. Horatius, ed. Filon .... Paris, 1828. 

32. Marklandi in Horat. Nota? (Class. 

Journ., vol. xiii., p. 126, seqq.). 





PREFACE. 






IX 


33. 


, Bentleii Curae Novissimse ad Horat 
(Mus. Crit., vol. i., p. 194, seqq.). 








34. 


Horatius, ed. Braunhard . 


. Lips., 


1831-8, 


4 vols. 


35. 


Horatius, ed. Heindorf 


Lips., 


1843. 




36. 


Horatius, ed. Orelli 


. Turici, 


1843-4, 


2 vols. 


37. 


Horatius, ed. Orelli (ed. Min.) . 


Turici, 


1844, 


2 vols. 


38. 


Horatius, ed. Schmid 


Halb., 


1830. 




39. 


Horatius, ed. Peerlkamp . 


Leid., 


1845. 




40. 


Horatius, ed. Dillenberger 


Bonnae, 


1848. 




41. 


Horatius, ed. Keightley . 


London, 


1848. 




42. 


Horatius, ed. Girdlestone, &c. . 


London, 


1848. 




43. 


Horatius, ed. Milman 


London, 


1848. 




44. 


Dtintzer, Kritik und Erklarung der 










Episteln des Horaz 


Braunsch. 


, 1843-6, 


3 vols. 


45. 


Jacobs, Lectiones Venusinae 


Leipz., 


1834. 




46. 


Tate's Horatius Restitutus 


London, 


1837. 





The present edition, it will be perceived, is an ex- 
purgated one, every thing being thrown out that could 
offend the most fastidious delicacy. In this respect, 
the edition here offered to the student will be found 
decidedly superior to that recently put forth in En- 
gland by the Rev. Messrs. Girdlestone and Osborne, 
and in which many passages have been allowed to re- 
main that are utterly at variance with the idea of an 
expurgated text. 

It only remains for the editor to express his sincere 
obligations to his learned friend, Professor Drisler, for 
his kind and careful co-operation in bringing out the 
present work — a co-operation rendered doubly pleasing 
by the consciousness, on the part of the editor, of its 
having been the means of rendering the present vol- 
ume far more useful to the student than it would 
otherwise have been. 

Charles Anthon. 

Columbia College, March 15th, 1849. 



LIFE OF HORACE, 

BY MIL MAN. 
CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION BIRTH, PARENTAGE, EDUCATION OF HORACE ATHENS 

PHILIPPI RETURN TO ROME. 

The Poetry of Horace is the history of Rome during the great 
change from a republic to a monarchy, during the sudden and al- 
most complete revolution from centuries of war and civil faction to 
that peaceful period which is called the Augustan Age of Letters. 
His life is the image of his eventful times. In his youth he plunges 
into the fierce and sanguinary civil war ; and afterward subsiding 
quietly into literary ease, the partisan of Brutus softens into the friend 
of Maecenas, and the happy subject, if not the flatterer, of Augustus. 
Nor is his personal history merely illustrative of his times in its broad- 
er outlines ; every part of it, which is revealed to us in his poetry, 
is equally instructive. Even the parentage of the poet is connect- 
ed with the difficult but important questions of the extent to which 
slavery in the Roman world was affected by manumission, and the 
formation of that middle class (the libertini), with their privileges, 
and the estimation in which they were held by society. His birth- 
place in the romantic scenery, and among the simple virtues of the 
old Italian yeomanry ; his Roman education ; his residence at Athens ; 
his military services ; the confiscation of his estate ; his fortunes as 
a literary adventurer, cast upon the world in Rome ; the state of 
Roman poetry when he commenced his career ; the degree in which 
his compositions were Roman and original, or but the naturalization 
of new forms of Grecian poetry ; the influence of the different sects 
of philosophy on the literature and manners of the age ; even the 
state religion, particularly as it affected the higher and more intellect- 
ual orders, at this momentous crisis when Christianity was about to 
be revealed to mankind — every circumstance in the life of the poet 
is an incident in the history of man. The influences which formed 
his moral and poetical character are the prevalent modes of feel- 
ing and thought among the people, who had achieved the conquest 
of the world, and, weary of their own furious contentions, now be- 
gan to slumber in the proud consciousness of universal empire In 
him, as in an individual example, appears the change which took 
place in the fortunes, position, sentiments, occupations, estimation, 
character, mode of living, when the Roman, from the citizen of a 
free and turbulent republic, became the subject of a peaceful mon- 



Xll LIFE OF HORACE. 

archy, disguised indeed, but not, therefore, the less arbitrary ; while 
his acquaintance, and even his intimate friends, extending through 
almost every gradation of society, show the same influences, as they 
affect persons of different characters, talents, or station. Horace is 
exactly in that happy intermediate rank which connects both ex- 
tremes. His poems are inscribed to Agrippa or Maecenas, even to 
the emperor himself, to his humbler private friend, or to his bailiff. 
He unites, in the same way, the literary with the social life; he 
shows the station assumed by or granted to mere men of letters, 
when the orator in the senate or in the forum ceded his place to the 
agreeable writer ; the man who excited or composed at his will the 
strong passions of the Roman people, had lost his occupation and his 
power, which devolved, as far as the literary part of his fame, upon 
the popular author. The mingling intellectual elements blend to- 
gether, even in more singular union, in the mind of the poet. Gre- 
cian education and tastes have not polished off the old Roman inde- 
pendence; the imitator of Greek forms of verse writes the purest 
vernacular Latin ; the Epicurean philosophy has not subdued his 
masculine shrewdness and good sense to dreaming indolence. In 
the Roman part of his character he blends some reminiscence of the 
sturdy virtue of the Sabine or Apulian mountaineers with the refined 
manners of the city. All the great men of his day are the familiars 
of the poet ; not in their hours of state alone, but in the ease of so- 
cial intercourse : we become acquainted with their ordinary manners 
and habits ; and are admitted to the privacy of Maecenas, of Augus- 
tus himself, of Virgil, and of Varius. Thus the Horatian poetry is 
more than historical, it is the living age itself in all its varied reality. 
Without the biography of the poet, even without that of some of his 
contemporaries, the poetry of Horace can not be truly appreciated, 
it can hardly be understood ; and by the magic of his poetry the 
reader is at once placed in the midst of Roman society in the Au- 
gustan age. 

Quintus Horatius Flaccus was born on the 8th of December, in 
the year U.C. 689, B.C. 65, during the consulship of L. Cotta and 
L. Manlius Torquatus. His father (such was the received and 
natural theory) owed his freedom to one of the illustrious family of 
the Horatii, whose name, according to general usage, he was per- 
mitted to assume. Recent writers, 1 however, have shown from in- 
scriptions that Venusia, the town in the territory of which Horace 
was born, belonged to the Horatian tribe at Rome ; and that the 
father of Horace may have been a freedman of the town of Venusia. 
The great family of the Horatii, so glorious in the early days of the 
republic, certainly did not maintain its celebrity in the later times. 
With one solitary exception, a legate of C. Calvisius in Africa {Cic, 
ad Fam., xii., 30), it might seem to have been extinct. "if the freed- 
man of an Horatius, the father of the poet does not appear to have 

1. G. F. Grotefend in "Ersch und Gruber's Encyclopaedic," Horatius; and G. 
J. Grotefend in the Darmstadt Lit. Journal. Franke, Fasti Horatiani, note 1. 



LIFE OF HORACE. Xlll 

kept up that connection, or civil relationship, -which bound the eman- 
cipated slave, by natural ties of affection and gratitude, to the family 
of his generous master. The theory of this assumption of a Roman 
name was, that the master, having bestowed civil life on the freedman, 
stood, in a certain sense, in the place of a parent. He still retained 
some authority, and inherited the freedman's property in case of his 
dying intestate. On the other hand, the freedman was under the 
obligation of maintaining his patron, or even the father and mother 
of his patron, if they fell into indigence. 1 But there is no allusion in 
the poet's works to any connection of this kind. At all events, the 
freedman has thrown a brighter and more lasting lustre around that 
celebrated name than all the virtues and exploits of the older patriots 
who bore it. We know no reason for his having the praenomen 
Quintus, nor the agnomen, by which he was familiarly known, Flac- 
cus. The latter name was by no means uncommon ; it is found in 
the Calpurnian, the Cornelian, the Pomponian, and the Valerian fami- 
lies. Horace was of ingenuous birth, which implies that he was 
born after his father had received his manumission. The silence of 
the poet about his mother leads to the supposition that she died in 
his early youth. 

The father of Horace exercised the function of collector of pay- 
ments at auction. 3 The collector was a public servant. This com- 
paratively humble office was probably paid according to the number 
of sales, and the value of the property brought to market j and in 
those days of confiscation, and of rapid and frequent changes of prop- 
erty, through the inordinate ambition or luxury of some, the forfeitures 
or ruin of opulent landholders, and the extinction of noble families 
in the civil wars, the amount and value of the property brought to 
sale (sub hasta) was likely to enable a prudent public officer to make 
a decent fortune. This seems to have been the case with the elder 
Horace, who invested his acquisitions in a house and farm in the dis- 
trict of Venusia, on the banks of the River Aufidus, close upon the 
doubtful boundaries of Lucania and Apulia. There he settled down 
into a respectable small farmer. In this house the poet was born, 
and passed his infant years. One incident, mentioned in Ode iii., 4, 
9-20, can not but remind the English reader of the old ballad of the 

1. Compare Pliny, H. N., xxxi., 2, for an instance of the literary son of a dis- 
tinguished man in those times paying a tribute of gratitude to his civil parent. 
Laurea Tullius, the poet, was a freedman of the great orator. A warm spring had 
broken out in the Academic Villa of Cicero, which was supposed to cure diseases 
in the eyes. The poetical inscription by L. Tullius (of which the feeling is better 
than the taste) described the spring as providentially revealed, in order that more 
eyes might be enabled to read the widely-disseminated works of his master. The 
freedman and freedwoman were admitted into the family mausoleum with those 
who had emancipated them. See several inscriptions, especially a very beautiful 
one, Gruter, p. 715 ; Ciampini, p. 173. 

2. " Coactor exauctionum." — Suet, in Vit. Another reading, ezaclionum, would 
make him a collector of the indirect taxes, farmed by the publicani ; the Roman 
municipalities in Italy being exempt from all direct taxation. 



XIV LIFE OF HORACE. 

Children in the Wood, " and Robin Redbreast piously did cover them 
with leaves." 

The names and situation of the towns in this romantic district (the 
Basilicata) still answer to the description of the poet, the high-hung 
chalets of Acerenza, the vast thickets of Banzi, and the picturesque 
peaks of Mount Voltore. There are no monuments to mark the site 
of Bantia ; bones, helmets, pieces of armor, and a few bad vases, have 
been picked up near Acerenza. 1 The poet cherished through life 
his fond reminiscences of these scenes, the shores of the sounding 
Aufidus (to whose destructive floods he alludes in one of his latest 
odes), and the fountain of Bandusia. 3 He delights also in reverting 
to the plain life and severe manners of the rustic population. Shrewd, 
strenuous, and frugal, this race furnished the best soldiers for the Ro- 
man legion ; their sun-burned wives shared in their toils (Epod. ii., 
41-2). They cultivated their small farms with their own labor and 
that of their sons (Sat. ii., 2, 114). They worshipped their rustic 
deities, and believed in the superstitions of a religious and simple 
people, witchcraft and fortune-telling (Sat. i., 9, 29, 30). The 
hardy but contented Ofella (Sat. ii., 2, 112, seqq.) was a kind of 
type of the Sabine or Apulian peasant. 

At about ten or twelve years old commenced the more serious and 
important part of the Roman education. It does not appear how 
Horace acquired the first rudiments of learning ; but, as he grew to 
Youth, the father, either discerning some promise in the boy, or from 
paternal fondness, determined to devote himself entirely to the edu- 
cation of his son. He was by no means rich, his farm was unpro- 
ductive, yet he declined to send his son to Venusia, to the school of 
Flavius, to which resorted the children of the rural and municipal 
aristocracy, the consequential sons of consequential fathers, with 
their satchels and tablets on their arms, and making their regular 
payments every month. 3 He took the bold step of removing him at 
once to Rome, to receive the liberal education of a knight's or a 
senator's son ; and, lest the youth should be depressed by the feel- 
ing of inferiority, provided him with whatever was necessary to make 
a respectable appearance, dress and slaves to attend him, as if he 
had been of an ancient family. But, though the parent thus removed 
his son to the public schools of the metropolis, and preferred that he 

1. Keppel Craven's Tour in the Abruzzi. Lombardi, eopra la Basilicata, in 
Memorie dell' Instituto Archaeologico. 

2. The biographers of Horace had transferred this fountain to the neighborhood 
of the poet's Sabine villa. M. Capmartin de Chaupy proved, by a bull of Pope 
Paschal II., that it was to be sought in the neighborhood of Venusia. Some mod- 
ern writers are so pertinaciously set on finding it in the Sabine district, that they 
have supposed Horace to have called some fountain in that valley by the name en- 
deared to him by his youthful remembrances. But do we know enough of the 
life of Horace to pronounce that he may not have visited, even more than once, 
the scenes of his childhood, or to decide that he did not address the famous ode 
to the Venusian fountain? {Capmartin de Chaupy, Maison d' Horace, torn, ii., p. 
363.) 3. Sat. i., 6, 71, seqq. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XV 

should associate with the genuine youthful nobility of the capital 
rather than the no less haughty, but more coarse and unpolished 
gentry (the retired centurions) of the provinces, he took great care 
that while he secured the advantages, he should be protected from 
the dangers of the voluptuous capital. Even if his son should rise 
no higher than his own humble calling as a public crier or collector, 
his good education would be invaluable ; yet must it not be purchased 
by the sacrifice of sound morals. He attended him to the different 
schools ; watched with severe but affectionate control over his char- 
acter ; so that the boy escaped not merely the taint, but even the re- 
proach of immorality. 1 The poet always speaks of his father with 
grateful reverence and with honest pride. 

His first turn for satire was encouraged by his father's severe an- 
imadversions on the follies and vices of his compatriots, which he 
held up as warning examples to his son. 2 To one of his school- 
masters the poet has given imperishable fame. Orbilius, whose 
flogging propensities have grown into a proverb, had been an ap- 
paritor, and afterward served in the army ; an excellent training for 
a disciplinarian, if not for a teacher ; but Orbilius got more reputa- 
tion than profit from his occupation. 3 The two principal, if not the 
only authors read in the school of Orbilius, were Homer in Greek, 
and Livius Andronicus in Latin. 4 Homer was, down to the time of 
Julian, an indispensable part of Greek, and already of Roman edu- 
cation. 5 Orbilius was, no doubt, of the old school ; a teacher to the 
heart of rigid Cato ; an admirer of the genuine Roman poetry. Liv- 
ius Andronicus was not only the earliest writer of tragedy, but had 
translated the Odyssey into the Saturnian verse, the native vernacu- 
lar metre of Italy. 6 Orbilius may not merely have thought the Eu- 
emerism of Ennius, or the Epicurianism of Lucretius, unfit for the 
study of Roman youth, but have considered Accius, Pacuvius, or 
Terence too foreign and Grecian, and as having degenerated 'from 
the primitive simplicity of the father of Roman verse. The more 
modern and Grecian taste of Horace is constantly contending with 



1. Sat. i., 6, 81, scqq. 2. Sat. i., 4, 105, seqq. 

3. " Docuit majore fama quam emolumento." — Sueton., de Grammat. 

4. Bentley doubted whether any patrician schoolmaster, at that time, would use 
the works of a poet so antiquated as Livius Andronicus. He proposed to read 
Lsevius, the name of an obscure writer of love- verses ('EpwroTraiyvia), to whom 
he ascribes many of the fragments usually assigned to Livius, and which bear no 
marks of obsolete antiquity. But, with due respect to the great critic, the elder 
Horace might have objected still more strongly to the modern amatory verses of 
Lsevius than to the rude strains of Livius. 

5. Epist. ii., 2, 41-2. Compare Quint., i., 8 ; Plin., Epist. ii., 15 ; Statins, Sylv., 
v., 3. D. Heinsius quotes from Theodoret, tovtwv St o'i i:\eloToi ovde tt)v h?)viv 
taaai tt)v 'A%tAAfw? . Even as late as that father of the Church it was a mark of 
ignorance not to have read Homer. 

6. Cicero thought but meanly of Livius : " Nam et Odyssea Latina, est sic tan- 
quam opus aliquod Daedali, et Liviana? fabulaa non satis dignae quas iterum le- 
gantur."— Brutus, c. 18. 



XVI LIFE OF HORACE. 

this antiquarian school of poetry, and his unpleasing remembrance 
of the manner in which the study of Livius was enforced by his early 
teacher may have tended to confirm his fastidious aversion from the 
ruder poetry. 

Horace, it may be concluded, assumed the manly robe (toga virilis) 
in his sixteenth or seventeenth year. It is probable that he lost his 
excellent and honored father before he set out to complete his edu- 
cation at Athens. But of what stirring events must the boy have 
been witness during his residence at Rome ! He might possibly, 
soon after his arrival (B.C. 52), have heard Cicero speak his oration 
for Milo. Into the subsequent years were crowded all the prepara- 
tions for the last contest between Pompey and Caesar. The peace- 
ful studies of the Roman youth must have been strangely interrupt- 
ed by these political excitements. What spirited boy would not have 
thrown aside his books to behold the triumphant entrance of Caesar 
into Rome after the passage of the Rubicon ? And while that de- 
cisive step was but threatened, how anxiously and fearfully must 
Rome have awaited her doom — ignorant who was to be her master, 
and how that master would use his power ■ whether new proscrip- 
tions would more than decimate her patrician families, and deluge 
her streets with blood ; whether military license would have free 
scope, and the majesty of the Roman people be insulted by the out- 
rages of an infuriated soldiery ! No man was so obscure, so young. 
or so thoughtless, but that he must have been deeply impressed with 
the insecurity of liberty and of life. During the whole conflict, what 
must have been the suspense, the agitation, the party violence, the 
terror, the alternate elevation and prostration of mind ! In the un- 
ruffled quiet of his manhood and age, how often must these turbulent 
and awful days have contrasted themselves, in the memory of Horace, 
with his tranquil pursuits of letters, social enjoyment, and country 
retirement. 

It was about the time of (probably the year after) the battle of 
Pharsalia (for the state of Greece, just at the period of the final con- 
flict, must have been insecure, if not dangerous) that the youthful 
Horace left his school at Rome to study in Athens. If his father 
was dead, the produce of the Venusian estate would no doubt suffice 
for his maintenance ; if still living, the generous love of the parent 
would not hesitate at this further expense, if within his power. 
During many centuries of the Roman greatness, down to the time 
when her schools were closed by Justinian, Athens was the univer- 
sity, as it has been called, of the world, where almost all the dis- 
tinguished youth, both of the East and West, passed a certain period 
of study in the liberal arts, letters, and philosophy. This continued 
even after the establishment of Christianity. Basil and Gregory of 
Nazianzus studied together, and formed their youthful friendships ; 
as Horace did, no doubt, with some of the noble or distinguished 
youth of the day. On this point, however, his poems are silent, and 
contain no allusions to his associates and rivals in study. The 






LIFE OF HORACE. XVll 

younger Quintus Cicero was at this time likewise a student at 
Athens, but there is no clew to connect these two names. 1 

The advantages which Horace derived from his residence in 
Athens may be traced in his familiarity with Attic literature, or, 
rather, with the whole range of Greek poetry, Homeric, lyric, and 
dramatic. In the region of his birth Greek was spoken almost as 
commonly as Latin f and Horace had already, at Rome, been in- 
structed in the poetry of Homer. In Athens, he studied, particular- 
ly, the comic writers ; the great models of that kind of poetry which 
consists in shrewd and acute observation on actual human life, on 
society, manners, and morals, expressed in terse, perspicuous, and 
animated verse, which he was destined, in another form, to carry 
to such unrivalled perfection in his own language. But he incurred 
a great danger, that of sinking into a third or fourth rate Greek 
poet, if, in a foreign language, he could have attained even to that 
humble eminence. He represents the genius of his country under 
the form of Romulus, remonstrating against this misdirection of his 
talents. Romulus, or, rather, the strong sense of Horace himself, 
gave good reason for this advice. 3 The mine of Grecian poetry was 
exhausted ; every place of honor was occupied ; a new poet, particu- 
larly a stranger, could only be lost in the inglorious crowds. But 
this is not all. It is a law of human genius, without exception, that 
no man can be a great poet except in his native speech. Inspira- 
tion seems impatient of the slower process of translating our thoughts 
into a second language. The expression must be as free and spon- 
taneous as the conception ; and, however we may polish and refine 
our native style, and substitute a more tardy and elaborate for an 
instantaneous and inartificial mode of composition, there is a facility, 
a mastery, a complete harmony between " the thoughts that breathe 
and the words that burn," which can never be attained except in our 
mother tongue. 

The death of Caesar, and the arrival of Brutus at Athens, broke 
up the peaceful studies of Horace. It had been surprising if the 
whole Roman youth, at this ardent and generous period of life, 
breathing the air of Pericles, Aristides, and Demosthenes, imbibing 
the sentiments of republican liberty from all which was the object 
of their study, had not thrown themselves at once into the ranks of 
Brutus, and rallied round the rescued but still imperilled freedom of 
Rome. Horace was at once advanced to the rank of military trib- 
une, and the command of a legion. Excepting at such critical 
periods, when the ordinary course of military promotion was super- 
seded by the exigencies of the times, when it was no doubt difficult 
for Brutus to find Roman officers for his newly-raised troops, the son 
of a freedman, of no very robust frame, and altogether inexperienced 
in war, would not have acquired that rank. His appointment, as he 
acknowledges, on account of his ignoble birth excited jealousy. 4 



1. Weichert de L. Vario, &c, p. 328. 2. Sat. i, 10, 30. 

3. Sat. i., 10, 31, seqg. 4. Sat. L, 6, 46, t 



XV111 LIFE OF HORACE. 

Yet he acquired the confidence of his commanders, and, unless he 
has highly colored his hard service, was engaged in some difficulties 
and perils. 1 It is probable that while in the army of Brutus he 
crossed over into Asia. Though it is not quite clear that he was 
present at Clazomenae when the quarrel took place between Persius 
and Rupilius Rex, which forms the subject of Sat. i., 7, and his local 
knowledge of Lebedos, which has been appealed to, is not absolute- 
ly certain f yet some of his descriptive epithets appear too distinct 
and faithful for mere borrowed and conventional poetic language. 
He must have visited parts of Greece at some period of his life, as 
he speaks of not having been so much struck by the rich plain of 
Larissa, or the more rugged district of Lacedaemon, as by the head- 
long Anio and the grove of Tibur. 3 

The battle of Philippi closed the military career of Horace. His 
conduct after the battle, his flight, and throwing away his shield, 
have been the subject of much grave animadversion and as grave 
defence. Lessing wrote an ingenious essay to vindicate the morals 
and the courage of Horace. 4 Wieland goes still further in his as- 
sertion of the poet's valor : " Horace could not have called up the 
remembrance of the hero (Brutus), by whom he was beloved, with- 
out reproaching himself for having yielded to the instinct of person- 
al safety instead of dying with him ; and, according to my feeling, 
non bene is a sign of regret which he offers to the memory of that 
great man, and an expression of that shame of which a noble spirit 
alone is capable." 5 The foolish and fatal precipitancy with which 
Brutus and Cassius, upon the first news of defeat, instead of attempt- 
ing to rally their broken troops, and to maintain the conflict for liber- 
ty, took refuge in suicide, might appear, to the shrewd good sense 
of Horace, very different from the death of Cato, of which he has ex- 
pressed his admiration. And Wieland had forgotten that Horace 
fairly confesses his fears, and attributes his escape to Mercury, the 
god of letters. 6 Lessing is no doubt right that the playful allusion 
of the poet to his throwing away his shield has been taken much 
more in earnest than was intended ; and the passage, after all, is an 
imitation, if not a translation, from Alcasus. In its most literal sense, 
it amounts to no more than that Horace fled with the rest of the de- 
feated army, not that he showed any want of valor during the battle. 
He abandoned the cause of Brutus when it was not merely desperate, 
but extinct. Messala had refused to take the command of the broken 
troops, and had passed over to the other side ; a few only, among 
whom was the friend of Horace, Pompeius Varus, threw themselves 
into the fleet of Sextus Pompeius, a pirate rather than a political 

1. Ode ii., 7, 1. 2. Epist. i., 11, 6. 3. Ode i., 7, 11. 

4. Werke, ix., p. 126, 173. Lessing is completely successful in repelling a more 
disgraceful imputation upon the memory of the poet. In a passage of Seneca, 
some foolish commentator had substituted the name of Horatius for a certain L. 
Hostius, a man of peculiar profligacy. 

5. Wieland, Horazens Briefe, b. ii., p. 161. 6. Ode ii., 7, 13. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XIX 

leader. 1 Liberty may be said to have deserted Horace rather than 
Horace liberty; and, happily for mankind, he felt that his calling 
was to more peaceful pursuits. 

Horace found his way back, it is uncertain in what manner, to 
Rome. 2 But his estate was confiscated ; some new coactor was col- 
lecting the price of his native fields, which his father had perhaps 
acquired through former confiscations ; for Venusia was one of th^e 
eighteen cities assigned by the victorious triumvirate to their soldiers. 3 
On his return to Rome, nothing can have been well more dark or 
hopeless than the condition of our poet. He was too obscure to be 
marked by proscription, or may have found security in some gen- 
eral act of amnesty to the inferior followers of Brutus. But the 
friends which he had already made were on the wrong side in poli- 
tics ; he had no family connections, no birth to gild his poverty. It 
was probably at this period of his life that he purchased the place 
of scribe in the quaestor's office ; but from what source he derived 
the purchase money — the wreck of his fortunes, old debts, or the 
liberality of his friends — we can only conjecture. 4 On the profits of 
this place he managed to live with the utmost frugality. His or- 
dinary fare was but a vegetable diet, his household stuff of the 
meanest ware. He was still poor, and his poverty emboldened 
and urged him to be a poet. 



CHAPTER II. 

STATE OF ROMAN POETRY THEORY OF EARLY ROMAN POETRY^ 

CAUSES OF ITS TOTAL LOSS ENNIUS INTRODUCTION OF HEXAME- 
TER VERSE GREEK INFLUENCES DRAMA LUCRETIUS CATUL- 
LUS HORACE THE FRIEND OF VIRGIL AND OF VARIUS POVERTY 

MAKES HIM A POET INTRODUCTION TO MAECENAS INTIMACY WITH 

MAECENAS CIRCLE OF MEN OF LETTERS FIRST BOOK OF SATIRES. 

The state of Roman poetry, and its history, up to the time when 
Horace began to devote himself to it, is indispensable to a just esti- 
mate of his place among the poets of Rome. Rome, according to 

1. Manilius, i., 859, seqq. 

2. It is difficult to place the peril of shipwreck off Cape Palinurus, on the west- 
ern coast of Lucania (Ode iii., 4, 28), in any part of the poet's life. It is not impos- 
sible that, by the accident of finding a more ready passage that way, or even for 
concealment, he may have made the more circuitous voyage toward Rome, and 
so encountered this danger. 3. Appian, B. C, iv., 3. 

4. "Scriptum qusestorium comparavit." (Sueton., in Vit.) There is only one 
passage in his poetry which can be construed into an allusion to this occupation, 
unless the " hated business" (invisa negotia) which compelled him to go, at times, 
to Rome, related to the duties of his office. The college of scribes seem to have 
thought that they had a claim to his support in something which concerned their 
common interest (Sat. ii., 6, 36, seq.). But in the account which he gives of the 
manner in which he usually spent the day (Sat. i., 6, 120), there is no allusion to 
official business. 



XX LIFE OF HORACE. 

the modern theory, had her mythic and Homeric age ; her early his- 
tory is but her epic cycle transmuted into prose. The probability 
that Rome possessed this older poetry, and the internal evidence for 
its existence, are strong, if not conclusive. 

If from the steppes of Tartary to the shores of Peru — if in various 
degrees of excellence from the inimitable epics of Homer to the wild 
ditties of the South Sea islanders — scarcely any nation or tribe is 
without its popular songs, is it likely that Rome alone should have 
been barren, unimaginative, unmusical, without its sacred bards, or, if 
its bards were not invested with religious sanctity, without its popu- 
lar minstrels 5 Rome, with so much to kindle the imagination and stir 
the heart ; Rome, peopled by a race necessarily involved in adven- 
turous warfare, and instinct with nationality, and with the rivalry 
of contending orders ? In Rome every thing seems to conspire, 
which in all other countries, in all other races, has kindled the song 
of the bard. When, therefore, we find the history as it is handed 
down to us, though obviously having passed through the chill and 
unimaginative older chronicle, still nevertheless instinct with infelt 
poetry, can we doubt where it had its origin ? 

"The early history of Rome," observes Mr. Macaulay, "is in- 
deed far more poetical than any thing else in Latin literature. The 
loves of the Vestal and the God of War, the cradle laid among the 
reeds of the Tiber, the fig-tree, the she-wolf, the shepherd's cabin, 
the recognition, the fratricide, the rape of the Sabines, the death of 
Tarpeia, the fall of Hostus Hostilius, the struggle of Mettus Curtius 
through the marsh, the women rushing with torn raiment and di- 
shevelled hair between their fathers and their husbands, the nightly 
meetings of Numa and the Nymph by the well in the sacred grove, 
the fight of the three Romans and the three Albans, the purchase of 
the Sibylline books, the crime of Tullia, the simulated madness of 
Brutus, the ambiguous reply of the Delphian oracle to the Tarquins, 
the wrongs of Lucretia, the heroic actions of Horatius Codes, of 
Scaevola, and of Claelia, the battle of Regillus won by the aid of 
Castor and Pollux, the fall of Cremera, the touching story of Corio- 
lanus, the still more touching story of Virginia, the wild legend 
about the draining of the Alban Lake, the combat between Valerius 
Corvus and the gigantic Gaul, are among the many instances which 
will at once suggest themselves to every reader." 1 

But this poetic cycle had ceased to exist in its original metrical 
form long before the days of Livy and of Horace. We read of the 
old arval songs, of the Salian verses, of songs sung at triumphs or at 
feasts, by individual guests, in praise of illustrious men, and at funer- 
als. But these were mostly brief, religious, or occasional. Of the 
panegyric, or family songs, Cicero deplores the total loss. The 
verses to which Ennius 2 alludes, as sung by the Fauns and Bards, 
the ancient verses which existed before there was any real poetry, 

1. Macaulay, Preface to "Lays of Rome." 

2. Quoted in the Brutus of Cicero, which refers them to the verses of NaBvius. 



LIFE OP HORACE. XXl 

any general inspiration of the Muses (Ennius, no doubt, means poetry 
in Greek metres, and imitative of Greek poets) were from the Saturn- 
ian poem of Nsevius on the First Punic War. 

Yet how did this old poetic cycle so utterly perish that no vestige 
should survive ? x Much, no doubt, is to be attributed to the ordinary 
causes of decay — change of manners, of tastes, the complete dominion 
of the Grecian over the Roman mind, the misfortune that no patriotic 
or poetic antiquarian rose in time, no Percy or Walter Scott, to 
search out and to record the fragments of old song, which were dy- 
ing out upon the lips of the peasantry and the people. There are, 
however, peculiar to Rome, some causes for the total oblivion of this 
kind of national record which may also seem worthy of consideration. 
The Grecian ballad poetry, the Homeric (distinguished from all other 
ballads, and, indeed, from almost all other human compositions, by 
transcendent merit), had an inestimable advantage besides its other 
inimitable excellences. At the time of its earliest, undoubtedly its 
most complete development in the Iliad and Odyssey, the wonder- 
fully and naturally musical ear of the Greeks had perfected that most 
exquisite vehicle of epic song, the hexameter verse. From Homer to 
Nonnus this verse maintained its prescriptive and unquestioned right 
to be the measure of heroic and narrative poetry. None, indeed, conld 
draw the bow like the old bard ; but even in this conscious feeble- 
ness the later poets hardly ever ventured to innovate on this estab- 
lished law of epic song. The Saturnian verse was the native meas- 
ure of Roman, or, rather, of Italian poetry. This Saturnian verse was 
unquestionably very rude, and, if we are to trust the commentator 
on Virgil, only rhythmical. 2 When, therefore, Ennius naturalized 
the hexameter in Latin poetry, it is no wonder that all eyes were 
turned on the noble stranger, who at once received the honors of a 
citizen, and from that time was established in supremacy over Latin 
as well as Greek narrative poetry. In this verse Ennius himself em- 
bodied all the early history of Rome ; and we have only to look back 
from the fragments of his work, which, though yet indulging in cer- 
tain licenses which were dropped by Virgil and the later writers, 
have some lines of very free flow and cadence, to the few Saturnian 
verses which survive from the Punic war of his rival Naevius, and 
we shall not wonder that the Roman ear became fastidious and dis- 
tasteful of its old native melodies. The ballads, if they had still sur- 
vived in common currency, were superseded by the new and more 
popular poetic history of Ennius. 3 The Saturnian verse was aban- 
doned to farce and popular satire ; though even satire began to set up 
for a gentleman, and, with Lucilius, to speak in hexameters. The 
Atellan farces (pantomimes in dialogue, according to our use of the 
word, not that of the classic writers) were still true to the Saturnian 

1. Mr. Macaulay has acutely observed that the words of Dion. Hal., w? iv rots 
irarpiois v/jvoTj bird 'Pwptai'wv stl vvv qdtrai, are either translated, or, at farthest, 
paraphrased, from Fabius Pictor, one of the earliest of the Roman annalists. 

2. Servius in Virg., Georg. ii., 385. 3. Hor., Epist. ii., 1, 158. 



XX11 LIFE OF HORACE. 

measure. But the Atellan farces were Italian, not properly Roman 
entertainments ; they were, perhaps, originally in the Oscan dialect; 
and whether or not they learned to speak Latin before they migrated 
to Rome, they were then taken up by popular poets, Pomponius and 
Novius, and became one of the regular amusements of the people. 1 

But probably the most extensively operative cause of the rapid 
extinction of the Roman popular poetry was the dissolution of the 
Roman people. The old plebeian families which survived had be- 
come a part of the aristocracy. As they had attained, either, 
like Cicero, having struggled upward, the higher rank, or having 
reached it by less honorable courses, whichever side they might take 
in the great contest between the senate and the democracy, they as- 
sumed patrician manners, tastes, and habits. Except here and there 
some sturdy "laudator temporis acti," some rough Cato, who af- 
fected the old republican manners, they belonged to that class which 
had surrendered itself — which prided itself on its surrender — to Greek 
influences. If family pride was still Roman in its reminiscences,. if 
it delighted to recall its ancestral glories, it would disdain the rude 
old verse, and content itself with the chronicles which had now as- 
sumed the more authentic tone of history. It would appeal to more 
authoritative public records or private archives. The man of rank 
would be ashamed or afraid, in a more prosaic age, of resting the 
fame of his ancestors, or the truth of his genealogy, on such suspi- 
cious testimonies. Cicero might have taste and wisdom enough to 
regret the loss of these ancient songs, both as poetry and as trust- 
worthy records of former times ; but in his day they had entirely, 
and, it should seem, long vanished from the more refined banquets 
of the higher classes ; they found no place amid the gorgeous mag- 
nificence of the Luculli, or the more enervating luxuries of the 
Clodii. 

If, then, they lingered any where, they would be on the lips and in 
the hearts of the Roman people. But where were the Roman peo- 
ple ? where was that stern, and frugal, and strongly national plebe- 
ian race, which so long maintained the Roman character for order, 
virtue, freedom ; and which, if factious and unruly, was factious for 
noble ends, and unruly in defence or assertion of its rights ? In the 
city there was, and there always had been, a populace, which, from 
the first, to a great extent, was not of Roman descent, the mechanics 
and artisans, the clients of the wealthy — now swelled in numbers, 
and, though always held in low estimation, debased in character by 
the constant influx of strangers, not merely from Italy, but from re- 
moter regions. This half- foreign population was maintained in a kind 
of insolent pauperism by largesses of corn and other provisions, and 
by the distributions of the wealthy with political views. This hybrid 

1. The Saturnian was the common measure, no doubt, of all the rude Italic verse 
in its various dialects. Grotefend professes to have found it in the Umbrian in- 
scriptions of the tabulae Eugubinee. See a learned treatise, De Fabulis Atellanis, 
by Dr. E. Munk, Lipsiae, 1840. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XX1U 

and shifting race, largely formed of enfranchised slaves and men of 
servile descent, would be but precarious and treacherous guardians 
of national song, probably in an antiquated dialect : they would keep 
up the old Italic license (so indelible, it should seem, in the Italian 
character) of poetic lampoon and pasquinade : any wild traditions 
which heightened the fun and the revel of the Saturnalia might live 
among them ; they would welcome, as we have seen, the low and 
farcical dramatic entertainments ; but their ears would be unmoved, 
and their hearts dead, to the old stirring legends of the feuds and 
factions, the wars of neighboring tribes, and the heroic deeds of 
arms of the kings or of the early republic. The well-known anec 
dote of Scipio iEmilianus may illustrate the un-Roman character of 
this populace of Rome. When the mob raised a furious clamor al 
his bold assertion of the justice of the death of Tiberius Gracchus, 
" Silence, ye step-sons of Italy ! What ! shall I fear these fellows, 
now they are free, whom I myself have brought in chains to Rome ?" 
These were the operatives (operae) who flocked, not merely from the 
workshops of Rome, but from all the adjacent districts, to swell the 
turbulent rabble of Clodius. 1 

The territory of Rome, the demesne-lands formerly cultivated by 
Roman citizens, in which resided the strength of the Roman people, 
had been gradually drained of the free population. For several cen- 
turies it had filled the legions, and those legions had achieved the 
conquest of the world. But that conquest was not won without 
enormous loss. The best blood of the Roman people had fertilized 
the earth almost from the Euphrates to the Western Ocean. The 
veterans who returned received apportionments of land, but more 
frequently in remote parts of Italy : the actual Roman territory, there- 
fore, that in which the old Roman language was the native dialect, 
and in which might survive that Roman pride which would cherish 
the poetic reminiscences of Roman glory, was now, for the most part, 
either occupied by the rising villas of the patricians, or by the large 
farms of the wealthy, and cultivated by slaves. The homestead 
whence a Camillus issued to rescue his country from the Gauls 
may now have become a wor-k-house, in which crouched the slaves 
of some Verres, enriched with provincial plunder, or some usurious 
knight ; a gang of Africans or Asiatics may have tilled the field 
where Cincinnatus left his plough to assume the consular fasces- For 
centuries this change had been gradually going on ; the wars, and 
even the civil factions, were continually wasting away the Roman 
population, while the usurpation of wealth and pride was as constant- 
ly keeping up its slow aggression, and filling up the void with the 
slaves which poured in with every conquest. The story of Sparta- 
cus may tell how large a part of the rural population of Italy was 
servile ; and probably, the nearer to Rome, in the districts former- 
ly inhabited by the genuine Roman people, the change (with some 

1. Veil. Paterc, ii., 2 ; Val. Max., vi., 2; Cic, ad Q. Frat., ii., 3 ; cf. Petron., v., 164. 



XXlV LIFE OF HORACE. 

exceptions) was most complete ; the Sabine valleys might retain some 
of the old rough hereditary virtues, the hardihood and frugality ; but 
at a distance from the city it would be their own local or religious 
traditions which would live among the peasantry, rather than the 
songs which had been current in the streets among the primitive 
commons of Rome. 

Thus, both in city and in country, had died away the genuine old 
Roman people ; and with them, no doubt, died away the last echo 
of national song. The extension of the right of Roman citizenship, 
the diffusion of the pride of the Roman name through a wider sphere, 
tended still more to soften away the rigid and exclusive spirit of na- 
tionality ; and it was this spirit alone which would cling pertinacious- 
ly to that which labored under the unpopularity of rudeness and bar- 
barism. The new Romans appropriated the glories of the old, but 
disregarded the only contemporary, or, at least, the earliest witnesses 
to those glories. The reverse of the fate of the Grecian heroes hap- 
pened to those of Rome — the heroes lived, the sacred bards perished. 
> The Latin poetry, that which Rome has handed down to posteri- 
ty, was, like philosophy, a stranger and a foreigner. 1 She arrived, 
though late, before philosophy ; at least she was more completely 
naturalized before philosophy was domiciled, except in a very few 
mansions of great statesmen, and among a very circumscribed intel- 
lectual aristocracy. It is remarkable that most of her early poets 
were from Magna Graecia. Naevius alone, the Saturnian or Italian 
poet, was from Campania, and even Campania was half Greek. Livius 
Andronicus was from Tarentum f Ennius from Rudiae in Calabria ; 
Accius was the son of a freedman from the south of Italy ; Pacuvius 
was a Brundisian ; Plautus, of the comic writers, was an Umbrian ; 
Terence was an African ; Caecilius was from the north of Italy. In 
every respect the Romans condescended to be imitative, not directly 
of Nature, but of Grecian models. Ennius had confined her epic 
poetry to the hexameter, whence it never attempted to emancipate 
itself. The drama of Rome, like all her arts, was Grecian 5 almost 
all the plays (excepting here and there a tragcedia prcetextata) of 
Livius Andronicus, Accius, Pacuvius, Plautus, Terence, were on 
Grecian subjects. So completely was this admitted by the time of 
Horace, that his advice to the dramatic poet is to study Grecian 
models by night and day. (Ep. ad Pis., 268, seq.) But, on the 
other hand, the wonderful energies which were developed in the 
universal conquests of Rome, and in her civil factions, in which the 
great end of ambition was to be the first citizen in a state which 

1. " Punico bello secundo musa pinnato gradu 

Intulit se bellicosam Romuli in gentcm feram." 

P. Licinius apud A. Gellium, 

2. Cicero, Brutus, c. 18. Livius was taken prisoner at the capture of Tarentum. 
It is supposed that he was a freedman of M. Livius Salinator. The Tarentines 
were great admirers of the theatre. Plaui., MenaBchmi, Prolog. 29, seqq. ; Heyne, 
Opusc., il, 225, seqq. Livius represented his own plays. Liv., vii., 2 ; Val. Max., 
ii., 4. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXV 

ruled the world, could not but awaken intellectual powers of the 
highest order. The force and vigor of the Roman character are man- 
ifest in the fragments of their early poetry. However rude and in- 
harmonious these translations (for, after all, they are translations), 
they are full of bold, animated, and sometimes picturesque expres- 
sions 5 and that which was the natural consequence of the domicilia- 
tion of a foreign literature among a people of strong and masculine 
minds invariably took place. Wherever their masters in the art had 
attained to consummate perfection, wherever the genius of the peo- 
ple had been reflected in their poetry with complete harmony, there, 
however noble might be the emulation of the disciple, it was impos- 
sible that he should approach to his model, especially where his own 
genius and national character were adverse both to the form and to 
the poetic conception. 

Hence, in the genuine epic, in lyric, in dramatic poetry, the Greeks 
stood alone and unapproachable. Each of these successive forms of 
the art had, as it were, spontaneously adapted itself to the changes 
in Grecian society. The epic was that of the heroic age of the 
warrior-kings and bards ; the lyric, the religious, that of the temple 
and the public games ; the dramatic, that of the republican polity, the 
exquisite combination of the arts of poetry, music, gesture, and spec- 
tacle, before which the sovereign people of Athens met, which was 
presided over by the magistrate, and maintained either at the public 
cost or at that of the ruling functionary, which, in short, was the 
great festival of the city. 

But the heroic age of Rome had passed away, as before observed, 
without leaving any mythic or epic song, unless already transmuted 
into history. Her severe religion had never kindled into poetry, ex- 
cept in rude traditional verses, and short songs chanted during the 
solemn ceremony. The more domestic habits of her austere days 
had been less disposed to public exhibitions ; theatrical amusements 
were forced upon her, not freely developed by the national taste. 
No doubt, from the close of the second Punic war to the age of Au- 
gustus, dramatic entertainments were more or less frequent in Rome. 
The tragedies of Ncevius, Ennius, Pacuvius, and Accius, as well as 
the comedies of Plautus, Csecilius, Afranius, and Terence, formed 
part of the great games which were celebrated during periods of 
public rejoicing. The fame of iEsopus and Ros'cius as actors im- 
plies great popular interest in the stage. Still, as has been said, al- 
most all, if not all, the tragedies, and most of the comedies, were 
translations or adaptations from the Greek. 1 The ovation and the 
triumph were the great spectacles of Rome ; and, when these be- 
came more rare, her relaxation was the rude Atellan farce, or the 
coarse mime ; but her passion was the mimic war, the amphitheatre 
with its wild beasts and gladiators, the proud spectacle of barbarian 

1. Lange, in his "Vindicife Romans TragoediaB," and Welcker (" Griechische 
Tragoedie") are indignant at the general, and, as they assert, unjust disparagement 
of Roman tragedy. 

2 



XXVI LIFE OF HORACE. 

captives slaughtering each other for her amusement. Rome thus 
wanted the three great sources of poetic inspiration — an heroic period 
of history, religion, and scenic representation. She had never, at 
least there appears no vestige of their existence, a caste or order of 
hards 5 her sacerdotal offices, attached to her civil magistracies, dis- 
dained the aid of high-wrought music, or mythic and harmonious 
hymns. Foreign kings and heroes walked her stage, 1 and even her 
comedy represented, in general, the manners of Athens or of Asia 
Minor rather than those of Italy. 

Still, however, in those less poetic departments of poetry, if we 
may so speak, which the Greeks had cultivated only in the later and 
less creative periods of their literature, the Romans seized the unoc- 
cupied ground, and asserted a distinct superiority. Wherever poetry 
would not disdain to become an art — wherever lofty sentiment, ma- 
jestic, if elaborate verse, unrivalled vigor in condensing and express- 
ing moral truth, dignity, strength, solidity, as it were, of thought 
and language, not without wonderful richness and variety, could 
compensate for the chastened fertility of invention, the life and dis- 
tinctness of conception, and the pure and translucent language, in 
which the Greek stands alone — there the Latin surpasses all poetry. 
In what is commonly called didactic poetry, whether it would con- 
vey in verse philosophical opinions, the principles of art, descriptions 
of scenery, or observations on life and manners, the Latin poets are 
of unrivalled excellence. The poem of Lucretius, the Georgics of 
Virgil, the Satires and Epistles of Horace, and the works of Juvenal, 
were, no doubt, as much superior even to the poem of Empedocles 
(of which, nevertheless, there are some very fine fragments), or to 
any other Greek poems to which they can fairly be compared, as 
the Latin tragedians were inferior to JEschylus and Sophocles, or 
Terence to Menander. 

Ennius, in all points, if he did not commence, completed the de- 
naturalization of Roman poetry. He was in every respect a Greek ; 

1. Nine names of Tragoediag Praetextatae, tragedies on Roman subjects, have 
survived, more than one of which is doubtful ; four only claim to be of the ear- 
lier age. I. The Paulus of Pacuvius, which Neukirch ('"' De Fabula Togata") and 
Welcker C Griechische Tragoedie," p. 1334) suppose to have represented, not 
Paulus jEmilius Macedonicus, but his father, L. iEmilms Paulus, who, after the 
battle of Cannae, refused to survive the defeat. (Liv., xxii., 49.) Yet, noble as 
was the conduct of Paulus, the battle of Cannae would have been a strange subject 
for Roman tragedy. II. The Brutus of Accius (Cic, Ep. ad Art., xvL, 2 and 5). 
Cassius Parmensis wrote also a Brutus ( Wtlcker, p. 1403). See the dream of Brutua 
in Cic. De Divinat, i., 22, and Bothe (Scenic. Lat. Fragm., i., 191). From this frag- 
ment Niebuhr (Rom. Hist., vol. i., note 1078) rather boldly concludes that these 
were not imitations of the Greek drama, but historical tragedies, like those of 
Shakspeare. III. The iEneadae, or Decius of Accius. IV. The Marcellus of Acciua 
is doubtful. V. The Iter ad Lentulum, by Balbus, acted at Gades, represented a 
passage in the author's own life. (Cic, Ep. ad Fam., x., 32.) The later praetex- 
tatfiB were, VI. The Cato ; and, VII. The Domitius Nero of Maternus, in the reign 
of Vespasian. VlII. The Vescio of Persius ; and, IX. The Octavia, in the works 
of Seneca, probably at the time of Trajan. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXV11 

the fine old Roman legends spoke not in their full grandeur to his 
ear. The fragments of the Annals, which relate the exploits of Ro- 
man valor, are by no means his most poetic passages ; in almost all 
his loftier flights we trace Grecian inspiration, or more than inspira- 
tion. If it be true that the earliest annalists of Rome turned their 
old poetry into prose, Ennius seems to have versified their tame his- 
tory, and to have left it almost as prosaic as before. It may be 
doubted, notwithstanding the fame of Varius, whether there was any 
fine Roman narrative poetry till the appearance of the iEneid. But 
Lucretius had shown of what the rich and copious, and, in his hands, 
flexible Latin language was capable ; how it could paint as well as 
describe, and, whenever his theme would allow, give full utterance 
to human emotion. It is astonishing how Lucretius has triumphed 
over the difficulties of an unpromising subject, and the cold and un- 
poetic tone of his own philosophy. His nobler bursts are not sm-- 
passed in Latin poetry. Notwithstanding the disrepute in which 
Cicero's poetic talents have been held, there are lines, especially in 
his translation of Aratus, which, by their bold desci'iptive felicity and 
picturesque epithets, rise above the original. Lucretius was dead 
before Horace settled at Rome, and so, likewise, was the only other 
great Roman poet who has survived (excluding the dramatists), Ca- 
tullus. Notwithstanding their grace, sweetness, and passion, the 
lyric poems of Catullus do not seem to have been so pleasing as 
might have been expected to the Roman ear. His fame and popu- 
larity rested chiefly on his satirical iambics. His lyrics are men- 
tioned with disparagement by Horace, and are not noticed by Quin- 
tilian ; yet in his happier moments, what Latin poet equals Catul- 
lus ? Even if more of his poems than we suppose are translations, 
some of them, which we know to be translations, have all the fire 
and freedom of original poetry. If the Atys be but a feeble echo 
of a Greek dithyrambic, what must the dithyrambics of Greece have 
been ? 

When Horace returned to Rome, Virgil and Varius, with Asinius 
Pollio, the statesman and tragic writer, were the most celebrated 
names in Roman poetry. These two great poets soon admitted the 
young Horace to their intimacy. The fame of Varius, as an epic 
poet, does not appear to have been recognized even by his Roman 
posterity. Quintilian speaks of his Thyestes with the highest praise, 
as worthy to be compared with the noblest Greek ti'agedies ; he does 
not mention his name among the epic writers. Varius, it should 
seem, wrote fine verses on the events and characters of the times ; a 
poem on the death of Caesar, and a panegyric on Augustus. That 
kind of poetry obtains high reputation in its own day, but loses its 
interest with the events which it celebrates. Yet of the few epic 
lines of Varius which survive, all show vigor and felicity of expres- 
sion, some great beauty. The Eclogues of Virgil appeared in their 
collective form about the same time with the earliest publication of 
Horace, his first book of Satires. But Virgil had already acquired 



XXV111 LIFE OF HORACE. 

fame ; some of his shorter poems had excited great admiration and 
greater hope ; a few of his Eclogues must have been already known 
among his friends ; he had the expectation, at least, of recovering 
his forfeited lands through the friendship of Asinius Pollio ; he was 
already honored with the intimate acquaintance of Maecenas. 

The introduction of Horace to Maecenas was the turning-point of 
his fortunes ; hut some time (at least two or three years) must have 
intervened between his return to Rome, and even his first presenta- 
tion to his future patron, during which he must have obtained some 
reputation for poetic talent, and so recommended himself to the friend- 
ship of kindred spirits like Varius and Virgil. Poverty, in his own 
words, was the inspiration of his verse. 

" Paupertas impulit audax 
Ut versus facerem."— Epist. ii., 2, 51, seq. 

The interpretation of this passage is the difficult problem in the 
early history of Horace. What was his poetry ? Did the author 
expect to make money or friends by it? Or did he write mere- 
ly to disburden himself of his resentment and his indignation, at that 
crisis of desperation and destitution when the world was not his 
friend, nor the world's law, and so to revenge himself upon that 
world by a stern and unsparing exposure of its vices ? Did the de- 
feated partisan of Brutus and of liberty boldly hold up to scorn many 
of the followers and friends of the triumvir, whose follies and vices 
might offer strong temptation to a youth ambitious of wielding the 
scourge of Lucilius ? Did he even venture to ridicule the all-power- 
ful Maecenas himself? This theory, probable in itself, is supported 
by many recent writers, and is, perhaps, not altogether without founda- 
tion. 1 In the second satire, one unquestionably of his earliest com- 
positions, most of the persons held up to ridicule belonged to the 
Caesarian party. The old scholiast asserts that, under the name of 
Malchinus, the poet glanced at the effeminate habit of Maecenas, of 
wearing his robes trailing on the ground, while more malicious 
scandal added that this was a trick in order to conceal his bad legs 
and straddling gait. To judge of the probability of this, we must 
look forward to the minute account of his first interview with Maece- 
nas. If Horace was conscious of having libelled Maecenas, it must 
have been more than modesty, something rather of shame and con- 
fusion, which overpowered him, and made his words few and broken. 3 

The dry and abrupt manner of Maecenas, though habitual to him, 
might perhaps be alleged as rather in favor of the notion that he had 
been induced to admit a visit from a man of talent, strongly recom- 
mended to him by the most distinguished men of letters of the day, 
though he was aware that the poet had been a partisan of Brutus, 
and had held himself up to ridicule in a satire, which, if not publish- 
ed, had been privately circulated, and must have been known at 
least to Varius and Virgil. The gentlemanly magnanimity of Mae- 
cenas, or even the policy, which would induce him to reconcile all 
1. Walkenaer, Histoire de la Vie d'Horace, i., p. 88. 2. Sat. i., 6, 54, 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXIX 

men of talent with the government, might dispose him to overlook 
with quiet contempt or easy indifference, or even to join in the laugh 
at this touch of satire against his own peculiarity of person or man- 
ner ; but, still, the subsequent 'publication of a poem containing such 
an allusion, after the satirist had been admitted into the intimacy of 
Maecenas (and it is universally admitted that the satire was first pub- 
lished after this time), appears improbable, and altogether inconsistent 
with the deferential respect and gratitude shown by Horace to his 
patron, with the singular tact and delicacy through which the poet 
preserves his freedom by never trespassing beyond its proper bounds, 
and with that exquisite urbanity which prevents his flattery from de- 
generating into adulation. This is still less likely if the allusion in 
the satire glanced at physical deformity or disease. After all, this 
negligence or effeminate affectation was probably much too common 
to point the satire against any individual, even one so eminent as 
Maecenas. The grave observation of the similarity between the 
names of Maecenas and Malchinus, being each of three syllables and 
beginning with an M, reminds us irresistibly of old Fluellin's Mace- 
don and Monmouth. 

The other circumstances of the interview seem to imply that 
Horace felt no peculiar embarrassment, such as he might have ex- 
perienced if he was conscious of having libelled Maecenas. There 
was no awkward attempt at apology, but a plain independence in 
his manner ; he told him merely that he was neither a man of fami- 
ly nor fortune, and explained who and what he was. 1 The question 
then recurs, what were these verses to which Horace was impelled 
by poverty ? Poetry can not have been of itself a gainful occupa- 
tion. The Sosii were not, like the opulent booksellers of our own 
day, ready to encourage, and to speculate in favor of, a young and 
promising author. In another passage, written late in life, the poet 
pleasantly describes himself as having grown rich and indolent, and 
as having lost that genial inspiration of want which heretofore had 
so powerfully excited his poetic vein. Pope has imitated the hu- 
morous illustration of the old soldier with more than his usual felicity : 
" In Anna's wars, a soldier, poor and old, 

Had dearly earn'd a little purse of gold. 

Tired with a tedious march, one luckless night 

He slept (poor dog), and lost it to a doit. 

This put the man in such a desperate mind, 

Between revenge, and grief, and hunger join'd, 

Against himself, the foe, and all mankind, 

He leap'd the trenches, scaled a castle wall, 

Tore down a standard, took the fort and all. 

' Prodigious well !' his great commander cried, 

Gave him much praise, and some reward beside. 

Next pleased his excellence a town to batter 

(Its name I know not, and 'tis no great matter) ; 

' Go on, my friend,' he cried ; ' see yonder walls I 

Advance and conquer I go where glory calls ! 

1. Sat. i., 6, 58, seqq. 



XXX LIFE OF HORACE. 

More honors, more rewards, attend the brave !' 
Don't you remember what reply he gave ? 
1 D'ye think me, noble general, such a sot 1 
Let him take castles who has ne'er a groat.' " 

From these lines it appears that the influence of poverty was more 
than the independent desire of exhaling his indignation against the 
partisans of the triumvirs, or of wreaking his revenge ; it was the 
vulgar but prudential design, in some way or other, of bettering his 
condition, which was his avowed inspiration. In truth, literary dis- 
tinction in those times might not unreasonably hope for reward. 
The most eminent of the earlier poets had not disdained the patron- 
age and friendship of the great statesmen. Ennius had been domi- 
ciliated in the family of the Scipios, and his statue was admitted 
after his death into the family mausoleum. Lucilius had been con- 
nected with the same family. Lucretius lived in the house of the 
Memmii; Terence with Scipio Africanus and Laelius. Decimus 
Brutus was the admirer and patron of Accius ; as Messala of Tibul- 
lus ; Vulcatius, or iElius Gallus, of Propertius. Varius was him- 
self a man of rank and birth ; but Virgil owed to his poetical fame 
the intimate friendship of Pollio and Maecenas ; x and though Horace, 
as a known republican, could hardly have hoped for the patronage 
of Maecenas, there were others to whom the poet might have been 
welcome, though much prudence might be required in both parties 
on account of his former political connections. 

But, whatever the motives which induced him to write, the poeti- 
cal talents of Horace must soon have begun to make themselves 
known. To those talents he owed, in the first place, the friendship 
of Varius and Virgil, of Pollio, and perhaps of some others in that 
list of distinguished persons, which he recounts in the tenth satire of 
the first book. Some of these, no doubt, he first encountered after 
he had been admitted to the society of Maecenas. Under what other 
character, indeed, could the son of a provincial freedman, who had 
been on the wrong side in the civil wars, had lost all his property, 
and scarcely possessed the means of living, make such rapid progress 
among the accomplished and the great ? Certainly not by his social 
qualities alone, his agreeable manners, or convivial wit. Nothing 
but his well-known poetical powers can have so rapidly endeared 
him to his brother poets. When Virgil and Varius told Maecenas 
" what he was," they must have spoken of him as a writer of verses, 
not merely of great promise, but of some performance. But were 

1. If Donatus is to be credited, Virgil received from the liberality of his friends 
not less than centies sestertium (£80,729 3s. 4rf.), besides a house in Rome on the 
Esquiline, a villa near Nola, perhaps another in Sicily. {Donati, Vita Virg., vi.) 
Hence Juvenal's well-known lines : 

" Magnae mentis opus, nee de lodice paranda 
Attonitse, currus et equos, faciemque Deorum 
Aspicere, et qualis Rutulum coni'undat Erinys ; 
Nam si Virgilio puer et tolerabile deesset 
Hospitium, caderent omnes e crinibus hydri." — Sat. viii., 66. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXXI 

the two or three satires, which we may suppose to have been writ- 
ten before his introduction to Maecenas, sufficient to found this poetic 
reputation ? That some of the epodes belong to this early part of 
his poetical career, I have no doubt ; the whole adventure with 
Canidia (that one of his poetical intrigues which has a groundwork 
at least of reality) belongs to a period of his life when he was loose, 
as it were, upon the world, without an ascertained position in society, 
unsettled in habits, and to a certain degree in opinions. Nor does 
there appear to me any difficulty in the supposition that some of the 
odes, which bear the expression of youthful feelings and passions, 
however collected afterward, and published in books, may have been 
among the compositions which were communicated to his friends, 
and opened to him the society of men of letters and the patronage 
of the great. 1 

Nine months elapsed between the first cold reception of Horace 
by Maecenas and his advances to nearer friendship. 

Maecenas, though still engaged in public affairs, and though he 
had not yet built his splendid palace on the Esquiline, had neverthe- 
less begun to collect around him all the men either eminent, or who 
promised to become eminent, in arts and letters. The friendship 
with Horace grew up rapidly into close intimacy. In the following 
year Horace accompanied him on his journey to Brundisium ; to 
which Maecenas proceeded, though on a political negotiation of the ut- 
most importance (the reconciliation of Antony and Octavianus), as 
on a party of pleasure, environed by the wits and poets who had be- 
gun to form his ordinary circle. 

The mutual amity of all the great men of letters in this period 
gives a singularly pleasing picture of the society which was har- 
monized and kept together by the example and influence of Maece- 
nas. Between Virgil, Plotius, Varius, and Horace, between Horace 
and Tibullus, there was not merely no vulgar jealousy, no jarring 
rivalry, but the most frank mutual admiration. If an epigram of 
Martial be not a mere fancy of the poet, Virgil carried his delicacy 
so far that he would not trespass on the poetic provinces which 
seemed to belong to his friends. Though he might have surpassed 
Varius in tragedy, and Horace in lyric poetry, he would not attempt 
either, lest he should obscure their fame. 2 

1. The most untenable part of the Bentleian chronology, which, however, as far 
as the publication of the separate books, is no doubt true, is his peremptory as- 
sertion that Horace employed himself only on one kind of poetry at a time ; that 
he wrote all the satires, then the epodes, then the three books of odes. Dr. Tate, 
the faithful and unshaken disciple of Bentley, quoting the lines, 

"Neque, si quis scribat, uti nos, 
Sermoni propiora, putes hunc esse poetam," 
does not scruple to assert that Horace, Sat. i., 4, " says, as plainly as a man can 
say it, that he had not then written any thing which could entitle him to the name 
of a poet ;" therefore, no single ode. " But Horace," as has been well observed, 
" uses language much like this in his epistles (Epist. h\, 1, 250, &c), written after 
all his odes."— Dyer, in Class. Museum, No. V., p. 215, &c. 

2. Martial, Epig. viii., 18. 



XXX11 LIFE OF HORACE. 

In the enjoyment of this society Horace completed the earliest of 
his works which has reached posterity (if, indeed, we have not his 
whole published works), the first book of satires. 1 



CHAPTER III. 

SATIRIC POETRY ITS ORIGIN THE COMEDY OF ROME STATE OF 

SOCIETY SABINE FARM CHRONOLOGY OF THE BOOKS OF SATIRES 

EPODES DATE OF COMPOSITION OF COMPLETION. 

The satiric style of poetry was admirably suited to this way of 
living. It was the highest order of the poetry of society. It will 
bear the same definition as the best conversation — good sense and 
wit in equal proportions. Like good conversation, it dwells enough 
on one topic to allow us to bear something away, while it is so des- 
ultory as to minister perpetual variety. It starts from some sub- 
ject of interest or importance, but does not adhere to it with rigid 
pertinacity. The satire of Horace allowed ample scope to follow 
out any train of thought which it might suggest, but never to pro- 
lixity. It was serious and gay, grave and light ; it admitted the 
most solemn and important questions of philosophy, of manners, of 
literature, but touched them in an easy and unaffected tone ; it was 
full of point and sharp allusions to the characters of the day ; it in- 
troduced in the most graceful manner the follies, the affectations, 
even the vices of the times, but there was nothing stern, or savage, 
or malignant in its tone ; we rise from the perusal with the convic- 
tion that Horace, if not the most urbane and engaging (not the per- 
fect Christian gentleman), must have been the most sensible and de- 
lightful person who could be encountered in Roman society. There 
is no broad buffoonery to set the table in a roar ; no elaborate and 
exhausting wit, which turns the pleasure of listening into a fatigue ; 
if it trespasses occasionally beyond the nicety and propriety of mod- 
ern manners, it may fairly plead the coarseness of the times, and the 
want of efficient female control, which is the only true chastener of 

1. Even on the publication of the satires, odes, and epistles in separate books, 
there are more difficulties than at first sight appear in the chronology of Bentley. 
Several of the satires in the first, but especially the fourth, show that Horace had 
already made enemies by his satiric poetry. Horace was averse to the fashion of 
reciting poems in public, which had been introduced by Asinius Pollio, and com- 
plains that his own were read by few : 

" Cum mea nemo, 
Scripta legat, vulgo recitare timentis." 
Compare line 73, et segq. Some recited their works in the forum, some in the 
public baths. 

No doubt he is in jest in this comparison between his poems and those of his 
rivals Crispinus and Fannius ; but it seems to imply that his poems were already, 
Bome way or other, exposed to popular approbation or neglect. Our notion of 
publication, the striking oft' at once a whole edition, probably misleads us. Before 
the invention of printing, each poem must have been copied and recopied separate- 
ly ; perhaps they may not have been exposed for sale till made up in books. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXX111 

conversation, but which can only command respect where the fe- 
males themselves deserve it. 

The satiric form of poetry was not original ; there was something 1 
like it in the Silli of the Greeks, and Lucilius had already introduced 
this style of writing into Rome with great success. The obligations 
of Horace to Lucilius it is impossible fairly to estimate from the few 
and broken passages of that writer which have survived. Horace 
can hardly be suspected of unworthy jealousy in the character which 
he gives of his predecessor in the art. Notwithstanding Quintilian's 
statement that there were some even in his own day who still pre- 
ferred the old satirist, not merely to all poets of his class, but even 
to every other Roman poet, there can be no doubt that Lucilius was 
rude, harsh, and inharmonious ; and it is exactly this style of poetry 
which requires ease, and that unstudied idiomatic perspicuity of lan- 
guage, that careless, as it may seem, but still skillful construction 
of verse wilich delights the ear at ihe same time that it is widely 
different from the stately march of the Yirgilian hexameter, or the 
smooth regularity of the elegiac poets. It is so near akin to prose 
as to require great art to keep up the indispensable distinction from it. 

The poetry of Horace was the comedy of an untheatrical people. 
Tf the Romans had been originally a theatrical people, there would 
have been a Roman drama. Their prsetextatre were but Greek 
dramas on Roman subjects. The national character of the people 
was, doubtless, the chief cause of the want of encouragement to the 
drama, but we may go still further. The true sphere of the drama 
seems to be a small city, like Athens (we reckon its size by its free 
population), London in the time of Elizabeth and James, Paris in 
that of Louis XIV., or Weimar at the close of the last century. In 
these cities, either all orders delight in living in public, or there is a 
large and predominant aristocracy, or a court which represents or 
leads the public taste. Rome was too populous to crowd into a thea- 
tre, where the legitimate drama could be effectively performed. The 
people required at least a Colosseum; and directly, as elsewhere, 
their theatres rivalled their amphitheatres, the art was gone. So- 
ciety, too, in Rome, was in a state of transition from the public spec- 
tacle to the private banquet or entertainment ; and as our own pres- 
ent mode of living requires the novel instead of the play, affords a 
hundred readers of a book to one spectator of a theatrical perform- 
ance, so Roman comedy receded from the theatre, in which she had 
never been naturalized, and concentrated her art and her observation 
on human life and manners in the poem, which was recited to the 
private circle of friends, or published for the general amusement of 
the whole society. 

Lucilius, as Horace himself says, aspired to be in Rome what 
Eupolis, Cratinus, and Aristophanes had been in Athens (Sat. i., 5, 
1, seqq.) • and more than Cascilius, Plautus, and Terence, excellent 
as the two latter at least appear to us, were at Rome. 

The tone of society, of which Horace is the representative, was 
2* 



XXXIV LIFE OF HORACE. 

that into which Rome, weary and worn out with civil contests, was 
delighted to collapse. The peace of the capital was no more dis- 
turbed ; though the foreign disturbances in Spain and on the other 
frontiers of the empire, the wars with the sons of Pompey, and, final- 
ly, with Antony in the East, distracted the remoter world, Rome 
quietly subsided into the pursuits of peace. It was the policy no less 
than the inclination of Augustus and his true friends to soften, to 
amuse, to introduce all the arts, and tastes, and feelings which could 
induce forgetfulness of the more stirring excitements of the rostra 
and the senate ; to awaken the song of the poet, that the agitating 
eloquence of the orator might cause less regret ; to spread the couch 
of luxury, of elegant amusement, and of lettered ease, on which Rome 
might slumber away the remembrance of her departed liberties. 
Agrippa and Augustus himself may be considered as taking charge 
of the public amusements, erecting theatres, and adorning the city 
with magnificent buildings of every description, transmuting the 
Rome of brick into the Rome of marble ; exhibiting the most gor- 
geous shows and spectacles ; distributing sumptuous largesses ; and 
compensating, by every kind of distraction and diversion, for the pri- 
vation of those more serious political occupations in the forum or at 
the comitia, which were either abolished by the constitution, or had 
languished into regular and unexciting formalities. 1 Maecenas, in 
the mean time, was winning, if not to the party, or to personal attach- 
ment toward Augustus, at least to contented acquiescence in his 
sovereignty, those who would yield to the silken charms of social 
enjoyment. Though in the Roman mansion or Baian villa, as after- 
ward in the palace on the Esquiline, no test of opinion might be de- 
manded, and no severe or tyrannous restriction be placed on the ease 
and freedom of conversation, republican sentiments, or expressions 
of dissatisfaction at the state of public affairs, would be so out of 
place at the hospitable banquets of Maecenas as to be proscribed by 
the common laws of courtesy or urbanity. Men's minds would be 
gradually reconciled to the suppression, if not to forgetfulness or 
abandonment, of such thoughts and feelings ; they were gradually 
taught how agreeably they might live under a despotism. 

Horace was not the only republican, nor the only intimate friend 
of Brutus, who took refuge in letters : 

" Hsec est 
Vita solutorum misera ambitione gravique." 

He excused himself from the hopelessness of the cause, of which he 
still cherished some generous reminiscences. He still occasionally 
betrayed old associations, as in his flashes of admiration at the un- 

1. The pantomimes had begun to supersede the regular drama. Tylades was ex- 
pelled by a faction, but recalled from exile by Augustus. In a dispute with Bafhyl- 
lus, who was patronized by Maecenas, Pylades cried out, "It is well for you, Cte- 
ear, that the people trouble themselves so much about us, the less, therefore, about 
you."— Dio Cass., liv., 17. See, on the pantomimes of the Romans, an excellent 
dissertation b.y E. J. Grysar, Rheinisches Museum, 1834. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXXV 

broken spirit and noble death of Cato ; yet, nevertheless, he gradual- 
ly softened into the friend of the emperors favorite, and at length 
into the poetical courtier of the emperor himself. Horace, indeed, 
asserted and maintained greater independence of personal character 
than most subjects of the new empire ; there is a tone of dignity and 
self-respect even in the most adulatory passages of his writings. 

Between the publication of the two books of satires, Horace re- 
ceived from Maecenas the gift of the Sabine farm, the only product- 
ive property which he ever possessed, and on which he lived in mod- 
erate contentment. Nothing could be more appropriate than this 
gift, which may have been softened off, as it were, as a compensa- 
tion for his confiscated personal estate ; the act of generosity may 
have recommended itself as an act of justice. Virgil had recovered 
his own native fields, but the estate of Horace had no doubt been 
irrevocably granted away. The Sabine farm had the recommenda- 
tion of being situated in a country as romantic, nearer to Rome, and 
at no great distance from the scenes in which Horace delighted be- 
yond all others in Italy. 

The Sabine farm of Horace was situated in a deep and romantic 
valley about fifteen miles from Tibur {Tivoli). The description of 
the farm, its aspect, situation, and climate, exactly correspond with 
the valley of Licenza, into which modern Italian pronunciation has 
melted the hard Digentia. The site, with some ruins of buildings, 
was first discovered, and discussed at length by Capmartin de 
Chaupy, in his " Maison de Campagne d'Horace." It has since 
been visited by other antiquarians and scholars, who have found al- 
most every name mentioned by the poet still clinging to the mount- 
ains and villages of the neighborhood. 

The estate was not extensive ; it produced corn, olives, and vines ; 
it was surrounded by pleasant and shady woods, and with abundance 
of the purest water ; it was superintended by a bailiff (villicus), and 
cultivated by five families of free coloni (Epist. i., 14, 3) ; and Horace 
employed about eight slaves (Sat. ii., 7, 118). 

To the munificence of Maecenas we owe that peculiar charm of 
the Horatian poetry that it represents both the town and country life 
of the Romans in that age ; the country life, not only in the rich and 
luxurious villa of the wealthy at Tivoli or at Raise, but in the se- 
cluded retreat and among the simple manners of the peasantry. It 
might seem as if the wholesome air which the poet breathed during 
his retirement on his farm reinvigorated his natural manliness of mind. 
There, notwithstanding his love of convivial enjoyment in the palace 
of Maecenas and other wealthy friends, he delighted to revert to his 
own sober and frugal mode of living. Probably at a later period of 
life he indulged himself in a villa at Tivoli, which he loved for its 
mild winter and long spring j 1 and all the later years of his life were 
passed between these two country residences and Rome. 

J . For Tibur, see Carm. i., 7, 10-14 ; ii., 6, 5-8 ; id., 4, 21-24 ; iv., 2, 27-31 ; id., 3, 
10-12 ; Epod. i., 29, 30 ; Epist. i., 7, 44-5 ; 8, 12. 



XXXVI LIFE OF HORACE. 

The second book of satires followed the first. It is evident, from 
the first lines of this book, that the poet had made a strong impres- 
sion on the public taste. No writer, with the keen good sense of 
Horace, would have ventured on such expressions as the following, 
unless he had felt confident of his position : 

" Sunt quibus in Satira videor nimis acer, et ultra 
Legem tendere opus ; sine nervis altera, quicquid 
Composui, pars esse putat, similesque meoruni 
Mille die versus deduci posse." — Sat. ii., 1, 1, seqq. 1 

This is the language of a privileged egotist ; of one who had ac- 
quired a right, by public suffrage, to talk of himself. The victim of 
his satire will be an object of ridicule to the whole city : 
"Nee quisquam noceat cupido mihi pacis ! et ille 
Qui me comm6rit (melius non tangere ! clamo) 
Flebit, et insignis tota cantabitur urbe." — lb., 45, seqq. 2 

The sixth satire of this book is the most important in the chronolo- 
gy of the life and works of Horace. 3 It was in the eighth year 4 of 
his familiarity with Maecenas that this satire was composed. To 
this must be added the nine months after his first introduction. If 
Horace returned to Rome in the winter after the battle of Philippi 
(A.U.C. 712, 713), time must be allowed for him to form his friend- 
ship with Virgil and with Varius, and to gain that poetic reputation 
by pieces circulated in private which would justify their recommenda- 
tion of their friend to Maecenas. The first introduction could scarce- 

1. I subjoin the imitation of his best interpreter, at least, if not commentator : 

" There are (I scarce can think it, but am told), 
There are to whom my satire seems too bold ; 
Scarce to wise Peter complaisant enough, 
And something said of Chartres much too rough ; 
The lines are weak, another's pleased to say, 
Lord Fanny spins a thousand such a day." — Pope. 

2. " Peace is my dear delight, not Fleury's more ! 

But touch me, and no minister so sore. 
Whoe'er offends, at some unlucky time, 
Slides into verse, or hitches in a rhyme ; 
f Sacred to ridicule his whole life long, 

And the sad burden of a merry song." — Pope. 

3. See Sat. ii., 6, 40-47. This pleasant passage is exquisitely adapted by Swift : 

" 'Tis (let me see) three years and more 
(October next it will be four) 
Since Harley bid me first attend, 
And chose me for an humble friend ; 
Would take me in his coach to chat, 
And question me of this and that; 
As, What's o'clock ? or How's the wind ? 
Whose chariot's that we left behind 1 
Or, Have you nothing new to-day 
From Pope, from Parnell, or from Gay ?" &c, &c. 

4. Some construe " Septimus octavo propior jam fugerit annus" as only six 
years and a half. The past, fugerit, surely implies that the seventh year had ac- 
tually elapsed, and above half a year more. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXXVfl 

ly, therefore, be earlier than A.U.C. 715. It is impossible, therefore, 
that this book could be completed before late in A.U.C. 722, the 
year before the battle of Actium. If, however, there be an allusion 
to the division of lands to the soldiers engaged in that war, the date 
can- not be before A.U.C. 72 1. 1 

The book of epodes may be considered as in one sense the transi- 
tion from satire to lyric poetry. Though not collected or completed 
till the present period of the poet's life, this book appears to contain 
some of the earliest compositions of Horace. In his sweet youth, 
his strong passions drove him to express himself in the sharp iambic 
verse (Carm. i., 16, 22-4). Bentley's observation, which all would 
wish to be true, is perhaps more so than would appear from his own 
theory ; that, as it proceeds, the stream of the Horatian poetry flows 
not only with greater elegance, but with greater purity. 2 

The moral character of the poet rises in dignity and decency ; he 
has cast off the coarseness and indelicacy which defile some of his 
earliest pieces ; in his odes he sings to maidens and to youths. The 
two or three of the epodes which offend in this manner, I scruple not 
to assign to the first year after the return of the poet to Rome. But 
not merely has he risen above, and refined himself from, the grosser 
licentiousness, his bitter and truculent invective has gradually soft- 
ened into more playful satire. Notwithstanding his protestation, 
some of his earlier iambics have much of the spirit as well as the 
numbers of Archilochus. 

The book of epodes was manifestly completed not long after the 
last war between Octavianus and Antony. The dominant feeling in 
the mind of Horace seems now to have been a horror of civil w T ar. 
The war of Perugia, two years after Philippi, called forth his first 
indignant remonstrance against the wickedness of taking up arms, 
not for the destruction of Carthage, the subjugation of Britain, but to 
fulfill the vows of the Parthians for the destruction of Rome by her 

1. This part of the Bentleian chronology is, it may almost be asserted, impossi- 
ble. Bentley refers the partition of land alluded to in the celebrated line, 

" Promissa Triquetra 
Praedia Caesar an est Itala tellure daturas," 
to the division which followed the defeat of Sex. Pompeius. This defeat took 
place A.U.C. 718 ; the death of Pompeius A.U.C. 719. The eight years and a half 
alone would throw the presentation to Maecenas above the date of the battle of 
Philippi, A.U.C. 712. The only way of escape is to suppose that the division was 
promised, not fulfilled, and took several years to carry out. But this is irreconcila- 
ble with the accounts of this division in the historians, and the allusion in Horace 
to its first enactment as to where the lands were to be assigned. 

2. "In caeteris autem singulis praecedentis aetatis gradus plenissimis'signis in- 
dicat ; idque tali ex hac serie jam a me demonstrata jucundum erit animadvertere ; 
cum operibus juvenilibus multa obscena et flagitiosa insint, quanto annis provcc- 
tior erat, tanto eum et poetica virtute et argumentorum dignitate gravitateque me- 
liorem semper castioremque evasisse." — Bentleius in pnefat. But by Bentley's 
theory the worst of the epodes were written when he wa3 32 or 33 years old ; 
hardly "annis juvenilibus." The 14th bears date after the intimacy was formed 
with Maecenas. 



XXXV111 LIFE OF HORACE. 

own hands. 1 Both at that time and several years later likewise, just 
before the war of Actium, the date of the first epode, the most ardent 
lover of liberty might deprecate the guilt and evil of civil war. It 
was not for freedom, but for the choice of masters between the sub- 
tle Octavianus and the profligate Antony, that the world was again to 
be deluged with blood. The strongest republican, even if he retain- 
ed the utmost jealousy and aversion for Octavianus, might prefer his 
cause to that of an Eastern despot, so Antony appeared, and so he 
was represented at Rome, supported by the arms of a barbarian 
queen. 2 It might seem that the fearful and disastrous times had 
broken up the careless social circle, for whose amusement and in- 
struction the satires were written, and that the poet was thrown 
back by force into a more grave and solemn strain. Maecenas him- 
self is summoned to abandon his delicious villa, his intellectual friends, 
his easy luxury, and to mount the hard deck of the tall ships of war : 
" Ibis Liburnis inter alta navium, 
Amice, propugiiacula." — Epod. i., 1. 

Horace was in doubt whether he should accompany his patron. Mae- 
cenas, however, remained in Italy ; and, after a short absence, re- 
sumed the government of Rome. The first epode expresses the 
poet's feelings on this trying occasion, and perhaps has never been 
surpassed by any composition of its kind. There is hardly any piece 
of the same length in which the delicacy of compliment is so blended 
with real feeling, or gratitude and attachment expressed with so 
much grace and dignity. The exquisite second epode might natu- 
rally appear to have been written after the possession of the Sabine 
estate ; the close, in which he seems to turn all his own rural senti- 
ment into ridicule, is a touch of playfulness quite in his own man- 
ner. The ninth epode is, as it were, the poet's first song of triumph 
for the victory at Actium ; the triumph, not in a civil war, but over 
a foreign foe. In the fourteenth there is an apology for his tardi- 
ness in completing the book of epodes which he had promised to 
Maecenas : 

" Inceptos olim promissum carmen iambos 
Ad umbilicum ducere." 

1. Read the seventh epode : 

" Quo quo scelesti ruitis ! aut cur dexteris," &c. 
The tone of this poem agrees better with the entirely independent situation of 
Horace at the time of the war of Perugia, than later, when he was at least (al- 
though he was yet unfavored by Octavianus) the friend of the friend of Octavianus. 
The seventeenth ode, in which he poetically urges the migration of the Roman 
people to some happier and secluded land, seems likewise to belong to that period. 

2. " Interque signa, turpe, militaria 

Sol aspicit conopium." — Epod. ix., 15. 



So Virgil, 



Hinc ope barbarica, variisque Antonius armis, 
Victor ab auroras populis et litore rubro 
iEgyptum, viresque Orientis, et ultima secum 
Bactra trahit, sequiturque (ncfas) ^Egyptia conjux." 

.flJneid, viii., 685. 



LIFE OF HORACE. XXXIX 

The whole book appeared most probably A.U.C. 725, the second 
year after the battle of Actium, in the thirty-sixth of the life of Horace. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HORACE A LYRIC WRITER ORIGINALITY OF HIS ODES DATE OF COM- 
POSITION MERITS OF THE ODES EPISTLES GENERAL COMPOSI- 
TION CHARACTER OF HORATIAN POETRY. 

Horace now became a lyric poet, or, rather, devoted himself en- 
tirely to the cultivation of that kind of poetry. The nine or ten 
years of his life after the battle of Actium (A.U.C. 724 to 734, life 
of Horace 35 to 45) were employed in the composition, or the com- 
pletion, of the first three books of odes. 

The odes bear the character of the poet's life during this long 
period. He has reverted to his peaceful enjoyment of society. The 
sword of civil war is sheathed ; one of his earliest and noblest bursts 
is the song of triumph for Actium, with the description of the death 
of Cleopatra. There is just excitement enough of foreign warfare 
on the remote frontiers of Spain, in Britain, in Arabia, to give an 
opportunity for asserting the Roman's proud consciousness of uni- 
versal sovereignty. Parthia consents to restore the standards of 
Crassus, or, at all events, has sent a submissive embassy to Rome ; 
the only enemies are the remotest barbarians of the North and East 
with harsh-sounding names. 

" Urbi solicitus times 

Quid Seres, et regnata Cyro 

Bactra parent, Tanaisque discors."— Carm. iii., 29, 26-8. 

Octavianus has assumed the name of Augustus ; the poet has ac- 
quiesced in his sole dominion, and introduces him, for the first time, 
into his poetry under this his imperial title. Public affairs and 
private friendships — the manners of the city — the delights of the 
country — all the incidents of an easy and honorable literary life — sug- 
gest the short poem which embodies the feelings and sentiments of 
Horace. His philosophical views and his tender attachments enable 
him to transport into Rome such of the more pleasing and beautiful 
lyrics of Greece as could appear with advantage in a Latin dress. 
Horace not only naturalizes the metres, but many of the poems of the 
Greek lyrists. Much ingenuity has been wasted in forming a chron- 
icle of the amours of Horace, almost as authentic, no doubt, as that 
in the graceful poem of our own Cowley. However fatal to the 
personality of the poet in many of his lighter pieces, I must profess 
my disbelief in the real existence of the Lalages, and Lydias, and 
Glyceras, and Lyces, and Chloes. Their names betray their origin ; 
though many damsels of that class in Rome may have been of Greek 
or servile birth, many of them, no doubt, occupy the same place in 
the imitation of the Greek poem which they did in the original. 1 
1. Compare an essay of Buttmann, in German, in the Berlin Transactions, and in 



Si LIFE OF HORACE. 

By a careful examination of each ode, with a fine critical perception, 
and some kindred congeniality with a poetic mind, much might per- 
haps be done to separate the real from the imitative, the original 
from the translated or transfused. This would, at least, be a more 
hopeful and rational work of criticism than the attempt to date every 
piece from some vague and uncertain allusion to a contemporary 
event. Some few indeed, but very few, bear their distinct and un- 
deniable date, as the ode on the death of Cleopatra (Carm. i., 37) - 1 

According to the rigid chronology of Bentley, this poem must 
have been the first, or nearly the first, attempt of Horace to write 
lyric poetry. But it is far more probable that the books of odes con- 
tain poems written at very different periods in the life of Horace, 
finished up for publication on the separate or simultaneous appear- 
ance of the first three books. Even if written about the same time, 
they are by no means disposed in chronological order. The arrange- 
ment seems to have been arbitrary, or, rather, to have been made 
not without regard to variety of subject, and, in some respects, of 
metre. In the first book, the first nine and the eleventh might seem 
placed in order to show the facility with which the poet could com- 
mand every metrical variety, the skill with which, in his own words, 
he could adapt the Grecian lyric numbers to Latin poetry. The 
tenth, the Sapphic ode to Mercury, is the first repetition. There is, 
likewise, a remarkable kind of moral order in the arrangement of 
these odes. The first is a dedicatory address to his friend and patron 
Maecenas, the object of his earliest and of his latest song. The sec- 
ond is addressed to the emperor, by his new title, Augustus. The 
third relates to his dear friend and brother poet, Virgil; then comes 
the solemn moral strain to Sestius, followed by perhaps the most 
finished of his love songs, to Pyrrha. Throughout the whole book, 
or, rather, the whole collection of odes, there seems this careful 
study of contrast and variety ; the religious hymn to the god of 
mercurial men is succeeded by the serious advice to Leuconoe. 

The just estimate of Horace, as a lyric poet, may be more closely 

his Mythologus, and transited in the Philological Museum, vol. i., p. 439, segq. 
Buttmann carries out to the extreme his theory, that most of the love-lyrics are 
translations or imitations from the Greek, or poems altogether ideal, and without 
any real ground- work. 

1. Within a few years there have been five complete chronologies of the whole 
works of Horace, which pretend to assign the true year to the composition of every 
one of his poems : I. Kirschner, Quaestiones Horatianae, Leipzig, 1834. II. Franke, 
Fasti Horatiaui, Berlin, 1839. III. Histoire de la vie et des Poesies de Horace, par 
M. le Baron Walckenaer, 2 vols., Paris, 1840 ; a pleasing romance on the life and 
times of Horace. IV. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, als Mensch und Dichter, von 
D. W. E. Weber, Jena, 1844. V. Grotefend. The article Horatius in Ersch and ' 
Gruber's Encyclopaedic Besides these, there are, among later writers, the lives 
of Horace by Passow and by Zumpt; the notes in the French translation of the 
odes by M. Vanderbourg ; the notes of Heindorf on the satires; and of Schmid 
on the epistles. The irreconcilable discrepancies among all these ingenious au- 
thors show the futility of the attempt; almost every one begins by admitting the 
impossibility of success, and then proceeds to frame a new scheme. 



LIFE OF HORACE. xli 

connected than appears at first with these considerations. Neither 
was his the age, nor was Latin the language for the highest lyric 
song. The religious, and what we may call the national, the second 
inspiration of the genuine lyric, were both wanting. The religion in 
the Horatian ode is, for the most part, the common-place machinery 
of the established creed, the conventional poetic mythology, of which 
the influence was effete. There is no deep and earnest devotion ; 
even the gods are rather those of Greek poetry than of the old Ro- 
man faith. The allusion to passing events are those of a calm and 
self-possessed observer, ingeniously weaving them into his occasional 
pieces ; not the impassioned overflow of the poetic spirit, seizing and 
pouring forth, in one long and inexhausted stream, all the thoughts, 
and sentiments, and images, and incidental touches, which are trans- 
muted, as it were, by the bard into part of his own moral being. As 
compared with the highest lyric poetry, the odes of Horace are 
greatly deficient ; but as occasional pieces inspired by friendship, by 
moral sentiment, or as graceful and finished love verses, they are 
perfect ; their ease, spirit, perspicuity, elegance, and harmony com- 
pensate, as far as may be, for the want of the nobler characteristics 
of daring conception, vehemence, sublimity, and passion. 

The separate or simultaneous publication of the first three books 
of odes, and the date of their publication, mainly depends on one 
question. If the voyage of Virgil to the East, on which the third 
ode of the first book was written, be that mentioned in the life of 
Virgil by Donatus, that book can not have appeared before the year 
U.C. 735, and in such case the three books must have been publish- 
ed together about that time. 

The epistles were the work of the mature man. The first book 
was written about B.C. 20, 19, A.U.C. 734, 735. No one doubts 
that these delightful compositions are the most perfect works of 
Horace ; but it is singularly difficult to define, even to our own con- 
ception, still more in language, in what consists their felt and ac- 
knowledged charm. They possess every merit of the satires in a 
higher degree, with a more exquisite urbanity, and a more calm and 
commanding good sense. In their somewhat more elevated tone, 
they stand, as it were, in the midway between the odes and the 
satires. They are that, in short, which Pope, their best, if not their 
one successful imitator, is to English poetry. 

The aesthetic law, which would disfranchise Horace and Pope, 
and this whole class of writers, from the venerable guild of poets, 
must depend upon what we mean by the word poetry. This ques- 
tion had already occurred to Horace himself. Some doubted whether 
comedy was a form of poetry, and whether Aristophanes and Menan- 
der were to be honored with the name of poets (Sat. i., 4, 45). If 
poetry must necessarily be imaginative, creative, impassioned, digni- 
fied, it is also clear that it must become extinct in a certain state of 
society, or, instead of transcribing the actual emotions and sentiments 
of men, it must throw itself back into a more stirring and romantio 



Xlii LIFE OF HORACE. 

period. It must make for itself a foreign realm in the past or in the 
future. At all events, it must have recourse to some remote or ex- 
traordinary excitement ; the calm course of every-day events can af- 
ford no subject of inspiration : the decencies and conventional pro- 
prieties of civilized life lie upon it as a deadening spell ; the assim- 
ilating and levelling tone of manners smooths away all which is 
striking or sublime. 

But may there not be a poetry of the most civilized and highly- 
cultivated state of human society ; something equable, tranquil, 
serene : affording delight by its wisdom and truth, by its grace and 
elegance ? Human nature in all its forms is the domain of poetry, 
and though the imagination may have to perform a different office, 
and to exercise a more limited authority. ) r et it can not be thought, 
or, rather, can not be feared, that it will ever be so completely ex- 
tinguished in the mind of man as to leave us nothing but the every- 
day world in its cold ^md barren reality. 

Poetry, indeed, which thrills and melts : which stirs the very depths 
of the heart and soul ; which creates, or stretches its reanimating 
wand over the past, the distant, the unseen, may be, and no doubt 
is, a very different production of the wonderful mechanism of the 
human mind from that which has only the impressive language and 
the harmonious expression, without the fiction of poetry ; but human 
life, even in its calmest form, will still delight in seeing itself re- 
flected in the pure mirror of poetry; and poetry has too much real 
dignity, too much genuine sympathy with universal human nature 
to condescend to be exclusive. There is room enough on the broad 
heights of Helicon, at least on its many peaks, for Homer and Menan- 
der, for Virgil and Horace, for Shakspeare, and Pope, and Cowper. 
May we not pass, without supposing that we are abandoning the 
sacred precincts of the Muses, from the death of Dido to the epistle 
to Augustus ? Without asserting that any thing like a regular cycle 
brings round the taste for a particular style of composition, or that 
the demand of the human mind (more poetic readers must not be 
shocked by this adoption of the language of political economy) re- 
quires, and is still further stimulated by the supply of a particular 
kind of production at particular periods ; it may be said, in general, 
that poetry begets prose, and prose poetry — that is to say, when 
poetry has long occupied itself solely with more imaginative subjects, 
when it has been exclusively fictitious and altogether remote from 
the ordinary affairs of life, there arises a desire for greater truth — 
for a more close copy of that which actually exists around us. Good 
sense, keen observation, terse expression, polished harmony, then 
command and delight, and possess, perhaps in their turn too exclu- 
sively, for some time, the public ear. But directly this familiarity 
with common life has too closely approximated poetry to prose — 
when it is undistinguished, or merely distinguished from prose by a 
conventional poetic language, or certain regular forms of verse — 
then the poetic spirit bursts away again into freedom ; and, in gen- 



LIFE OF HORACE. xllii 

eral, in its first struggle for emancipation, breaks out into extrava- 
gance ; the unfettered imagination runs riot, and altogether scorns 
the alliance of truth and nature, to which it falsely attributes its long 
and ignoble thraldom, till some happy spirit weds again those which 
should never have been dissevered, and poetry becomes once more, 
in the language of one of its most enchanting votaries, 

" Truth severe in faery fiction dress'd." 
Hence may, perhaps, be formed a just estimate of the poetical char- 
acter of Horace. Of him it may be said, with regard to the most 
perfect form of his poetry, the epistles, that there is a period in the 
literary taste of every accomplished individual, as well as of every 
country, not certainly in ardent youth, yet far from the decrepitude 
of old age, in which we become sensible of the extraordinary and 
undefinable charm of these wonderful compositions. It seems to re-* 
quire a certain maturity of mind; but that maturity by no means 
precludes the utmost enjoyment of the more imaginative poetry. It 
is, in fact, the knowledge of the world which alone completely quali- 
fies us for judging the writings of a man of the world ; our own 
practical wisdom enables us to appreciate that wisdom in its most 
delightful form. 



CHAPTER V. 

POSITION OF HORACE DURING THE DECLINE OF LIFE FRIENDSHIP 

WITH AUGUSTUS RELIGION OF HORACE PHILOSOPHY— '-CLOSE OF 

HIS LIFE POETICAL CRITICISM EPISTLES TO AUGUSTUS AND ART 

OF POETRY DEATH HIS PERSON. 

Never was position more favorable than that of Horace for the 
development of this poetic character. The later years of his life 
were passed in an enviable state of literary leisure. He has gradual- 
ly risen from the favorite of the emperor's friend to the poet in whose 
compositions the shrewd and sagacious emperor is said himself to 
have desired to be enshrined for the admiration of posterity. The 
first advances to intimacy with the poet came from the emperor him- 
self. Augustus had at first been his own secretary ; he had written 
his own letters to his friends ; he offered that honorable and confiden- 
tial post to the poet. He requested Maecenas to transfer our Horace, 
as he condescended to call him, into his service. When the poet de- 
clines the offer, Augustus is not in the least offended, and does not 
grow cool in his friendship. He almost tempts him to ask favors ; he 
assures him of his undiminished regard : " If you," he says, " are so 
proud as to disdain my friendship, I shall not become haughty in my 
turn." He writes of him in terms of familiar, and, it may almost be 
said, coarse admiration. 1 The fourth book of odes and the secular 

1. " Ante ipse sufficiebam scribendis epistolis Amicorum ; nunc occupatissimus 
et infirmus, Horatium nostrum te cupio addicere. Veniat igitur ab ista parasitica 
mensa ad hanc regiara, et nos in epistolis scribendis adjuvet." See the fragments 



■xliv 



LIFE OF HORACE. 



hymn were written at the express desire of the emperor, who was 
ambitious that the extraordinary virtues of his step-sons, Tiberius 
and Drusus, should be commemorated in the immortal strains of the 
poet. 

There is no reason to reproach Horace either with insincerity or 
with servility in his praises of the emperor. It is remarkable how 
much his respect for Augustus seems to strengthen, and his affection 
to kindle into personal attachment, as we approach the close of his 
poetical career. The epistle to Augustus is almost, perhaps may 
have been quite, his latest poem. In the second book of epistles 
(which no doubt comprehended the Epistle to Piso, vulgarly called 
the Art of Poetry), the one addressed to Augustus, whether prior or 
not in time of composition, would of course assume the place of 
honor. Nor is it difficult to account for the acquiescence of the re- 
publican in the existing state of things, and that with no degrada- 
tion of his independence. With declining years increases the love 
of quiet ; the spirit of adventure has burned out, and body and mind 
equally yearn after repose. Under the new order of things, as we 
have shown, Horace had found out the secret of a happy and an 
honorable life. His circumstances were independent ; at least they 
satisfied his moderate desires. He enjoyed enough of the busy so- 
ciety of the capital to give a zest to the purer pleasures of his coun- 
try retirement. He could repose in his cottage villa near Tivoli, 
amid the most lovely scenery, by the dashing and headlong Anio, 
at the foot of the Apennines. Hither his distinguished friends in 
Rome delighted to resort, and to partake of his hospitable though 
modest entertainment. Should he desire more complete retirement, 
he might visit his Sabine farm, inspect the labors of his faithful 
steward, survey his agricultural improvements, and wander among 
scenes which might remind him of those in which he had spent his 
childhood. He could not but contrast the happy repose of this period 
of his life with the perils and vicissitudes of his youth ; do we won- 
der that he subsided into philosophic contentment with the existing 
order of things? 

Augustus himself possessed that rare policy in an arbitrary mon- 
arch not to demand from his subjects the sacrifice of their independ- 
ence further than was necessary for the security of his dominion. 
The artful despot still condescended to veil his unlimited power un- 
der constitutional forms ; he was in theory the re-elected president 
of a free people ; and though these politic contrivances could only 
deceive those who wished to be deceived, yet they offered, as it were, 
honorable terms of capitulation to the opposite party, and enabled 
them to quiet the indignant scruples of conscience. Horace is a 
striking illustration of the success of that policy which thus tran- 
quilly changed Rome from a republic to a monarchy ; it shows how 
well Augustus knew how to deal with all classes of m»n ; how wise- 

of the other letters of Augustus, in Suetonii Vit. Horat. ; " neque enim si tu super- 
bus amicitiam nostram sprevisti, ideo nos quoque uvQvnepriQavoTifxtv." 



LIFE OF HORACE. xlv 

ly he wound the fetters of his personal influence over the Roman 
mind. Horace, on the other hand, may fairly be taken as a repre- 
sentative of a large, particularly the more intellectual, class of Ro- 
mans. We see the government stooping to flatter that order of men 
by familiarity, and receiving, in turn, that adulation which could not 
but work into the public mind. For the first time, probably, writers 
began to have much effect on the sentiments of the Roman people ; 
and when Virgil and Horace spoke in such glowing terms of Augus- 
tus, when they deified him in their immortal verses, we may be as- 
sured that they found or made an echo in the hearts of multitudes. 
This deification, indeed, though we can not altogether exculpate its 
adulatory tone, must be judged according to the religious notions of 
Rome, not of Christianity. 

The religion of Horace is the religion of Rome — the religion of 
the age of Augustus. Almost every god in the Pantheon receives 
his tribute of a hymn from Horace ; each has his proper attributes, 
his traditional functions ; but it is the painter or the sculptor framing 
the divinity according to the rules of his art, and according to an 
established type, and setting it up for the worship of others, not the 
outpouring of real devotion. The very neatness and terseness of ex- 
pression shows the poverty of religious sentiment. Almost the 
latest of his lyric hymns is the Carmen Saeculare. In this there is 
something more of the energy and life of inspiration ; but even this 
faint flash of enthusiasm is in character with the whole of the later 
Roman religion. The worship of the gods is blended with natural 
pride. They are the ancestral and tutelary deities of the Eternal 
Omnipotent City which are invoked ; the sun, which, in its course, 
can behold nothing so great as Rome. It is a hymn rather to the 
majesty of Rome than to the gods. The poetical apotheosis of the 
emperor is but this deification of Rome in another form ; in him cen- 
tered the administration of the all-powerful republic, and in him, 
therefore, its divinity. 

Yet Horace, if we pursue the subject of his religion, is not with- 
out his apprehensions, his misgivings, his yearnings after more serious 
things ; the careless and Epicurean scorner of Divine worship is, or 
fancies, or feigns himself to be, startled from his thoughtless apathy 
by thunder from a clear sky; he is seized with a sudden access of 
respect for all-ruling Providence. As in the romantic adventure of 
his youth, so in the later accidents of life, his escape from perils by 
land and sea — from the falling of a tree — he speaks with gratitude, 
apparently not insincere, of the Divine protection ; nor is he without 
some vague sentiment of the general moral government of the gods. 
The depravation of manners is at once the cause and the consequence 
of neglected religion ; 

" Delicta majorum immeritus lues, 
Romane, donee templa refeceris, 
iEdesque labentes deorum et 
Freda nigro simulacra fumo. 



Xlvi LIFE OF HORACE. 



Dii multa neglecti dederunt 
Hesperiae mala luctuosae." 

And the cause of this vengeance is the general corruption of man- 
ners : 

" Foecunda culpee ssecula nuptias 
Prknum inquinavere, et genus, et domos, 
Hoc fonte derivata clades 

In patriam populumque fiuxit." 

Nor is he altogether above the vulgar superstitions of the times. 
During his morning stroll through the city, whether for amusement, 
or not without some lurking belief in their art, he stops to consult 
the itinerant diviners, "who kept a kind of shop for the sale of ora- 
cles." 1 The Canidia of Horace wants, indeed, the terrific earnest- 
ness of Lucan's Erichtho. The twin passions of unbelief and super- 
stition had by the time of Nero grown to a greater height. As Gib- 
bon justly observes, Canidia is but a vulgar witch ; yet, if we may 
judge from the tone, Horace is at least as earnest in his belief in her 
powers as in those of Mercury or Diana. 2 The ingredients of her 
cauldron thrill him with quite as real horror as the protection of 
Faunus, or the rustic deities, which he invokes, fills him with hope or 
reverence. It is singular enough that we learn from Horace the 
existence of the Jews and their religion in the great capital of the 
world, and may conjecture the estimation in wbich they were held. 
It seems to have been a kind of fashionable amusement to go to the 
synagogue for the purpose of scoffing. Yet there is an indication of 
respect extorted, as it were, from the more sober-minded by the ration- 
al theism and simpler worship of this strange and peculiar people. 

The philosophy of the Horatian age, and of Horace himself, can 
not but force itself upon our notice in connection with his religion. 
How far had our poet any settled philosophical opinions ? To what 
extent did he embrace the doctrines of Epicurus ? The secret of 
his inclination toward these opinions was probably that which had 
influenced many Romans during the disastrous period of the civil 
wars. Weary with faction, unwilling to lend themselves to the am- 
bition of the leaders in either party, when the great and stirring strife 
between the patrician and popular interests had degenerated into the 
contest for personal supremacy between aspiring and unprincipled in- 
dividuals, some from temperament and apathy of character, like At- 
ticus, others from bitter disappointment or sober determination, took 
refuge in the philosophy of self-enjoyment. In hortulis quiescet suis, 
ubi recubans molliter et delicate nos avocat a rostris, a judiciis, a curia, 
fortasse sapienter, hac prcesertim republica : even Cicero, in these 
expressive words, betrays a kind of regret that he has not abandon- 
ed the barren, ungrateful, and hopeless labors of a public man, and 

1. " Assisto divinis," which the worthy Mr. Creech renders " went to- church 
every day !" 

2. Compare the witch of Middleton with those of Shakspeare. 



LIFE OF HORACE. xlvU 

joined the happy idlers in the peaceful villa or shady garden. It i3 
a remarkable observation of M. Constant, and shows, after all, the 
singular discrepancy which so frequently exists between the opinions 
and actions of men, that, instead of unnerving the Roman spirit of 
liberty, or inducing a contemptuous apathy toward the public in- 
terests, the Grecian philosophy might seem to have inspired the last 
champions of Roman freedom with their generous sentiments of self- 
sacrifice — the devotion of their lives to the sacred cause of their 
country. Brutus was a student of every branch of Grecian philoso- 
phy ; the genius which appeared to him on the field of Philippi is al- 
most in the spirit of the later Platonism. Cato died reading the 
Phaedo. Cicero, notwithstanding the occasional feebleness of his 
character, was unquestionably a victim to his own exertions in the 
cause of freedom. Cassius, the dark, and dangerous, and never- 
smiling Cassius, was an avowed disciple of Epicurus. 

The doctrines of Epicurus became doubly acceptable to those who 
sought not merely an excuse for withdrawing from public offices, but 
a consolation for the loss of all share in the government. Epicurean- 
ism and Stoicism began to divide the Roman mind. Those of easier 
temper, and whose intellectual occupations were of a more graceful 
and amusing kind, forgot, either in the busy idleness of a gay town 
life, or in the sequestered ease of the beautiful villa, that the forum 
or the senate had ever been open to the generous ambition of their 
youth. Those of a sterner cast, who repudiated the careless indo- 
lence of the Epicureans, retired within themselves, and endeavored, 
by self-adoration, to compensate for the loss of self-respect. The 
Stoic, although he could not disguise from his own mind that he was 
outwardly a slave, boasted that within he was king of himself. The 
more discursive, and, if we may so speak, tentative spirit of inquiry, 
which distinguished the earlier attempts of the Romans to naturalize 
Grecian philosophy — the calm and dispassionate investigation, which, 
with its exquisite perspicuity of exposition, is the unrivalled charm 
of Cicero's philosophic writings, seems to have gone out of vogue. 
Men embraced extreme opinions, either as votaries of pride or of 
pleasure, because they centered their whole energies upon the sub- 
ject, and, in the utter want of all other noble or lofty excitement, threw 
themselves with desperate vehemence into philosophy. With Horace, 
however, that period was not arrived, nor does he seem to have em- 
braced any system of opinions with that eager and exclusive earnest- 
ness. His mind was by no means speculative. His was the plain, 
practical philosophy of common sense. Though he could not elude 
those important questions in which the bounds of moral and religious 
inquiry meet ; though he is never more true and striking than in his 
observations on the uncertainty of life, the dark and certain approaches 
of death — 

" nee quidquam. tibi prodest, 
Aerias tentasse domos, animoque rotundum 
Percurrisse polum, morituro !" 



Xlviii LIFE OF HORACE. 

though these sentences are more solemn, occurring as they do among 
the gayest Epicurean invitations to conviviality and enjoyment, yet 
the wisdom of Horace — it may be said without disparagement, for it 
was the only real attainable wisdom — was that of the world. 

The best evidence, indeed, of the claims of the poet as a moral 
philosopher, as a practical observer, and sure interpreter of human 
nature in its social state, are the countless quotations from his works, 
which are become universal moral axioms. Their triteness is the 
seal of their veracity ; their peculiar terseness and felicity of expres- 
sion, or illustration, may have commended them to general accept- 
ance, yet nothing but their intuitive truth can have stamped them 
as household words on the memory of educated men. Horace might 
seem to have thrown aside all the abstruser doctrines, the more re- 
mote speculations, the abstract theories of all the different sects, and 
selected and condensed the practical wisdom in his pregnant poetical 
aphorisms. 

So glided away the later years of the life of Horace : he was never 
married ; he indulged that aristoeratical aversion to legitimate wed- 
lock which Augustus vainly endeavored to correct by civil privileges 
and civil immunities. 

The three epistles which occupy the last four or five years of his 
life treat principally on the state of Roman poetry. Horace now 
has attained the high place, if not of dictator of the public taste, of 
one, at least, who has a right to be heard as an arbiter on such subjects. 

The first of these, addressed to the emperor, gains wonderfully in 
point and perspicuity if we take the key which is furnished by a 
passage in the life of Augustus by Suetonius. Horace is throughout 
of a modern school of taste ; he prefers the finer execution, the fault- 
lessness, the purer harmony, the more careful expression, to the ruder 
vigor, the bolder but more irregular versification, the racy but anti- 
quated language of the older writers. In this consisted much of his 
own conscious superiority over Lucilius. But Augustus himself was 
vulgar enough to admire the old comedy ; he was constantly com- 
manding in the theatre the coarse and somewhat indecent plays of 
Afranius and Plautus. 1 The privileged poet does not scruple play- 
fully to remonstrate against the imperial bad taste. His skill and 
address are throughout admirable. The quiet irony is perfectly free, 
yet never offensive ; the very flattery of the opening lines, which ex-*, 
alt to the utmost the power and wisdom of Augustus, which repre- 
sent him as an object of divine power and worship to the vulgar, is 
chastened, as it were, and subdued, because the emperor himself, in 
critical judgment, is to appear but one of the vulgar. The art with 
which the poet suggests, rather than unfolds, his argument, seems 
at one moment to abandon and the next to resume it, is inimitable. 
He first gracefully ridicules the fashion of admiring poetry because 
it is old, not because it is good ; then turns to the prevailing mad- 

1. "Sed plane poematum non imperitus, delectabatur ctiam comcedia veteri, et 
erepe earn exhibuit publicis spectaculis."— Sueton., Octavius, ch. 89. 



LIFE OF HORACE. xlix 

wess of writing poetry, which had seized all ranks, and thus having 
cast aside the mass of bad modern poetry, he nobly asserts the dig- 
nity and independence of the poetic function. He then returns, by a 
happy transition, to the barbarous times which had given birth to the 
old Roman poetry ; contrasts the purity of the noble Greek models 
with their rude Roman imitators, first in tragedy, and then in come- 
dy; and introduces, without effort, the emperor's favorite Plautus, 
and even Dossennus, to whose farces Augustus had probably listen- 
ed with manifest amusement. He does not, however, dwell on that 
delicate topic ; he hastens away instantly to the general bad taste 
of the Roman audience, who preferred pomp, spectacle, noise, and 
procession, to the loftiest dramatic poetry ; and even this covert in- 
sinuation against the emperor's indifferent taste in theatrical amuse- 
ment is balanced by the praise of his judgment in his patronage of 
Virgil and of Varius, and (though with skillful modesty he affects to 
depreciate his own humbler poetry) of Horace himself. 

The Epistle to the Pisos was already, in the time of Quintilian, 
called the Art of Poetry ; but it is rather an epistle of poetry com- 
posed in a seemingly desultory manner, yet with the utmost felicity 
of transition from one subject to another, than a regular and syste- 
matic theory. It was addressed to Lueius Piso and his two sons. 
The elder Piso was a man of the highest character, obtained a 
triumph for victories in Thrace, but was chiefly distinguished for the 
dignity and moderation with which he afterward exercised for a long 
period the high and dangerous office of praefect of the city. 

The happy conjecture of Wieland had been anticipated by Colman, 
that the epistle was chiefly addressed to the elder of the sons of Piso, 
who aspired to poetical fame without very great poetical genius. It 
was intended to be at once dissuasive and instructive ; to show the 
difficulties of writing good poetry, especially in a refined and fastid- 
ious age ; and, at the same time, to define some of the primary laws 
of good composition. It maintains throughout the superiority of the 
modern, and what we may call the Grecian, school of Roman poetry. 

After all, the admiration of Horace for the poetry of Greece was 
by no means servile ; though he wished to introduce its forms, its 
simplicity of composition, and exquisite purity of style, he would 
have even tragedy attempt Roman subjects. And, with Horace, we 
must acknowledge that even if the poet had felt ambition, it was now 
indeed too late for Rome to aspire to originality in the very highest 
branches of poetry. She was conquered, and could only bear the 
yoke with as much nobleness and independence as she might. To 
give her song a Roman character, if it still wore a Grecian form, was 
all which was now attainable. Literature was native, as it were, to 
Greece, at least the higher branches, poetry and history. It princi- 
pally flourished when the political institutions of Greece were in the 
highest state of development and perfection ; being a stranger and 
foreigner at Rome, it was only completely domiciliated when the 
national institutions, and, with them, the national character, had ex- 

3 



I LIFE OF HORACE. 

perienced a total change. It was not till the Roman constitution 
approached, or had arrived at a monarchical form, that letters were 
generally or successfully cultivated. It was partly, indeed, her con- 
quest of the world which brought Rome the literature and philoso- 
phy, as well as the other spoils of foreign nations. The distinction, 
nevertheless, must not be lost sight of; the genuine Roman char- 
acter, even under the Grecian forms, might and did appear in her 
literary language, and in all the works of her greater writers ; and 
in the didactic or common-life poetry, she could dare to be complete- 
ly original. 

In none was this more manifest than in Horace ; he was, after all, 
in most respects, a true Roman poet. His idiom, in the first place, 
was more vernacular (in all the better parts of his poetry he depart- 
ed less from common language, they were " sermoni propiora"). In 
the lyric poems we may sometimes detect the forms of Greek ex- 
pression ; he has imitated the turn of language, as well as the cast 
of thought and mechanism of verse. The satires and epistles have 
throughout the vigor and raciness of originality; they speak, no 
doubt, the language of the better orders of Rome, in all their strength 
and point. But these works are not merely Roman in their idiomatic 
expression, they are so throughout. The masculine and practical 
common sense, the natural but not undignified urbanity, the stronger 
if not sounder moral tone, the greater solidity, in short, of the whole 
style of thought and observalion, compensate for the more lively 
imagination, the greater quickness and fluency, and more easy ele- 
gance of the Greek. Of the later Grecian comedy, for which the 
poetry of Horace, as we have observed, was the substitute, we have 
less than of almost any other part of his literature ; yet, if we compare 
the fragments which we possess, we shall perceive the difference — 
on one side the grace and lightness of touch, the exquisite and un- 
studied harmony, the translucent perspicuity, the truth and the sim- 
plicity ; on the other, the ruder but more vigorous shrewdness, the 
more condensed and emphatic justness of observation, the serious 
thought, which is always at the bottom of the playful expression. 
Horace is addressing men accustomed to deal with men — men form- 
ed in the vigorous school of public life ; and though now reposing, 
perhaps, from those more solid and important cares, maintaining that 
practical energy of character by which they had forced their way to 
eminence. That sterner practical genius of the Roman people sur- 
vived the free institutions of Rome ; the Romans seemed, as it were, 
in their idlest moods, to condescend to amusement, not to consider it, 
like the Greek, one of the common necessities, the ordinary occupa- 
tions of life. Horace, therefore, has been, and ever will be, the 
familiar companion, the delight, not of the mere elegant scholar 
alone or the imaginative reader, but, we had almost written, the 
manual of the statesman and the study of the moral philosopher. 
Of Rome or of the Roman mind, no one can know any thing who is 
not profoundly versed in Horace ; and whoever really understands 



LIFE OF HORACE. li 

Horace will have a more perfect and accurate knowledge of the Ro- 
man manners and Roman mind than the most diligent and laborious 
investigator of the Roman antiquities. 

The same year (U.C. 746, B.C. 8) witnessed the death of Mae- 
cenas and of Horace. The poet was buried near his friend, on the 
verge of the Esquiline Hill. Maecenas died toward the middle of 
the year, Horace in the month of November, having nearly com- 
pleted his 57th year. His last illness was so sudden and severe 
that he had not strength to sign his will; according to the usage of 
the time, he declared the emperor his heir. 

Horace has described his own person (Epist. i., 20, 24). He 
was of short stature, with dark eyes and dark hair {Art. Poet., 37), 
but early tinged with gray (Carm. iii., 14, 25). In his youth he 
was tolerably robust (Epist. i., 7, 26), but suffered from a complaint 
in his eyes {Sat. i., 5, 20). In more advanced age he grew fat, and 
Augustus jested about his protuberant belly {Aug., Epist. Fragm. 
apud Sueton. in Vita) . His health was not always good ; he was 
not only weary of the fatigue of war, but unfit to bear it (Carm. ii., 
6, 7 ; Epod. i., 15) ; and he seems to have inclined to valetudinarian 
habits (Epist. i., 7, 3). When young, he was irascible in temper, 
but easily placable (Carm. i., 16, 22, &c. ; iii., 14, 27; Epist. i., 
20, 25). In dress he was somewhat careless (Epist. i., 1, 94). 
His habits, even after he became richer, were generally frugal and 
abstemious ; though, on occasions, both in youth and in mature age, 
he indulged in free conviviality. He liked choice wine, and, in the 
society of friends, scrupled not to enjoy the luxuries of his time. 



LIFE OF MJ1CENAS. 

(SMITH'S DICTIONARY OF BIOGRAPHY, &c> 



Maecenas, C. Cilnius. Of the life of Maecenas we must be con- 
tent to glean what scattered notices we can from the poets and his- 
torians of Rome, since it does not appear to have been formally re- 
corded by any ancient author. We are totally in the dark both as 
to the date and place of his birth, and the manner of his education. 
It is most probable, however, that he was born some time between 
B.C. 73 and 63; and we learn from Horace (Ode iv., 11) that his 
birth-day was the 1 3th of April. His family, though belonging only 
to the equestrian order, was of high antiquity and honor, and traced 
its descent from the Lucumones of Etruria. The scholiast on Horace 
(Ode i., 1) informs us that he numbered Porsena among his ances- 
tors ; and his authority is in some measure confirmed by a fragment 
of one of Augustus's letters to Maecenas, preserved by Macrobius 
(Sat. ii., 4), in which he is addressed as " berylle Porsena." His 
paternal ancestors, the Cilnii, are mentioned by Livy (x., 3, 5) as 
having attained to so high a pitch of power and wealth at Arretium, 
about the middle of the fifth century of Rome, as to excite the jeal- 
ousy and hatred of their fellow-citizens, who rose against and ex- 
pelled them ; and it was not without considerable difficulty that they 
were at length restored to their country, through the interference of 
the Romans. The maternal branch of the family was likewise of 
Etruscan origin, and it was from them that the name of Maecenas 
was derived, it being customary among the Etruscans to assume the 
mother's as well as the father's name (Muller, Etrusker, ii., p. 404). 
It is in allusion to this circumstance that Horace (Sat. i., 6, 3) men- 
tions both his avus maternus atque paternus as having been distin- 
guished by commanding numerous legions, a passage, by the way, 
from which we are not to infer that the ancestors of Maecenas had 
ever led the legions of Rome. Their name does not appear in the 
Fasti Consulates ; and it is manifest, from several passages of Latin 
authors, that the word legio is not always restricted to a Roman 
legion. (See iz'u., x., 5 ; Sail., Cat., 53, &c.) The first notice 
that occurs of any of the family, as a citizen of Rome, is in Cicero's 
speech for Cluentius (§ 55), where a knight named C. Maecenas is 
mentioned among the robora populi Romani, and as having been in- 
strumental in putting down the conspiracy of the tribune M. Livius 
Drusus, B.C. 91. This person has been generally considered the 
father of the subject of this memoir, but Frandsen, in his life of 



liv 



LIFE OF MAECENAS. 



Maecenas, thinks, and perhaps with more probability, that it was his 
grandfather. About the same period, also, we find a Maecenas men- 
tioned by Sallust in the fragments of his history (lib. iii.) as a scribe. 

Although it is unknown where Maecenas received his education, it 
must doubtless have been a careful one. We learn from Horace that 
he was versed in both Greek and Roman literature ; and his taste 
for literary pursuits was shown, not only by his patronage of the 
most eminent poets of his time, but also by several performances of 
his own. That at the time of Julius Caesar's assassination he was 
with Octavianus at Apollonia, in the capacity of tutor, rests on pure 
conjecture. Shortly, however, after the appearance of the latter on 
the political stage, we find the name of Maecenas in frequent con- 
junction with his ; and there can be no doubt that he was of great 
use to him in assisting to establish and consolidate the empire ; but 
the want of materials prevents us from tracing his services in this 
way with the accuracy that could be wished. It is possible that he 
may have accompanied Octavianus in the campaigns of Mutina, 
Philippi, and Perusia ; but the only authorities for the statement 
are a passage jji Propertius (ii., 1), which by no means necessarily 
bears that meaning ; and the elegies attributed to Pedo Albinovanus, 
but which have been pronounced spurious by a large majority of the 
critics. The first authentic account we have of Maecenas is of his 
being employed by Octavianus, B.C. 40, in negotiating a marriage 
for him with Scribonia, daughter of Libo, the father-in-law of Sextus 
Pompeius ; which latter, for political reasons, Octavianus was at that 
time desirous of conciliating. (Appian, B. C, v., 53 ; Dio Cass., 
xlviii., 16.) In the same year, Maecenas took part in the negotia- 
tions with Antony (whose wife, Fulvia, was now dead), which led 
to the peace of Brundisium, confirmed by the marriage of Antony 
with Octavia, Caesar's sister. (Appian, B. C, v., 64.) Appian's 
authority on this occasion is supported by the scholiast on Horace 
(Sat. L, 5, 28), who tells us that Livy, in his 127th book, had re- 
corded the intervention of Maecenas. According to Appian, how- 
ever, Cocceius Nerva played the principal part. About two years 
afterward Maecenas seems to have been employed again in negotia- 
ting with Antony (App., B. C, v., 93), and it was probably on this 
occasion that Horace accompanied him to Brundisium, a journey 
which he has described in the fifth satire of the first book. Maece- 
nas is there also represented as associated with Cocceius, and they 
are both described as "aversos soliti componere amicos." 

In B.C. 36 we find Maecenas in Sicily with Octavianus, then en- 
gaged in an expedition against Sextus Pompeius, during the course 
of which Maecenas was twice sent back to Rome for the purpose of 
quelling some disturbances which had broken out there. (Appian, 
B. C, v., 99, 112.) According to Dio Cassius (xlix., 16), this 
was the first occasion on which Maecenas became Caesar's vicege- 
rent ; and he was intrusted with the administration not only of 
Rome, but of all Italy. His fidelity and talents had now been test- 



LIFE OF MAECENAS. Iv 

ed by several years' experience 5 and it has probably been found that 
the bent of his genius fitted him for the cabinet rather than the field, 
since his services could be so easily dispensed with in the latter. 
From this time till the battle of Actium (B.C. 31) history is silent 
concerning Maecenas 5 but at that period we again find him intrust- 
ed with the administration of the civil affairs of Italy. It has indeed 
been maintained by many critics that Maecenas was present at the 
sea-fight of Actium • but the best modern scholars who have discuss- 
ed the subject have shown that this could not have been the case, and 
that he remained in Rome during this time, where he suppressed the 
conspiracy of the younger Lepidus. By the detection of this con- 
spiracy, Maecenas nipped in the bud what might have proved another 
fruitful germ of civil war. Indeed, his services at this period must 
have been most important and valuable ; and how faithfully and ably 
he acquitted himself may be inferred from the unbounded confidence 
reposed in him. In conjunction with Agrippa, we now find him em- 
powered not only to open all the letters addressed by Caesar to the 
senate, but even to alter their contents as the posture of affairs at 
Rome might require, and for this purpose he was intrusted with his 
master's seal (Dio Cass., li., 3), in order that the letters might be 
delivered as if they had come directly from Octavianus's own hand. 
Yet, notwithstanding the height of favor and power to which he had 
attained, Maecenas, whether from policy or inclination, remained 
content with his equestrian rank, a circumstance which seems some- 
what to have diminished his authority with the populace. 

After Octavianus's victory over Antony and Cleopatra, the whole 
power of the triumvirate centered in the former ; for Lepidus had 
been previously reduced to the condition of a private person. On 
his return to Rome, Caesar is represented to have taken counsel with 
Agrippa and Maecenas respecting the expediency of restoring the 
republic. Agrippa advised him to pursue that course, but Maecenas 
strongly urged him to establish the empire. 

The description of power exercised by Maecenas during the ab- 
sence of Caesar should not be confounded with the prafectura urbis. 
It was not till after the civil wars that the latter office was establish- 
ed as a distinct and substantive one ; and, according to Dio Cassius 
(lii., 21), by the advice of Maecenas himself. This is confirmed by 
Tacitus (Ann., vi., 11), and by Suetonius {Aug., 37), who reckons it 
among the nova officio,. The proefectus urbis was a mere police 
magistrate, whose jurisdiction was confined to Rome and the adja- 
cent country, within a radius of 750 stadia ; but Maecenas had the 
charge of political as well as municipal affairs, and his administra- 
tion embraced the whole of Italy. It is the more necessary to at- 
tend to this distinction, because the neglect of it has given rise to the 
notion that Maecenas was never intrusted with the supreme adminis- 
tration after the close of the civil wars. It must be confessed, how- 
ever, that we have no means of determining with certainty on what 
occasions, and for how long, after the establishment of the empire, 



Ivi LIFE OF MAECENAS. 

Maecenas continued to exercise his political power, though, as be- 
fore remarked, we know that he had ceased to enjoy it in B.C. 16. 
That he retained the confidence of Augustus till at least B.C. 21 
may be inferred from the fact that about that time he advised him 
to marry his daughter Julia to Agrippa, on the ground that he had 
made the latter so rich and powerful that it was dangerous to al- 
low him to live unless he advanced him still further. (Dio Cassius, 
liv., 6.) Between B.C. 21 and 16, however, we have direct evi- 
dence that a coolness, to say the least, had sprung up between the 
emperor and his faithful minister. This estrangement, for it can 
not be called actual disgrace, is borne out by the silence of histo- 
rians respecting the latter years of Maecenas's life, as well as by the 
express testimony of Tacitus, who tells us {Jinn., iii., 30) that, during 
this period, he enjoyed only the appearance, and not the reality, of 
his sovereign's friendship. The cause of this rupture is enveloped 
in doubt. Dio Cassius, however, positively ascribes it to Terentia, 
the beautiful wife of Maecenas. 

The public services of Maecenas, though important, were unob- 
trusive ; and r notwithstanding the part that he played in assisting to 
establish the empire, it is by his private pursuits, and more particu- 
larly by his reputation as a patron of learning, that he has been known 
to posterity. His retirement was probably far from disagreeable to 
him, as it was accompanied by many circumstances calculated to 
recommend it to one of his turn of mind, naturally a votary of ease 
and pleasure. He had amassed an enormous fortune, which Tacitus 
{Ann. y xiv., 53, 55) attributes to the liberality of Augustus. It has 
been sometimes insinuated that he grew rich by the proscriptions j 
and Pliny (H. N., xxxvii., 4), speaking of Maecenas's private seal, 
which bore the impression of a frog, represents it as having been an 
object of terror to the tax-payers. It by no means follows, however, 
that the money levied under his private seal was applied to his pri- 
vate purposes ; and, had he been inclined to misappropriate the taxes, 
we know that Caesar's own seal was at his unlimited disposal, and 
would have better covered his delinquencies. 

Maecenas had purchased, or, according to some, had received from 
Augustus a tract of ground on the Esquiline Hill, which had former- 
ly served as a burial-place for the lower orders. (Hor., Sat. i., 8, 
7.) Here he had planted a garden, and built a house remarkable for 
its loftiness, on account of a tower by which it was surmounted, and 
from the top of which Nero is said to have afterward contemplated 
the burning of Rome. In this residence he seems to have passed 
the greater part of his time, and to have visited the country but sel- 
dom ; for, though he might possibly have possessed a villa at Tibur, 
near the falls of the Anio, there is no direct authority for the fact. 
Tacitus tells us that he spent his leisure urbe in ipsa ; and the deep 
tranquillity of his repose may be conjectured from the epithet by 
which the same historian designates it, " velut peregnnum otium.' 1 
(JLnn^ xiv., 63.) The height of the situation seems to have render- 



LIFE OF MAECENAS. lvii 

ed it a healthy abode (Hor., Sat. i., 8, 14), and we learn from Sue- 
tonius (dug., 72) that Augustus had on one occasion retired thither 
to recover from a sickness. 

Maecenas's house was the rendezvous of all the wits and virtuosi 
of Rome ; and whoever could contribute to the amusement of the 
company was always welcome to a seat at his table. In this kind 
of society he does not appear to have been very select ; and it was 
probably from his undistinguishing hospitality that Augustus called 
his board "parasitica mensaP (Suet., Vit. Hor.) Yet he was nat- 
urally of a reserved and taciturn disposition, and drew a broad dis- 
tinction between the acquaintances that he adopted for the amuse- 
ment of an idle hour, and the friends whom he admitted to his inti- 
macy and confidence. In the latter case he was as careful and 
chary as he was indiscriminating in the former. His really intimate 
friends consisted of the greatest geniuses and most learned men of 
Rome ; and if it was from his universal inclination toward men of 
talent that he obtained the reputation of a literary patron, it was by 
his friendship for such poets as Virgil and Horace that he deserved 
it. In recent times, and by some German authors, especially the 
celebrated Wieland in his Introduction and Notes to Horace's Epis- 
tles, Maecenas's claims to the title of a literary patron have been de- 
preciated. It is urged that he is not mentioned by Ovid and Tibul- 
lus ; that the Sabine farm which he gave to Horace was not so very 
large ; that his conduct was perhaps not altogether disinterested, and 
that he might have befriended literary men either out of vanity or 
from political motives ; that he was not singular in his literary pa- 
tx-onage, which was a fashion among the eminent Romans of the 
day, as Messalla Corvinus, Asinius Pollio, and others ; and that he 
was too knowing in pearls and beryls to be a competent judge of the 
higher works of genius. As for his motives, or the reasons why he 
did not adopt Tibullus or Ovid, we shall only remark, that as they 
are utterly unknown to us, so it is only fair to put the most liberal 
construction on them ; and that he had naturally a love of literature 
for its own sake, apart from all political or interested views, may be 
inferred from the fact of his having been himself a voluminous author. 
Though literary patronage may have been the fashion of the day, it 
would be difficult to point out any contemporary Roman, or, indeed, 
any at all, who indulged it so magnificently. His name had become 
proverbial for a patron of letters at least as early as the time of Mar- 
tial; and though the assertion of that author (viii., 56), that the poets 
enriched by the bounty of Maecenas were not easily to be counted, 
is not, of course, to be taken literally, it would have been utterly 
ridiculous had there not been some foundation for it. That he was 
no bad judge of literary merit is shown by the sort of men whom he 
patronized — Virgil, Horace, Propertius, besides others almost their 
equals in reputation, but whose works are now unfortunately lost, as 
Varius, Tucca, and others. But as Virgil and Horace were by fax 
the greatest geniuses of the age, so it is certain that they were mori* 
3* 



IVlll LIFE OF MAECENAS. 

beloved by Maecenas, the latter especially, than any of their contem- 
poraries. Virgil was indebted to him for the recovery of his farm, 
■which had been appropriated by the soldiery in the division of lands, 
B.C. 41 ; and it was at the request of Maecenas that he undertook 
the Georgics, the most finished of all his poems. To Horace he was 
a still greater benefactor. He not only procured him a pardon for 
having fought against Octavianus at Philippi, but presented him with 
the means of a comfortable subsistence, a farm in the Sabine country. 
If the estate was but a moderate one, we learn from Horace him- 
self that the bounty of Maecenas was regulated by his own content- 
ed views, and not by his patron's want of generosity (Carm. ii., 18, 
14; iii., 16, 38). Nor was this liberality accompanied with any 
servile and degrading conditions. The poet was at liberty to write 
or not, as he pleased, and lived in a state of independence creditable 
alike to himself and to his patron. Indeed, their intimacy was rather 
that of two familiar friends of equal station, than of the royally-de- 
scended and powerful minister of Caesar with the son of an obscure 
freedman. But on this point we need not dwell, as it has been al- 
ready touched upon in the life of Horace. 

Of Maecenas's own literary productions only a few fragments ex- 
ist. From these, however, and from the notices which we find of his 
writings in ancient authors, we are led to think that we have not 
suffered any great loss by their destruction ; for, although a good 
judge of literary merit in others, he does not appear to have been an 
author of much taste himself. It has been thought that two of his 
works, of which little more than the titles remain, were tragedies, 
namely, the Prometheus and Octavia. But Seneca (Ep. 19) calls the 
former a book (librum) ; and Octavia, mentioned in Priscian (lib. 10), 
is not free from the suspicion of being a corrupt reading. An hex- 
ameter line supposed to have belonged to an epic poem, another line 
thought to have been part of a galliambic poem, one or two epigrams, 
and some other fragments, are extant, and are given by Meibom and 
Frandsen in their lives of Maecenas. In prose he wrote a work on 
Natural History, which Pliny several times alludes to, but which 
seems to have related chiefly to fishes and gems. Servius (ad Virg., 
JEn., viii., 310) attributes a Symposium to him. If we may trust 
the same authority, he also composed some memoirs of Augustus ; 
and Horace (Carm. ii., 12, 9) alludes to at least some project of the 
kind, but which was probably never carried into execution. Mae- 
cenas's prose style was affected, unnatural, and often unintelligible, 
and for these qualities he was derided by Augustus. (Suet., Aug., 
26.) Macrobius (Saturn., ii., 4) has preserved part of a letter of the 
emperor's, in which he takes off his minister's way of writing. The 
author of the dialogue De Causis Corruptee. Eloquentice (c. 26) enu- 
merates him among the orators, but stigmatizes his affected style 
by the term calamistros Mcecenatis. Quintilian (Inst. Orat., xi., 4, 
§ 28) and Seneca (Ep. 114) also condemn his style; and the latter 
author gives a specimen of it which is almost wholly unintelligible. 



LIFE OF MAECENAS. Hx 

Yet he likewise tells us {Ep. 19) that he would have been very- 
eloquent if he had not been spoiled by his good fortune, and allows 
him to have possessed an ingenium grande et virile {Ep. 92). Ac- 
cording to Dio Cassius (lv., 7), Maecenas first introduced short hand, 
and instructed many in the art through his freedman Aquila. By- 
other authors, however, the invention has been attributed to various 
persons of an earlier date ; as to Tiro, Cicero's freedman, to Cicero 
himself, and even to Ennius. 

But, though seemingly in possession of all the means and appli- 
ances of enjo}'-ment, Maecenas can not be said to have been altogether 
taappy in his domestic life. His wife, Terentia, though exceedingly- 
beautiful, was of a morose and haughty temper, and thence quarrels 
were continually occurring between the pair. Yet the natural ux- 
oriousness of Maecenas as constantly prompted him to seek a recon- 
ciliation ; so that Seneca {Ep. 114) remarks that he married a wife 
a thousand times, though he never had more than one. Her influence 
over him was so great, that, in spite of his cautious and taciturn tem- 
per, he was on one occasion weak enough to confide an important 
state secret to her, respecting her brother Muraena, the conspirator 
{Suet., Aug., 66; Dio Cass., liv., 3). Maecenas himself, however, 
was probably in some measure to blame for the terms on which he 
lived with his wife, for "he was far from being the pattern of a good 
husband. In his way of life Maecenas was addicted to every species 
of luxury. We find several allusions in the ancient authors to the 
effeminacy of his dress. Instead of girding his tunic above his knees, 
he suffered it to hang loose about his heels, like a woman's petticoat; 
and when sitting on the tribunal he kept his head covered with his 
pallium {Sen., Ep. 114). Yet, in spite of this softness, he was capa- 
ble of exerting himself when the occasion required, and of acting 
with energy and decision {Veil. Pat., ii., 88). So far was he from 
wishing to conceal the softness and effeminacy of his manners, that 
he made a parade of his vices ; and, during the greatest heat of the 
civil wars, openly appeared in the public places of Rome with a couple 
of eunuchs in his train {Scncc, 1. c.). He was fond of theatrical en- 
tertainments, especially pantomimes, as may be inferred from his 
patronage of Bathyllus, the celebrated dancer, who was a freedman 
of his. It has been concluded from Tacitus {jinn., i., 54) that he 
first introduced tnat species of representation at Rome ; and, with the 
politic view of keeping the people quiet by amusing them, persuaded 
Augustus to patronize it. Dio Cassius (lv., 7) tells us that he was 
the first to introduce warm swimming baths at Rome. His love of 
ointments is tacitly satirized by Augustus {Suet., Aug., 86), and his 
passion for gems and precious stones is notorious. According to Pliny, 
he paid some attention to cookery ; and as the same author (xix., 
57) mentions a book on gardening which had been dedicated to him 
by Sabinus Tiro, it has been thought that he was partial to that pur- 
suit. His tenacious, and, indeed, unmanly love of life, he has him- 
self painted in some verses preserved by Seneca {Ep. 101), and 
which, as affording a specimen of his style, we here insert : 



JX LIFE OF MAECENAS. 

Debilem facito maim 
Debilem pede, coxa ; 
Tuber adstrue gibberum, 
Lubricos quate dentes ; 
Vita dum superest, bene est. 
Hanc mibi, vel acuta 
Si sedeam cruce, sustine. 

From these lines it has been conjectured that he belonged to the sect 
of the Epicureans ; but of his philosophical principles nothing certain 
is known. 

That moderation of character which led him to be content with 
his equestrian rank, probably arose from the love of ease and luxury 
which we have described, or it might have been the result of more 
prudent and political views. As a politician, the principal trait in 
his character was his fidelity to his master (Mcecenatis erunt vera 
tropcea fides, Property iii., 9), and the main end of all his cares was 
the consolidation of the empire. But, though he advised the establish- 
ment of a despotic monarchy, he was at the same time the advocate 
of mild and liberal measures. He recommended Augustus to put no 
check on the free expression of public opinion ; but, above all, to avoid 
that cruelty which, for so many years, had stained the Roman an- 
nals with blood (Senec., Ep. 114). To the same effect is the anec- 
dote preserved by Cedrenus, the Byzantine historian, that when on 
some occasion Octavianus sat on the tribunal, condemning numbers 
to death, Maecenas, who was among the by-standers, and could not 
approach Caesar by reason of the crowd, wrote on his tablets, " Rise, 
hangman !" (Surge, tandem carnifex !), and threw them into Caesar's 
lap, who immediately left the judgment-seat (comp. Dio Cass., lv., 7). 

Maecenas appears to have been a constant valetudinarian. If 
Pliny's statement (vii., 51) is to be taken literally, he labored under 
a continual fever. According to the same author, he was sleepless 
during the last three years of his life ; and Seneca tells us (Be Provid., 
iii., 9) that he endeavored to procure that sweet and indispensable 
refreshment by listening to the sound of distant symphonies. We 
may infer from Horace (Carm. iii., 17) that he was rather hypo- 
chondriacal. He died in the consulate of Gallus and Censorinus, 
B.C. 8 (Dio Cass., lv., 7), and was buried on the Esquiline. He 
left no children, and thus, by his death, his ancient family became ex- 
tinct. He bequeathed his property to Augustus, and we find that 
Tiberius afterward resided in his house (Suet., Tib., 15). Though 
the emperor treated Maecenas with coldness during the latter years 
of his life, he sincerely lamented his death, and seems to have some- 
times felt the want of so able, so honest, and so faithful a counsellor 
(Dio Cass., liv., 9; lv., 7; Senec, de Bene/., vi., 32). 



METRES OF HORACE. 



1. DACTYLIC HEXAMETER. 

Laudd\bunt dli\l cld\rdm Rhodon \ aut Mytl\lenen. 

The structure of this species of verse is sufficiently well 
known ; it consists of six feet, the fifth of which is a dactyl, and 
the sixth a spondee, while each of the other four feet may be 
either a dactyl or spondee. Sometimes, however, in a solemn, 
majestic, or mournful description, or in expressing astonish- 
ment, consternation, vastness of size, &c, a spondee is admit- 
ted in the fifth foot, and the line is then denominated spondaic. 

The hexameters of Horace, in his Satires and Epistles, are 
written in so negligent a manner as to lead to the opinion that 
this style of composition was purposely adopted by him to suit 
the nature of his subject. Whether this opinion be correct or 
not must be considered elsewhere. It will only be requisite 
here to state, that the peculiar character of his hexameter versi- 
fication will render it unnecessary for us to say any thing re- 
specting the doctrine of the csesural pause in this species of 
verse, which is better explained with reference to the rhythm 
and cadence of Virgil. 

2. dactylic tetrameter a posterior e. 1 
The tetrameter a posteriore, or spondaic tetrameter, con- 
sists of the last four feet of an hexameter ; as, 
Certus e\nlm pro\misit A\pollo. 
Sometimes, as in the hexameter, a spondee occupies the last 
place but one, in which case the preceding foot ought to be a 
dactyl, or the line will be too heavy ; as, 

Menso\rem coht\bent Ar\chytd. 

1. The expression a posteriore refers to the verse being considered as taken from 
the latter part of an hexameter line (a posteriore parte versus hexametri), and is, conse- 
quently, opposed to the dactylic tetrameter a priore. This last is taken from the first 
part (a priore parte) of an hexameter, and must always have the last foot a dactyl. 



lxii METRES OF HORACE. 

3. DACTYLIC TRIMETER CATALECTIC 

The trimeter catalectic is a line consisting of the first five 
half-feet of an hexameter, or two feet and a half ; as, 

Arbori\busque co\mes. 
Horace uniformly observes this construction, viz., two dactyls 
and a semi- foot. Ausonius, however, sometimes makes the first 
foot a spondee, and twice uses a spondee in the second place ; 
but the spondee injures the harmony of the verse. 1 

4. ADONIC 2 

The Adonic, or dactylic dimeter, consists of two feet, a dac- 
tyl and spondee ; as, 

Risit A\pollo. 
Sappho is said to have written entire poems in this measure, 
now lost. Boethius has a piece of thirty-one Adonic lines (lib. 
1, metr. 7), of which the following are a specimen : 

Nubibus atris 

Condita nullum 

Fundere possunt 

Sidera lumen. 

Si mare volvens 

Turbidus auster 

Misceat cestum, 8fc. 
The measure, however, is too short to be pleasing, unless ac- 
companied by one of a different kind. Hence an Adonic is used 
in concluding the Sapphic stanza. (No. 10.) In tragic chorus- 
es it is arbitrarily added to any number of Sapphics, without 
regard to uniformity. ( Vid. Senec, (Edip., act 1 ; Troades, 
act 4 ; Here. Fur., act 3 ; Thyest., act 3.) 

5. IAMBIC TRIMETER. 

Iambic verses take their name from the iambus, which, in 



1. This measure is sometimes called Archilochian penthemimeris, since it forms, 
in fact, an heroic penthemimeris, that is, as already remarked, the first five half-feet 
of an heroic or dactylic hexameter line. 

2. This verse derives its name from the circumstance of its being used by the 
Greeks in the music which accompanied the celebration of the festival of Adonis : 
that part, probably, which represented the restoration of Adonis to life. 



METRES OF HORACE. lxiii 

pure iambics, was the only foot admitted. They are scanned 
by measures of two feet ; and it was usual, in reciting them, to 
make a short pause at the end of every second foot, with an 
emphasis (arsis) on its final syllable. 

The iambic trimeter (called likewise senarius, from its con- 
taining six feet) consists of three measures (metra). The feet 
which compose it, six in number, are properly all iambi ; in 
which case, as above stated, the line is called a pure iambic. 
The caesural pause most commonly occurs at the penthemime- 
ris ; that is, after two feet and a half ; as, 



Plidse\lus il\\le quern | vide\\tis hos\pites. \\ 
The metres here end respectively where the double lines are 
marked, and the caesural pause takes place at the middle of the 
third foot, after the word Me. 

The pure iambic, however, was rarely used. This seems to 
have been owing partly to the very great difficulty of producing 
any considerable number of good verses, and partly to the wish 
of giving to the verse a greater degree of weight and dignity. 
In consequence of this, the spondee was allowed to take the 
place of the iambus in the first, third, and fifth feet. 1 The ad- 
mission of the spondee paved the way for other innovations. 
Thus, the double time of one long syllable was divided into two 
single times, or two short syllables. Hence, for the iambus of 
three times was substituted a tribrach in every station except 
the sixth, because there, the final syllable being lengthened by 
the longer pause at the termination of the line, a tribrach would, 
in fact, be equal to an anapaest, containing four times instead of 
three. For the spondee of four times was substituted a dactyl 
or an anapaest, and sometimes, in the first station, a proceleus- 
maticus. 

The scale of the mixed iambic trimeter is, therefore, as fol- 
lows : 2 

1. The reason why the iambus was retained in the even places, that is, the sec- 
ond, fourth, and sixth, appears to have been this : that by placing the spondee first, 
and making the iambus to follow, greater emphasis was given to the concluding 
syllable of each metre on which the ictus and pause took place, than would have 
been the case had two long syllables stood together. 

2. The scale of the Greek trimeter iambic is much more strict, and must not be 



lxiv METRES OF HORACE. 



1 2_ 3 4 | 5 6 



As an exemplification of this scale, we shall subjoin some of 
the principal mixed trimeters of Horace. 

Epod. Line. 

1. 27. Pecus\ve Cdld\\brls ■ dn\te sl\\dus fer\vidum. 

2. 23. Libit \jdce\\re, modo \ sub dn\\tlqua l\lice. 
33. Aut dmi\te le\\vl rd\rd ten\\dlt re\tid. ) 

Aut d\mite le\\vl rd\rd ten\\dlt re\tid. y 
35. Pdvidum\ve lej)o\\rem, et dd\vendm \\ Idqued \ gricem. 
39. Quod si \pudl\\cd muli\er In \\ partem \juve~t. 
57. Aut her\bd ldpd\\thl prd\ta dmdn\tis, It \ grdvi. 
61. Has ln\ter ejpu\\lds, ut \juvdt \\ pastas \ oves. 
65. Pdsitos\que ver\nds, di\tis ex\\dmen \ domus. 
67. Hac ubi | locu\\tus fce\nerd\\tdr Al\pMus. 

3. 17. Nee mu\nus hume\\rls ef\ficd\\cis Her\culls. 
5. 15. Cdnidi\d brevi\\bus im\plicd\\td vi\peris. 

25. At ex\pedl\\td Sdgd\nd, per \\ totdm | domum. 

43. Quid dlx\it? aut || quid tdcu\U? O \\ rebus \ mels. 

63. Sed diibi\us, un\\de rum\peret \\ silen\tium. 

69. Quln, ubi \ perl\\re jus\sus ex\\splrd\vero. 
7. 1. Quo, quo | sctles\\tl rui\tis? aut \\ cur dex\terls. 
9. 17. Ad hoc \fremen\\tes ver\terunt || bis mll\le equos. 
10. 7. Insur\\gdt Aqui\lo, qudn\tus dl\\tls mon\tibus. 

19. Ioni\us u\\do quum \ remu\\gicns \ sinus. 2 

confounded with this. Porson (Prcef. ad Hec, 6) has denied the admissibility of the 
anapajst into the third or fifth place of the Greek tragic trimeter, except in the case 
of proper names with the anapaest contained in the same word. In Latin tragedy, 
however, it obtained admission into both stations, though more rarely into the 
third. In the fifth station the Roman tragedians not only admitted, but seemed to 
have a strong inclination for, this foot. 

1. The quantity of the a in amite depends on that of the e in levi. If we read 
levi, it is amite, but if levi, amite. This results from the principles of the trimeter 
iambic scale. We can not say amite levi without admitting an anapsest into the 
second place, which would violate the measure ; neither can we read &mite levi 
without admitting a pyrrhich into the second place, which is unheard of. 

2. Ionius, from the Greek 'luvio;. Hence the remark of Maltby (Morell., Lex. 
Grezc. Pros., ad voc.) : 'Uvios apud poetas mihi nondum occurrit ; nam ad Pind., 
Nem., 4, 87, recte dedit Heynius 'Uviov non metro solum jubente, verum etiam hac 



METRES OF HORACE. 



Ixv 



Epod. Line. 

17. 6. Cdnidi\d, pdr\\ce vo\clbus || tandem \ sdcrls. 

12. Aliti\bu$ dt\\que cdni\bus hdmt\\ctdam Hec\torem. 

41. Infd\mis Hele\\n& Cds\tdr 6f\\fensus \ vice. 

54. Ingrd\td mise\\ro vi\td du\\cenda est, | in hoc. 

56. Optdt | quie\\tem P&lo\pis in\\fldl | pater. 

65. Vectd\bor hume\\rls tunc \ ego ini\\micls \ Iques. 

69. Deripe\re Lu\\ndm vd\cibus \\ possim | mels. 

6. IAMBIC TRIMETER CATALECTIC. 

This is the common trimeter (No. 5) wanting the final sylla- 
ble. It consists of five feet, properly all iambi, followed by a 
catalectic syllable ; as, 

Vdcd\tus dt\\que non \ mord\\tus au\dit. 
Like the common trimeter, however, it admits the spondee 
into the first and third places, but not into the fifth, which 
would render the verse too heavy and prosaic. 

Trdhunt\que slc\\cds md\cMnce || cdri\nas. 
Nonnul\ld quer\\cu sunt\cdva\\ta et ul\mo. 
Terentianus Maurus, without any good reason, prefers scan- 
ning it as follows : 

Trdhunt\que sic\cds \\ mdchi\nce cdlrinds. 
This species of verse is likewise called Archilochian, from the 
poet Archilochus. 

7. IAMBIC DIMETER. 

The iambic dimeter consists of two measures, or four feet, 
properly all iambi ; as, 

Perun\xlt hoc || id\sonem. 

It admits, however, the same variations as the trimeter, though 
Horace much more frequently employs a spondee than any 
other foot in the third place. The scale of this measure is as 
follows : 



1 2 3 4_ 



Dammii regula, " Si de gente Graca sermo est, semper hoc nomen scribi, 
ri de mari Ionio, semper per o niKp6%>" 



per 



sed 



1XVI METRES OP HORACE. 

This species of verse is also called Archilochian dimeter. 
The following lines from the Epodes will illustrate the scale : 

Epod. Line. 

2. 62. Vide\re pr6pe\\rdntes\ddmum. 

3. 8. Cdmdl\d trdc\\tdvlt | ddpes. 
5. 48. Cdnidi\a ro\\dens pol\liclm* 

8. IAMBIC DIMETER HYPERMETER. 

This measure, also called Archilochian, is the iambic dimeter 
(No. 7) with an additional syllable at the end ; as, 
Rede\git dd || veros \ timd\\res. 
Horace frequently uses this species of verse in conjunction 
with the Alcaic, and always has the third foot a spondee ; for 
the line, which in the common editions runs thus, 

Dlsjec\td ndn || levl \ rul\\nd, 
is more correctly read with leni in place of levi. 

9. ACEPHALOUS IAMBIC DIMETER. 

This is the iambic dimeter (No. 7) wanting the first sylla- 
ble ; as, 

Non | ebur || neque au\reum. 
It may, however, be also regarded as a trochaic dimeter cata- 
lectic, and scanned as follows : 

Non e\bur ne\\que aure\um ; 
though, if we follow the authority of Terentianus (De Metr., 
738), we must consider the first appellation as the more correct 
one of the two, since he expressly calls it by this name. 

10. SAPPHIC. 

This verse takes its name from the poetess Sappho, who in- 
vented it, and consists of five feet, viz., a trochee, a spondee, a 
dactyl, and two more trochees ; as, 

Deflu\lt sdx\is dg1\tdtus \ humor. 

But in the Greek stanza Sappho sometimes makes the sec- 
ond foot a trochee, in which she is imitated by Catullus ; as, 

Hat Ai|of 6b\koir7i.6Ke, Maaofial re. 
Pauca | nunti\ate meee puellcs. 
Horace, however, uniformly has the spondee in the second 



METRES OF HORACE. lxvii 

place, which renders the verse much more melodious and flow- 
ing. The Sapphic stanza, both in Greek and Latin, is composed 
of three Sapphics and one Adonic. (No. 4.) As the Adonic 
sometimes was irregularly subjoined to any indefinite number 
of Sapphics (vid. Remarks on Adonic verse), so, on other occa- 
sions, the Sapphics were continued in uninterrupted succession, 
terminating as they had begun, without the addition of an Adon- 
ic even at the end, as in Boeihius, lib. 2, metr. 6 ; Seneca, Troa- 
des, act 4. 

The caesura always falls in the third foot, and is of two kinds, 
namely, the strong and the weak. The strong caesura falls after 
the first syllable of the dactyl, and makes the most melodious 
lines ; as, 

znte\ger vi\tce \\ scete\risque \ purus 
Non e\get Mau\rl || jdcu\lis nee \ drcu 
Nee ve\nend\tis || grdvi\dd sd\glttis. 
The weak caesura, on the other hand, falls after the second 
syllable of the dactyl ; as in the following : 

Ldure\d do\ndndus \\ A\polli\ndrl 
Pinus | out lm\jpulsd || cu\pressus \ Euro. 
Horace generally has the strong caesura. If the third foot, 
however, has the weak caesura, it must be followed by a word 
of two or more syllables. Thus, besides the two lines just giv- 
en, we may cite the following : 

Concines majore || poeta plectro 
Caesarem quandoque || trahet feroces, &c. 
With regard to the caesura of the foot, it is worth noticing, that 
in the Greek Sapphics there is no necessity for any conjunction 
of the component feet by caesura, but every foot may be term- 
inated by an entire word. This freedom forms the characteris- 
tic feature of the Greek Sapphic, and is what chiefly distinguish- 
es it from the Latin Sapphic, as exhibited by Horace. 

In Sapphics, the division of a word between two lines fre- 
quently occurs ; and, what is remarkable, not compound, but 
simple words, separately void of all meaning ; as, 
Labitur ripa, Jove non probante, ux- 
orius amnis. 
This circumstance, together with the fact of such a division 



lxvili METRES OF HORACE. 

taking place only between the third Sapphic and the concluding 
Adonic, 1 has induced an eminent prosodian (Dr. Carey) to en- 
tertain the opinion that neither Sappho, nor Catullus, nor Hor- 
ace ever intended the stanza to consist of four separate verses, 
but wrote it as three, viz., two five-foot Sapphics and one of 
seven feet (including the Adonic) ; the fifth foot of the long 
verse being indiscriminately either a spondee or a trochee. 

The ordinary mode of reading the Sapphic verse has at length 
begun to be abandoned, and the more correct one substituted, 
which is as follows : 



There is still, however, as has been remarked, some doubt 
which of the accented syllables ought to have the stronger ac- 
cent and which the weaker. (Consult Journal of Education, 
vol. iv., p. 356 ; Penny Cyclopaedia, art. Arsis.) 

11. CHORIAMBIC PENTAMETER. 

The choriambic pentameter consists of a spondee, three chor- 
iambi, and an iambus ; as, 

Tu ne | qucesierls, \ scire nefds, \ quern mihi, quern \ tibl. 

12. ALTERED CHORIAMBIC TETRAMETER. 

The proper choriambic tetrameter consists of three choriam- 
bi and a bacchius (i. e., an iambus and a long syllable) ; as, 
Jane pater, \ Jane tuens, \ dive biceps, \ brformis. 

(Sept. Sererms.) 
Horace, however, made an alteration, though not an improve- 
ment, by substituting a spondee instead of an iambus in the first 
measure, thus changing the choriambus into a second epitrite, 
viz., 

Te dlos o\ro~ Syhdrln \ cur properes \ dmdndo. 
The choriambic tetrameter, in its original state, was called 

1. The divisions which take place between the other lines of the Sapphic stanza, 
when they are not common cases of synapheia (as in Horace, Carm. ii., 2, 18), will 
be found to regard compound words only, and not simple ones. The ode of Hor- 
ace (iv., 2) which begins 

Pindarum quisquis studet eemulari 

Iule — 
furnishes no exception to this remark. A synseresis operates in Iule, which must 
be read as if written Yule. 



METRES OF HORACE. lxiX 

Phalsecian, from the poet Phalaecius, who used it in some of his 
compositions. 

13. ASCLEPIADIC CHORIAMBIC TETRAMETER. 

This verse, so called from the poet Asclepiades, consists of a 
spondee, two choriambi, and an iambus ; as, 

Mcece\nds dtdvls || edite re\gibus. 

The caesural pause takes place at the end of the first chori- 
ambus, on which account some are accustomed to scan the line 
as a dactylic pentameter catalectic ; as, 

Mcecl\nds dtd\vis \\ edite | rSgibus. 

But this mode of scanning the verse is condemned by Teren- 
tianus. Horace uniformly adheres to the arrangement given 
above. Other poets, however, sometimes, though veiy rarely, 
make the first foot a dactyl. 

14. CHORIAMBIC TRIMETER, OR GLYCONIC. 

The Glyconic verse (so called from the poet Glyco) consists 
of a spondee, a choriambus, and an iambus ; as, 
Sic te || dlvd, potens | Cypri. 
But the first foot was sometimes varied to an iambus or a tro- 
chee ; as, 

Bonis || crede fuga\cibus. (BoSthius.) 
Vltls || implicat ar\bores. (Catullus.) 
Horace, however, who makes frequent use of this measure, 
invariably uses the spondee in the first place. As the pause in 
this species of verse always occurs after the first foot, a Glyco- 
nic may hence be easily scanned as a dactylic trimeter, provid- 
ed a spondee occupy the first place in the line ; as, 
Sic te | dlvd, po\tens Cypri. 

15. CHORIAMBIC TRIMETER CATALECTIC, OR PHERECRATIC. 

The Pherecratic verse (so called from the poet Pherecrates) 
is the Glyconic (No. 14) deprived of its final syllable, and con- 
sists of a spondee, a choriambus, and a catalectic syllable ; as, 
Grdto | Pyrrhd sub dn\tro. 

Horace uniformly adheres to this arrangement, and hence in 
him it may be scanned as a dactylic trimeter : 



Ixx 



METRES OF HORACE. 



Grata \ Pyrrhd sub j antro. 
Other poets, however, make the first foot sometimes a tro- 
chee or an anapeest, rarely an iambus. 

16. CHORIAMBIC DIMETER. 

The choriambic dimeter consists of a choriambus and a bac- 
chius ; as, 

Lydia, die, \ per omnes. 

This measure occurs once in Horace, in conjunction with an- 
other species of choriambic verse. 

17. ionic a minore. 

Ionic verses are of two kinds, the Ionic a majore and the Ionic 
a minore, called likewise Ionicus Major and Ionicus Minor, and 
so denominated from the feet or measures of which they are 
respectively composed. 

The Ionic a minore is composed entirely of the foot or meas- 
ure of that name, and which consists of a pyrrhic and a spondee, 
as doculssent. It is not restricted to any particular number of 
feet or measures, but may be extended to any length, provided 
only that, with due attention to synapheia, the final syllable of 
the spondee in each measure be either naturally long, or made 
long by the concourse of consonants ; and that each sentence 
or period terminate with a complete measure, having the spon- 
dee for its close. 

Horace has used this measure but once (Carm. iii., 12), and 
great difference of opinion exists as to the true mode of arrang- 
ing the ode in which it occurs. If we follow, however, the au- 
thority of the ancient grammarians, and particularly of Terenti- 
anus Maurus, it will appear that the true division is into stro- 
phes ; and, consequently, that Cuningam (Animadv. in Horat., 
Bentl., p. 315) is wrong in supposing that the ode in question 
was intended to run on in one continued train of independent 
tetrameters. Cuningam's ostensible reason for this arrange- 
ment is, that Martianus Capella (De Nupt. Philol., lib. 4, cap. 
ult.) has composed an Ionic poem divided into tetrameters : the 
true cause would appear to be his opposition to Bentley. This 
latter critic has distributed the ode into four strophes, each con- 
sisting of ten feet ; or, in other words, of two tetrameters follow- 



METRES OF HORACE. Ixxi 

ed by a dimeter. The strict arrangement, he remarks, would 
be into four lines merely, containing each ten feet ; but the size 
of the modern page prevents this, of course, from being done. 
The scanning of the ode, therefore, according to the division 
adopted by Bentley, will be as follows : 

Miserdrum est \ neque dmorl \ dare ludum, \ neque dulci 
Mala vino \ lavere, aut ex\animari, \ metuentes 

Pdtruce ver\berd llnguce. 
The arrangement in other editions is as follows : 
Miserdrum est \ neque dmorl \ dare ludum, 
Neque dulci \ mala vino | lavere, aut ex- 

-dnimdrl \ metuentes \ pdtrucz ver\berd lingua* 
Others, again, have the following scheme : 

Miserarum est \ neque amori \ dare ludum, 
Neque dulci \ mala vino | lavere, aut ex- 

-animari | metuentes | patruce 
Verberd \ linguce, &c. 
Both of these, however, are justly condemned by Bentley. 

18. GREATER ALCAIC. 

This metre, so called from the poet Alcseus, consists of two 
feet, properly both iambi, and a long catalectic syllable, followed 
by a choriambus and an iambus, the csesural pause always fall- 
ing after the catalectic syllable ; as, 

Vides | ut dl\td \\ stet nive cdn\didum. 

But the first foot of the iambic portion is alterable, of course, 
to a spondee, and Horace much more frequently has a spondee 
than an iambus in this place ; as, 

o md\tre pill\chrd \\ fllid pul\chrwr. 
The Alcaic verse is sometimes scanned with two dactyls in 
the latter member ; as, 

Tides | ut dl\td \\ stet nive \ cdndidum. 

The Alcaic stanza consists of four lines, the first and second 
being greater Alcaics, the third an iambic dimeter hypermeter 
(No. 8), and the fourth a minor Alcaic (No. 20). 

For some remarks on the structure of the Alcaic stanza, con- 
sult Anthon's Latin Versification, p. 224, seqq. 



lxxii METRES OF HORACE. 

19. ARCHILOCHIAN HEPTAMETER. 

This species of verse consists of two members, the first a dac- 
tylic tetrameter a prior e (vid. No. 2, in notis), and the latter a 
trochaic dimeter brachycatalectic ; that is, the first portion of 
the line contains four feet from the beginning of a dactylic hex- 
ameter, the fourth being always a dactyl, and the latter portion 
consists of three trochees ; as, 

Solvitur J dcris hy\ems grd\td vice [| veris \ It Fd\v6ni. 

20. MINOR ALCAIC. 

This metre consists of two dactyls followed by two trochees ; 
as, 

Levid | personu\ere \ sdxd. 

21. DACTTLICO-IAMBIC 

This measure occurs in the second, fourth, and other even 
lines of the eleventh Epode of Horace, omitted in the present 
edition. The first part of the verse is a dactylic trimeter cata- 
lectic (No. 3), the latter part is an iambic dimeter (No. 7) ; as, 

Scrlbere \ verstcu\lds [| amo\re per]culsum \ grdvl. 

One peculiarity attendant on this metre will need explanation. 
In consequence of the union of two different kinds of verse into 
one line, a licence is allowed the poet with regard to the final 
syllable of the first verse, both in lengthening short syllables and 
preserving vowels from elision. 

Hence lines thus composed of independent metres are called 
aawdpTrjToi, or inconnexi on account of this medial license. Ar- 
chilochus, according to Hephaestioo, was the first who employ- 
ed them. (Bentley, ad Epod. 11.) Many editions, however, 
prefer the simpler, though less correct, division into two dis- 
tinct measures ; as, 

Scrlbere \ versicu\los 

Amo\re per\\culsum \ grdvl. 

22. IAMBICO-DACTYLIC. 

This measure occurs in the second, fourth, and other even 
lines of the thirteenth Epode of Horace, as it is arranged in this 
edition. The first part of the verse is an iambic dimeter (No. 



METRES OF HORACE. JXXlll 

7), the latter part is a dactylic trimeter catalectic (No. 3). It 
is, therefore, directly the reverse of the preceding. 

Occa\sid\nem de j die : \\ dumque vi\rent genu\d. 
The license mentioned in the preceding measure takes place 
also in this ; as, 

Epod. Line. 

13. 8. Reducet in sedem vice. Nunc, &c. 
10. Levare diris pectora sollicitudinibus. 
14. Findunt Scamandri flumina, lubricus, &c. 
These lines are also, like those mentioned in the preceding 
section, called aavvdprrjToi,, or inconnexi. Many editions prefer 
the following arrangement, which has simplicity in its favor, 
but not of-: mracy : 

Occd\sid\\nem de \ die : 
Dumque vi\rent genu\a. 
4 



METRICAL INDEX 



LYRIC COMPOSITIONS OF HORACE.* 



Mli, Vetusto 


18, 18., 


8, 


20 


Icci, beatis 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


JEquani memento ... 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Ille et nefasto 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Altera jam teritur ... 


1, 5 






Impios parrae 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Angustam, amice.... 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Inclusam Danaen. ... 


13, 13, 


13, 


14 


At, Deorum 


5, 7 






Intactis opulentior... 


14, 13 






Bacchum in remotis . 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Integer vitas 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 




5, 7 






Jam jam efficaci 

Jam pauca aratro.... 


5 






Ccelo supinas 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Coelo tonantem 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Jam satis terris 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Cum, tu, Lydia 


14, 13 






Jam veris comites . . . 


13, 13, 


13, 


14 


Cur me querelis 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Justum et tenacem .. 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Delicta majorum .... 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


L audabunt alii 


1, 2 






Descende coelo 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Lupis et agnis 


5, 7 






Dianam, tenerae 


13, 13, 


15, 


14 


Lydia, die, per omnes 


16, 12 






Diffugere nives 


1, 3 






Maecenas atavis 


13 






Dive, quern proles ... 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Mala soluta 


5, 7 






Divis orte bonis 


13, 13, 


13, 


14 


Martiis coelebs 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Donarem pateras .... 


13 






Mater saeva Cupidinum 14, 13 






Donee gratus eram tibi 14, 13 






Mercuri, facunde .... 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Eheu! fugaces 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Mercuri, nam te 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Est mihi nonum 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Miserarum est 


17 






Et thure et fidibus .. 


14, 13 






Montium custos 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Exegi monimentum.. 


13 






Motum ex Metello... 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Faune, Nympharum . 


10, 10, 


10, 


4 


Musis amicus 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Festo quid potius die 


14, 13 






Natis in usum 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Herculis ritu 


10, 10, 


10 


4 


Ne forte credas 


18, 18, 


8, 


20 


Horrid a tempestas. .. 


1,22 






Nolis longa ferae 


13, 13, 


13, 


14 


Ibis Liburnis 


5, 7 






Non ebur, neque 


9, 6 







* The numbers refer to the several metres, as they have just been explained. 
Thus, in the ode beginning with the words JEli, Vetusto, the first and second lines 
of each stanza are Greater Alcaics (No. 18), the third line is an Iambic Dimeter (No. 
8), and the last line a Minor Alcaic (No. 20), and so of the rest. 



METRICAL INDEX. 



Ixxv 



Won semper imbres .. 18, 18, 

Non usitata 18, 18, 

Nullam, Vare 11 

Nullus argento 10, 10, 

Nunc est bibendum ._ 18, 18, 

O Diva, gratum 18, 18, 

O fons Bandusiae 13, 13, 

O matre pulcbra 18, 18, 

O nata mecum 18,18, 

O navis, referunt 13, 13, 

O saepe mecum 18, 18, 

O Venus, regina .... 10, 10, 

Odi profanum 18, 18, 

Otium Divos 10,10, 

Parcus Deorum 18,18, 

Parentis olim 5, 7 

Pastor quum traheret. 13,13, 

Persicos odi 10,10, 

Phoebe, sylvarumque. 10, 10, 

Phoebus volentem 18, 18, 

Pindarum quisquis ... 10, 10, 
Poscimur: si quid ... 10, 10, 
Q.U39 cura patrum ... 18, 18, 



8, 


20 


8, 


20 


10, 


4 


8, 


20 


8, 


20 


15, 


14 


8, 


20 


8, 


20 


15, 


14 


8, 


20 


10, 


4 


8, 


20 


10, 


4 


8, 


20 


13, 


14 


10, 


4 


10, 


4 


8, 


20 


10, 


4 


10, 


4 


8, 


20 



dualem ministrum... 18, 18, 8, 20 
Gluando repostum ... 5, 7 

Quantum distet 14, 13 

Quern tu, Melpomene 14, 13 

duem virum 10,10, 

Quid bellicosus 18, 18, 

Q,uid dedicatum 18, 18, 

Quid immerentes . 5, 7 

Q.uis desiderio 13, 13, 

Gluis multa gracilis .- 13, 13, 
CLuo, me, Bacche .... 14, 13 
Quo, quo, scelesti ... 5, 7 

Rectius vives 10, 10, 

Scriberis Vario 13, 13, 

Septimi Grades 10, 10, 

Sic te, Diva 14, 13 

Solvitur acris hyems .19, 6 
Te maris et terra? ... 1, 2 

Tu ne quaesieris 11 

Tyrrhena regum 18, 18, 8, 20 

Velox amcenum 18, 18, 8, 20 

Videsutalta 18,18, 8,20 

Vile potabis 10,10,10, 4 



10, 


4 


8, 


20 


8, 


20 


13, 


14 


15, 


14 


10, 


4 


13, 


14 


10, 


4 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 
C A R M I N U M 

LIBER PRIMUS. 



Carmen I. 

AD HOECENATEM. 

Maecenas, atavis edite regibus, 
O et prsesidium et dulce decus meum, 
Sunt quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum 
Collegisse juvat, metaque fervidis 
Evitata rotis palmaque nobilis 5 

Terrarum dominos evehit ad Deos ; 
Hunc, si mobilium turba Quiritium 
Certat tergeminis tollere honoribus ; 
Ilium, si proprio condidit horreo 

Quidquid de Libycis verritur areis. 10 

Gaud en tern patrios findere sarculo 
Agros Attalicis conditionibus 
Nunquam demoveas, ut trabe Cypria 
Myrtoum, pavidus nauta, secet mare. 
Luctantem Icariis fmctibus Africum 15 

Mercator metuens otium et oppidi 
Laudat rura sui ; mox reficit rates 
Quassas, indocilis pauperiem pati. 
Est qui nee veteris pocula Massici, 
Nee partem solido demere de die 20 

Spernit, nunc viridi membra sub arbuto 
Stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae. 
A 



Q. HORATII FLAOCI 

Multos castra juvant, et lituo tubes 

Permixtus sonitus, bellaque matribus 

Detestata. Manet sub Jove frigido 25 

Venator, tenerse conjugis immemor, 

Seu visa est catulis cerva fidelibus, 

Seu rupit teretes Marsus aper plagas. 

Me doctarum hederse prsemia frontium 

Dis miscent superis ; me gelidum nemus 30 

Nymph arumque leves cum Satyris chori 

Secemunt populo, si neque tibias 

Euterpe cohibet, nee Polyhymnia 

Lesboum refugit tendere barbiton. 

Quod si me lyricis vatibus inseris, 35 

Sublimi feriam sidera vertice. 



Carmen II. 
AD AUGUSTUM CLESAREM 

Jam satis terris nivis atque diras 
Grandinis misit Pater, et, rubente 
Dextera sacras jaculatus arces, 
Terruit urbem : 

Terruit gentes, grave ne rediret 5 

Saeculum Pyrrhee nova monstra questee, 
Omne quum Proteus pecus egit altos 
Visere montes, 

Piscium et summa genus hsesit ulmo, 
Nota quaa sedes fuerat palumbis, 10 

Et superjecto pavidas natarunt 
^Equore damce. 

"Vidimus flavum Tiberim, retortis 
Litore Etrusco violenter undis, 



2.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 3 

Ire dejectum monimenta Regis, 15 

Templaque Vestas, 

Ilise dum se nimium querenti 
Jactat ultorem, vagus et sinistra 
Labitur ripa, Jove non probante, ux- 

orius amnis. 20 

Audiet cives acuisse ferrum, 
Quo graves Persse melius perirent ; 
Audiet pugnas, vitio parentum 
Kara, juventus. 

Quem vocet Divura populus ruentis 25 

Imperi rebus ? prece qua fatigent 
Virgines sanctse minus audientem 
Carmina Vestam ? 

Cui dabit partes scelus expiandi 
Jupiter ?\j Tancrem venias, precamur, 30 

Nube candentes humeros amictus, 
Augur Apollo ; 

Sive tu mavis, Erycina ridens, 
Quam Jocus circum volat et Cupido ; 
Sive neglectum genus et nepotes 35 

Respicis, auctor, 

Heu ! nimis longo satiate ludo, 
Quem juvat clamor galeseque.leves, 
Acer et Marsi peditis cruentum 

Vultus in hostem ; 40 

Sive mutata juvenem figura, 
Ales, in terris imitaris, almse 



a. HORATII FLACCI [2, 3. 

Filius Maias, patiens vocari 
Cassaris ultor : 

Serus in coelum redeas, diuque 45 

Laetus intersis populo Quirini, 
Neve te, nostris vitiis iniquum, 
Ocior aura 

Tollat. Hie magnos potius triumphos, 
Hie ames dici Pater atque Princeps, 50 

Neu sinas Medos equitare inultos, 
Te duce, Caesar. 



Carmen III. 
AD VIRGILIUM. 

Sic te Diva, potens Cypri, 

Sic fratres Helenas, lucida sidera, 
Ventorumque regat pater, 

Obstrictis aliis praeter Iapyga, 
Navis, quas tibi creditum 5 

Debes Virgilium finibus Atticis, 
Pveddas incolumem precor, 

Et serves animae dimidium meae. 
Illi robur et aes triplex 

Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci 10 

Commisit pelago ratem 

Primus, nee timuit praecipitem Africum 
Decertantem Aquilonibus, 

Nee tristes Hyadas, nee rabiem Noti, 
Quo non arbiter Hadriae 15 

Major, tollere seu ponere vult freta. 
Quem Mortis timuit gradum, 

Qui rectis oculis monstra natantia, 



3, 4.J CARMINUM. LIBER I. 5 

Qui vidit mare turgidum et 

Infames scopulos Acroceraunia ? 20 

Nequidquam Deus abscidit 

Prudens Oceano dissociabili 
Terras, si tamen impise 

Non tangenda rates transiliunt vada. 
Audax omnia perpeti 25 

Gens liumana ruit per vetitum et nefas. 
Atrox Iapeti genus 

Ignem fraude mala gentibus intulit : 
Post ignem aetheria domo 

Subductum, Macies et nova Febrium 30 

Terris incubuit cohors : 

Semotique prius tarda necessitas 
Leti corripuit gradum. 

Expertus vacuum Daedalus aera 
Pennis non homini datis. 35 

Perrupit Aclieronta Herculeus labor. 
Nil mortalibus ardui est : 

Caelum ipsum petimus stultitia : neque 
Per nostrum patimur scelus 

Iracunda Jovem ponere fulmina. 



Carmen IV. 
AD L. SESTIUM. 

Solvitur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni, 

Trahuntque siccas machinae carinas. 
Ac neque jam stabulis gaudet pecus, aut arator igni ; 

Nee prata canis albicant pruinis. 
Jam Cytherea choros ducit Venus, imminente Luna, 

Junctaeque Nymphis Gratiae decentes 
Alterno terram quatiunt pede ; dum graves Cyclopum 

Vulcanus ardens urit officinas. 
A 2 



6 a. HORATII FLACCI [4, 5. 

Nunc decet aut viridi nitidum caput impedire myrto, 

Aut flore, terrae quem ferunt solutae ; 10 

Nunc et in umbrosis Fauno decet immolare lucis, 

Seu poscat agna, sive malit haedo. 
/Pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas 

Regumque turres. O beate Sesti, 
Vitas summa brevis spem nos vetat inclioare longam. 15 

Jam te premet nox, fabulaeque Manes, 
Et domus exilis Plutonia : quo simul mearis, 

Nee regna vini sortiere* talis, 
Nee tenerum Lycidan mirabere, quo calet juventus 

Nunc omnis, et mox virgines tepebunt. 



>, 



J * Carmen V. 

AD PYRRHAM. 
Quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa 
Perfusus liquidis urget odoribus 
Grato, Pyrrha, sub antro ? 
Cui flavam religas comam, 

Simplex munditiis ? Heu ! quoties fidem 5 

Mutatosque Deos flebit, et aspera 
Nigris aequora ventis 
Emirabitur insolens, 

Qui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea ; 
Qui semper vacuam, semper amabilem 10 

Sperat, nescius auras 

Fallacis. Miseri, quibus 

Intentata nites ! Me tabula sacer 
Votiva paries indicat uvida 

Suspendisse potenti 15 

Vestimenta maris Deo. 



6, 7.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 7 

Carmen VI. 
AD AGRIPPAM. 

Scriberis Vario fortis et hostium 
Victor, Maeonii carminis alite, 
Quam rem cunque ferox navibus aut equis 
Miles, te duce, gesserit. 

Nos, Agrippa, neque hssc dicere, nee gravem 5 

Pelidse stomachum cedere nescii, 
Nee cursus duplicis per mare Ulixei, 
Nee sssvam Pelopis domum 

Qonamur, tenues grandia ; dum pudor, 
Imbellisque lyras Musa potens vetat 10 

Laudes egregii Csesaris et tuas 
Culpa deterere ingeni. 

Quis Martem tunica tectum adamantina 
Digne scripserit ? aut pulvere Troico 
Nigrum Merionen ? aut ope Palladis 1 5 

Tydiden Superis parem ? 

Nos convivia, nos prcelia virginum 
Sectis in juvenes unguibus acrium 
Cantamus, vacui, sive quid urimur, 

Non praBter solitum leves. 20 



Carmen VII. 
AD MUNATIUM PLANCUM. 

Laudabunt alii claram Rhodon, aut Mytilenen, 

Aut Epheson, bimarisve Corinthi 
Mo&nia, vel Baccho Thebas, vel Apolline Delphos 

Insignes, aut Thessala Tempe. 



8 Q. HORATII FLACCI [7, 8. 

Sunt quibus unum opus est intactss Palladis arces 5 

Carmine perpetuo celebrare, 
Indeque decerptam fronti prseponere olivam. 

Plurimus, in Junonis honorem, 
Aptum dicit equis Argos, ditesque Myeenas. 

Me nee tam patiens Lacedsemon, 10 

Nee tam Larissse percussit campus opimse, 

Quam domus Albunese resonantis, 
Et praeceps Anio, ac Tiburni lucus, et uda 

Mobilibus pomaria rivis. 
Albus ut obscuro deterget nubila coelo 15 

Ssspe Notus, neque parturit imbres 
Perpetuos, sic tu sapiens finire memento 

Tristitiam vitaeque labores 
Molli, Plance, mero, seu te fulgentia signis 

Castra tenent, seu densa tenebit 20 

Tiburis umbra tui. Teucer Salamina patremque 

Quum fugeret, tamen uda Lyseo 
Tempora populea fertur vinxisse corona, 
^ Sic tristes affatus amicos : 

Quo nos cunque feret melior Fortuna parente, 25 

Ibimus, O socii comitesque ! 
Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro ; 

Certus enim promisit Apollo, 
Ambiguam tellure nova Salamina futuram. 

O fortes, pejoraque passi 30 

Mecum ssepe viri, nunc vino pellite curas ; 

Cras ingens iterabimus aequor. 




Carmen VIII. 
AD LYDIAM. 

Lydia die, per omnes 

Te deos oro, Sybarin cur properas amando 
Perdere ? cur apricum 

Oderit campum, patiens pulveris atque solis ? 



8, 9.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 9 

Cur neque militaris 5 

Inter sequales equitat, Gallica nee lupatis 
Temperat ora frenis ? • 

Cur timet flavura Tiberim tangere ? cur olivum 
Sanguine viperino 

Cautius vitat, neque jam livida gestat armis 10 

Brachia, ssepe disco, 

Ssepe trans finem jaculo nobilis expedito ? 
Quid latet, ut marinae 

Filium dicunt Thetidis sub lacrimosa Trqjse 
Funera, ne virilis 15 

Cultus in ceedem et Lycias proriperet catervas ? 



Carmen IX. 
AD THALIARCHUM. 

Vides, ut alta stet nive candidum 
Soracte, nee jam sustineant onus 
Silvee laborantes, geluque 
Flumina constiterint acuto ? 

Dissolve frigus, ligna super foco 5 

Large reponens ; atque benignius 
Deprome quadrimum Sabina, 
O Thaliarche, merum diota. 

Permitte Divis csstera : qui simul 
Stravere ventos sequore fervido 10 

Deprceliantes, nee cupressi 
Nee ve teres agitantur orni. 

Quid sit futurum eras, fuge quserere : et 
Quem Fors dierum cunque dabit, lucro 

Appone : nee dulces amores 15 

Sperne puer, neque tu choreas, 



10 a. HORATII FLACCI [9, 10. 

Donee virenti canities abest 
Morosa. Nunc et Campus et arese, 
Lenesque sub noctem susurri 

Composita repetantur ho-ra : 20 

Nunc et latentis proditor intimo 
Gratus puellse risus ab angulo, 
Pignusque dereptum lacertis 
Aut digito male pertinaci. 



>J 



Carmen X. 
AD MEPvCURIUM. 
Mercuri, facunde nepos Atlantis, 
Qui feros cultus hominum recentum 
Voce formasti catus et decorae 
More palaestrae, 

Te can am, magni Jovis et deorum 5 

Nuntium, curvseque lyrse parentem ; 
Callidum, quidquid placuit, jocoso 
Condere furto. 

Te, boves olim nisi reddidisses 
Per dolum amotas, puerum minaci 10 

Vooe dum terret, viduus pharetra 
Risit Apollo. 

Quin et Atridas, duce te, superbos 
Ilio dives Priamus relicto 

Thessalosque ignes et iniqua Trojse 1 5 

Castra fefellit. 

Tu pias lsetis animas reponis 
Sedibus, virgaque levem coerces 
Aurea turbam, superis deorum 

Gratus et imis. 20 



11,12.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 11 



Carmen XI. 
AD LEUCONOEN. 

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quern tibi 
Finem Di dederint, Leuconoe ; nee Babylonios 
Tentaris numeros. Ut melius, quidquid erit, pati ! 
Seu plures hiemes, seu tribuit Jupiter ultimam, 
Quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare 
Tyrrhenum, sapias, vina liques. et spatio brevi 
Spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida 
JEtas. Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. 



Carmen XII. 
AD AUGUSTUM. 
Quem virum aut heroa lyra vel acri 
Tibia sumis celebrare, Clio ? 
Quem Deum ? cujus recinet jocosa 
Nomen imago 

Aut in umbrosis Heliconis oris, 5 

Aut super Pindo, gelidove in Hsemo. 
Unde vocalem temere insecutse 
Orphea silvse, 

Arte materna rapidos morantem 
Fluminum lapsus celeresque ventos, 10 

Blandum et auritas fidibus canoris 
Ducere quercus. 

Quid prius dicam solitis Parentis 
Laudibus, qui res hominum ac Deorum, 
Qui mare ac terras, variisque mundurn 1 5 

Temperat horis ? 



12 Q. HORATII FLACCI [12. 

Unde nil majus generatur ipso, 

Nee viget quidquam simile aut secundum : 

Proximos illi tamen occupavit 

Pallas honores. 20 

Proeliis audax, neque te silebo, 
Liber, et ssevis inimica Virgo 
Belluis : nee te, metuendo certa 
Phoebe sagitta. 

Dicam et Alciden, puerosque LedsB, 25 

Hune equis, ilium superare pugnis 
Nobilem : quorum simul alba nautis 
Stella refulsit 

Defluit saxis agitatus humor, 

Concidunt venti, fugiuntque nubes, 30 

Et minax, nam sic voluere, ponto 
Unda recumbit. 

Romulum post hos prius, an quietum 
Pompili regnum memorem, an superbos 
Tarquini fasces, dubito, an Catonis 35 

Nobile letum. 

Regulum, et Scauros, animseque magnse 
Prodigum Paullum, superante Paeno, 
Gratus insigni refer am Camena, 

Fabriciumque. 40 

Hunc, et incomtis Curium capillis, 
Utilem bello tulit, et Camillum, 
Sseva paupertas et avitus apto 
Cum lare fundus. 



12, 13.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 13 

Crescit, occulto velut arbor sevo, 45 

Fama Marcelli : micat inter oranes 
Julium sidus, velut inter ignes 
Luna minores. 

Gentis humanae pater atque custos, 
Orte Saturno, tibi cura magni 50 

Caesaris fatis data ; tu secundo 
Caesare regnes. 

Hie, seu Parthos Latio imminentes 
Egerit justo domitos triumpho, 

Sive subjectos Orientis orae 55 

Seras et Indos, 

Te minor latum regat aequus orbem ; 
Tu gravi curru quatias Olympum, 
Tu parum castis inimica mittas 

Fulmina lucis. 60 

/ 

Carmen XIII. 
AD LYDIAM. 
Quum tu, Lydia, Telephi 

Cervicem roseam, cerea Telephi 
Laudas brachia, V33, meum 

Fervens difficili bile tumet jecur. 
Tunc nee mens mihi nee color 5 

Certa sede manent ; humor et in genas 
Furtim labitur, arguens 

Quam lentis penitus macerer ignibus. 
Uror, seu tibi candidos 

Turparunt humeros immodicae mero 10 

Itixae, sive puer furens 

Impressit memorem dente labris notam. 
B 



14 a. HORATII FLACCI [13,14. 

Non, si me satis audias, 

Speres perpetuum, dulcia barbare 
Lsedentem osoula, quse Venus 15 

Quinta parte sui nectaris imbuit. 
Felices ter et amplius, 

Quos irrupta tenet copula, nee malis 
Divulsus querimoniis 

Supreraa citius solvet amor die. 



Carmen XIV. 
AD REMPUBLICAM. 

O navis, referunt in mare te novi 
Fluctus ! O quid agis ? fortiter occupa 
Portum. Nonne vides, ut 
Nudum remigio latus, 

Et malus celeri saucius Africo 5 

Antenneeque gemunt, ac sine funibus 
Vix durare carina? 
Possunt imperiosius 

iEquor ? Non tibi sunt integra lintea, 
Non Di, quos iterum pressa voces malo. 10 

Quamvis Pontica pinus, 
Silvse filia nobilis, 

Jactes et genus et nomen inutile, 
Nil pictis timidus navita puppibus 

Fidit. Tu, nisi ventis 15 

Debes ludibrium, cave. 

Nuper sollicitum quae mihi taedium, 
Nunc desidcrium curaque non levis, 
Interfusa nitentes 

Vites teqnora Cycladas. 20 



15.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 15 

Carmen XV. 
NEREI VATICINIUM DE EXCIDIO TROJJE. 

Pastor quum traheret per freta navibus 
Idaeis Helenen perfidus hospitam, 
Ingrato celeres obruit otio 
Ventos, ut caneret fera 

Nereus fata : Mala ducis avi doraum, 5 

Quam multo repetet Graecia milite, 
Conjurata tuas rumpere nuptias 
Et regnum Priami vetus. 

Heu heu ! quantus equis, quantus adest viris 
Sudor ! quanta moves funera Dardanse 10 

Genti ! Jam galeam Pallas et segida 
Currusque et rabiem parat. 

Nequidquam Veneris prsesidio ferox 
Pectes csesariem, grataque feminis 
Imbelli cithara carmina divides ; 15 

Nequidquam thalamo graves 

Hastas et calami spicula Cnosii 
Vitabis, strepitumque, et celerem sequi 
Ajacem : tamen, heu, serus adulteros 

Crines pulvere collines. 20 

Non Laertiaden, exitium tua3 
Genti, non Pylium Nestora respicis ? 
Urgent impavidi te Salaminius 
Teucer et Sthenelus sciens 



4 



PugnaB, sive opus est imperitare equis, 25 

Non auriga piger. Merionen quoque 



16 a. HORATII FLACCI [15, 16. 

Nosces. Ecce furit te reperire atrox 
Tydides, melior patre ; 



Quern tu, cervus uti vallis in altera 
Visum parte lupum graminis immemor, 30 

Sublimi fugies mollis anhelitu, 
Non hoc pollicitus tuse. 

Iracunda diem proferet Ilio 
Matronisque Phrygum classis Achillei ; 
Post certas hiemes uret Achaicus 35 

Ignis Iliacas domos. 



Carmen XVI. 
PALINODIA. 
O matre pulchra fllia pulchrior, 
Quern criminosis cunque voles modum 
Pones iambis, sive flamma 
Sive mari libet Hadriano. 

Non Dindymene, non adytis quatit 5 

Mentem sacerdotum incola Pythius, 
Non Liber seque, non acuta 
Sic geminant Corybantes sera, 

Tristes ut iree, quas neque Noricus 
Deterret ensis, nee mare naufragum, 10 

Nee ssevus ignis, nee tremendo 
Jupiter ipse ruens tumultu. 

Fertur Prometheus, addere principi 
Limo coactus particulam undique 

Desectam, et insani leonis 15 

Vim stomacho apposuisse nostro. 



16, 17.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 17 

Irso Thyesten exitio gravi 
Stravere, et altis urbibus ultimas 
Stetere causae, cur perirent 

Funditus, imprimeretque muris 20 

Hostile aratrum exercitus insolens. 
Compesce mentem : me quoque pectoris 
Tentavit in dulci juventa 
Fervor, et in celeres iambos 

Misit furentem : nunc ego mitibus 25 

Mutare qusero tristia, dum mihi 
Fias recantatis arnica 

Opprobriis, animumque reddas. 



Carmen XVII. 
AD TYNDARIDEM. 

Velox amoenum ssepe Lucretilem 
Mutat Lycseo Faunus, et igneam 
Defendit sestatem capellis 

Usque meis pluviosque ventos. 

Impune tutum per nemus arbutos 5 

Qu83runt latentes et thy ma devise 
Olentis uxores mariti : 

Nee virides metuunt colubras, 

Nee Martiales Hsediliae lupos ; 

Utcunque dulci, Tyndari, fistula 10 

Valles et Usticse cubantis 
Levia personuere saxa. 

Di me tuentur, Dis pietas mea 
Et Musa cordi est. Hie tibi copia 
B 2 



18 Q. HORATII FLACCI [17,18. 

Manabit ad plenum benigno 15 

Huris honorum opulenta cornu. 

Hie in reducta valle CaniculaB 
Vitabis sestus, et fide Tei'a 
Dices laborantes in uno 

Penelopen vitreamque Circen. 20 

Hie innocentis pocula Lesbii 
Duces sub umbra ; nee Semeleius 
Cum Marte confundet Thyoneus 
Proelia, nee metues protervum 

Suspecta Cyrum, ne male dispari 25 

Incontinentes injiciat manus, 
Et scindat haerentem coronam 
Crinibus, immeritamque vestem. 



Carmen XVIII. 

AD VARUM. 

Nullam, Vare, sacra vite prius severis arborem 

Circa mite solum Tiburis et mcenia Catili : 

Siccis omnia nam dura deus proposuit, neque 

Mordaces aliter diffugiunt sollicitudines. 

Quis post vina gravem militiam aut pauperiem crepat ? 5 

Quis non te potius, Bacche pater, teque, decens Venus ? 

At, ne quis modici transsiliat munera Liberi, 

Centaurea monet cum Lapithis rixa super mero 

Debellata ; monet Sithoniis non levis Euius, 

Quum fas atque nefas exiguo fine libidinum 10 

Discernunt avidi. Non ego te, candide Bassareu, 

Invitum quatiam ; nee variis obsita frondibus 

Sub divum rapiam. Sseva tene cum Berecyntio 



18, 19, 20.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 19 

Cornu tympana, quae subsequitur caecus Amor sui, 

Et tollens vacuum plus nimio Gloria verticem, 15 

Arcanique Fides prodiga, perlucidior vitro. 



Carmen XIX. 
DE GLYCERA. 

Mater saeva Cupidinum, 

Thebanaeque j ubet me Semeles puer, 
Et lasciva Licentia, 

Finitis animum reddere amoribus. 
Urit me Glyceree nitor 5 

Splendentis Pario marmore purius, 
Urit grata pro'tervitas, 

Et vultus nimium lubricus adspici. 
In me tota mens Venus 

Cyprum deseruit ; nee patitur Scythas, 10 

Et versis animosum equis 

Parthum dicere, nee quae nihil attinent. 
Hie vivum mihi cespitem, hie 

Verbenas, pueri, ponite, thuraque 
Bimi cum patera meri : 1 5 

Mactata veniet lenior hostia. 



Carmen XX. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 
Vile potabis modicis Sabinum 
Cantharis, Graeca quod ego ipse testa 
Conditum levi, datus in theatro 
Quum tibi plausus, 

Care Maecenas eques, ut paterni 
Fluminis ripae, simul et jocosa 
Redderet laudes tibi Vaticani 
Montis imago. 



20 a. HORATII FLACCI ("20,21,22. 

CsBcubam et prelo domitam Caleno 
Tu bibes uvam : mea nee Falernss 10 

Temperant vites neque Formiani 
Pocula eolles. 



Carmen XXI. 
IN DIANAM ET APOLLINEM. 
Dianam teneree dicite virgines ; 
Intonsum, pueri, dicite Cynthium : 
Latonamque supremo 
Dilectam penitus Jovi. 

Vos laetam fluviis et nemorum coma, 5 

Quaecunque aut gelido prominet Algido, 
Nigris aut Erymanthi 
Silvis, aut viridis Cragi ; 

Vos Tempe totidem tollite laudibus, 
Natalemque, mares, Delon Apollinis, 10 

Insignemque pharetra 

Fraternaque humerum lyra. 

Hie bellum lacrimosum, hie miseram famem 
Pestemque a populo, principe Csesare, in 

Persas atque Britannos 15 

Vestra motus aget prece. 



Carmen XXII. 
AD ABJSTIUM FUSCUM. 
Integer vitse scelerisque purus 
Non eget Mauris jaculis, neque arcu, 
Nee venenatis gravida sagittis, 
Fusee, pharetra ; 



22, 23.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 21 

Sive per Syrtes iter aestuosas, 5 

Sive facturus per inhospitalem 
Caucasum, vel quae loca fabulosus 
L ambit Hydaspes. 

Namque me silva lupus in Sabina, 
Dum meam canto Lalagen, et ultra 10 

Terminum curis vagor expeditis, 
Fugit inermem : 

Quale portentum neque militaris 
Daunias latis alit eesculetis, 

Nee Jubae tellus generat, leonum 15 

Arida nutrix. 

Pone me, pigris ubi nulla campis 
Arbor aestiva recreatur aura ; 
Quod latus mundi nebulae malusque 

Jupiter urget : 20 

Pone sub curru nimium propinqui 
Solis, in terra domibus negata : 
Dulce ridentem Lalagen amabo, 
Dulce loquentem. 



Carmen XXIII. 
AD CHLOEN. 

Vitas hinnuleo me similis, Chloe, 
Quaerenti pavidam montibus aviis 
Matrem, non sine vano 
Aurarum et siluae metu. 

Nam seu mobilibus vepris inhorruit 
Ad ventum foliis, seu virides rubum 



22 a. HORATII FLACCI [23, 24. 

Dimovere lacertse, 

Et corde et genibus tremit. 

Atqui non ego te, tigris ut aspera 
Gsetulusve leo, frangere persequor : 10 

Tandem desine matrem 
Tempestiva sequi viro. 



Carmen XXIV. 
AD VIRGILIUM. 
Quis desiderio sit pudor aut modus 
Tarn cari capitis ? Praecipe lugubres 
Cantus, Melpomene, cui liquidam Pater 
Vocem cum cithara dedit. 

Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor 5 

Urget ! cui Pudor, et Justitias soror, 
Incorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas 
Quando ullum inveniet parem ? 

Multis ille bonis fLebilis occidit ; 
Nulli flebilior, quam tibi, Virgili. 10 

Tu frustra pius, heu ! non ita creditum 
Poscis Quintilium deos. 

Quod si Threi'cio blandius Orpheo 
Auditam moderere arboribus fidem, 
Non vanes redeat sanguis imagini, 15 

Quam virga semel horrida, 



Non lenis precibus fata recludere, 
Nigro compulerit Mercurius gregi. 
Durum ! Sed levius fit patientia, 

Quidquid corrigere est nefas. 20 



26, 27.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 23 

Carmen XXVI. 
DE ^ELIO LAMIA. 
Musis amicus, tristitiam et m.etus 
Tradam protervis in mare Creticum 
Portare ventis ; quis sub Arcto 
Hex gelidse metuatur orse, 

Quid Tiridaten terreat, unice 5 

Securus. O, quae fontibus integris 
Gaudes, apricos necte flores, 
Necte meo Lamise coronam, 

Pimplei dulcis ; nil sine te mei 
Prosunt honores : hunc fidibus novis, 10 

Hunc Lesbio sacrare plectro, 
Teque tuasque decet sorores. 



Carmen XXVII. 
AD SODALES. 
Natis in usum lsetitiee scyphis 
Pugnare Thracum est : tollite barbarum 
Morem, verecundumque Bacchum 
Sanguineis prohibete rixis. 

Vino et lucernis Medus acinaces 5 

Immane quantum discrepat ! impium 
Lenite clamorem, sodales, 
Et cubito remanete presso. 

Vultis severi me quoque sumere 
Partem Falerni ? dicat Opuntiae 10 

Frater Megillas, quo beatus 
Vulnere, qua pereat sagitta. 



24 a. HORATII FLACCI [27, 28. 

Cessat Voluntas ? non alia bibam 
Mercede. Qusb te cunque domat Venus, 

Non erubescendis adurit 15 

Ignibus, ingenuoque semper 

Amore peccas. Quidquid habes, age, 
Depone tutis auribus — Ah miser, 
Quanta laborabas Charybdi, 

Digne puer meliore flamma ! 20 

Quae saga, quis te solvere Thessalis 
Magus venenis, quis poterit Deus ? 
Vix illigatum te triformi 
Pegasus expediet Chimeera. 



Carmen XXVIII. 
NAUTA ET ARCHYT^E UMBRA. 
Nauta. 
Te maris et terrse numeroque carentis arenas 

Mensorem cohibent, Archyta, 
Pulveris exigui prope litus parva Matinum 

Munera ; nee quidquam tibi prodest 
Aerias tentasse domos, animoque rotundum 5 

Percurrisse polum, morituro ! 

Archyt^e umbra. 
Occidit et Pelopis genitor, conviva Deorum, 

Tithonusque remotus in auras, 
Et Jovis arcanis Minos admissus, habentque 

Tartara Panthoiden, iterum Oreo 10 

Demissum ; quamvis, clypeo Trojana refixo 

Tempora testatus, nihil ultra 
Nervos atque cutem Morti concesserat atr© ; 

Judice te non sordidus auctor 



28, 29.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 25 

Naturae verique. Seel omnes una manet nox, 1 5 

Et calcanda semel via leti. 
Dant alios Furies torvo spectacula Marti ; 

Exitio est avidum mare nautis ; 
Mixta senum ac juvenum densentur funera ; nullum 

Seeva caput Proserpina fugit. 20 

Me quoque devexi rapidus comes Orionis 

Illyricis Notus obruit undis. 
At tu, nauta, vagae ne parce malignus arenas 

Ossibus et capiti inhumato 
Particulam dare : sic, quodcunque minabitur Eurus 25 

Fluctibus Hesperiis, Venusinee 
Plectantur silvae, te sospite, multaque merces, 

Unde potest, tibi defluat aequo 
Ab Jove, Neptunoque sacri custode Tarenti. 

Negligis immeritis nocituram 30 

Postmodo te natis fraudem committere ? Fors et 

Debita jura vicesque superbae 
Te maneant ipsum : precibus non linquar inultis ; 

Teque piacula nulla resolvent. 
Quamquam festinas, non est mora longa ; licebit 35 

Injecto ter pulvere curras. 



Carmen XXIX. 
AD ICCIUM. 
Icci, beatis nunc Arabum invides 
Gazis, et acrem militiam paras 
Non ante devictis Sabaeae 
Regibus, horribilique Medo 

Nectis catenas ? Quae tibi virginum, 
Sponso necato, barbara serviet ? 
Puer quis ex aula capillis 

Ad cyathum statuetur unctis, 
B 



26 a. horatii flacci [29, 30, 31. 

Doctus sagittas tendere Sericas 
Arcu paterno ? Quis neget arduis 1ft 

Pronos relabi posse rivos 

Montibus, et Tiberim reverti, 

Quum tu coemtos undique nobiles 
Libros Panaeti, Socraticam et domum, 

Mutare loricis Iberis, 15 

Pollicitus meliora, tendis ? 



Carmen XXX. 
AD VENEREM. 
O Venus, regina Cnidi Paphique, 
Sperne dilectam Cypron, et vocantis 
Thure te multo Glycerse decoram 
Transfer in sedem. 

Fervidus tecum Puer, et solutis 
Gratiae zonis, properentque Nymphee, 
Et parum comis sine te Juventas, 
Mercuriusque. 



Carmen XXXI. 
AD APOLLINEM. 
Quid dedicatum poscit Apollinem 
Vates ? quid orat, de patera novum 
Fundens liquorem ? Non opimse 
Sardinian segetes feraces ; 

Non sestuosae grata Calabriae 
Armenta ; non aurum, aut ebur Indie am ; 
Non rura, quae Liris quieta 

Mordet aqua, taciturnus amnis. 



31,32.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 27 

Premant Calena falce, quibus dedit 
Fortuna, vitem : dives et aureis 10 

Mercator exsiccet culullis 
Vina Syra reparata merce ; 

Dis carus ipsis, quippe ter et quater 
Anno revisens SBquor Atlanticum 

Impune. Me pascunt olivae 15 

Me cichorea, levesque malvae. 

Frui paratis et valido mihi, 
Latoe, dones, et, precor, integra 
Cum mente ; nee turpem senectam 

Degere, nee cithara carentem. 20 



Carmen XXXII. 
AD L Y R A M. 

Poscimur. Si quid vacui sub umbra 
Lusimus tecum, quod et hunc in annum 
Vivat et plures, age, die Latinum, 
Barbite, carmen, 

Lesbio primum modulate civi ; 5 

Qui, ferox bello, tamen inter arma, 
Sive jactatam religarat udo 
Litore navim, 

Liberum et Musas, Veneremque, et illi 
Semper hserentem Puerum canebat, 10 

Et Lycum, nigris oculis nigroque 
Crine decorum. 

O decus Phcebi, et dapibus supremi 
Grata testudo Jovis, O laborum 
Dulce lenimen, mihi cunque salve 15 

Rite vocanti. 



28 Q. HORATII FLACCI [34, 35. 

Carmen XXXIV. 
AD SE IPSUM. 
Parous Deorum cultor et infrequens, 
Insanientis dum sapientiee 

Consultus erro, nunc retrorsum 
Vela dare at que iter are cursus 

Cogor relictos : namque Diespiter 5 

Igni corusco nubila dividens 

Plerumque, per purum tonantes 
Egit equos volucremque currum ; 

Quo bruta tellus, et vaga flumina, 
Quo Styx et invisi horrida Tsenari 10 

Sedes, Atlanteusque finis 

Concutitur. Valet ima summis 

Mutare, et insignia attenuat Deus, 
Obscura promens. Hinc apicem rapax 

Fortuna cum stridore acuto 15 

Sustulit, hie posuisse gaudet. 



Carmen XXXV. 
AD FOE,TUNAM. 
O Diva, gratum quee regis Antiura, 
Prsesens vel imo tollere de gradu 
Mortale corpus, vel superbos 
Vertere funeribus triumphos, 

Te pauper ambit sollicita prece, 
Ruris, colonus ; te dominam sequoris, 
Quicunque Bithyna lacessit 
Carpathium pelagus carina. 



35.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 29 

Te Dacus asper, te profugi Scythse, 
Urbesque, gentesque, et Latium ferox, 10 

Regumque matres barbarorum, et 
Purpurei metuunt tyranni, 

Injurioso ne pede proruas 

Stantera columnam, neu populus frequens 

Ad arma cessantes ad arma 15 

Concitet, imperiumque frangat. 

Te semper anteit sseva Necessitas, 
Clavos trabaies et cuneos manu 
Gestans aena ; nee severus 

Uncus abest, liquidumque plumbum. 20 

Te Spes ; et albo rara Fides colit 
Velata panno, nee comitem abnegat, 
Utcunque rnutata potentes 
Veste domos inimica linquis. 

At vulgus infidum et meretrix retro 25 

Perjura cedit ; diffugiunt, cadis 

Cum fsece siccatis, amici s 

Ferre jugum pariter dolosi. 

Serves iturum Csesarem in ultimos 
Orbis Britannos, et juvenum recens 30 

Examen Eois timendum 
Partibus, Oceanoque rubro. 

Eheu ! cicatricum et sceleris pudet 
Fratrumque — Quid nos dura refugimus 

iEtas ? quid intactum nefasti 35 

Liquimus ? unde manum juventus 



30 Q. HORATII FLACCI [35, 36, 37. 

Metu Deorum continuit ? quibus 

Pepercit aris ? O utinam nova 

Incude diffingas retusum in 

Massagetas Arabasque ferrum. 40 



Carmen XXXVI. 
AD PLOTIUM NUMIDAM. 

Et thure et fidibus juvat 

Placare et vituli sanguine debito 
Custodes Numidee Deos, 

Qui nunc, Hesperia sospes ab ultima, 
Caris multa sodalibus, 5 

Nulli plura tamen dividit oscula, 
Quam dulci Lamiee, memor 

Actse non alio rege puertise, 
Mutatseque simul toga?. 

Cressa ne careat pulcbra dies nota, 10 

Neu promtse modus amphora?, 

Neu morem in Salium sit requies pedum, 
Neu multi Damalis men 

Bassum Threi'cia vincat amystide, 
Neu desint epulis rosEe, 15 

Neu vivax apium, neu breve lilium. 



Carmen XXXVII. 
AD SODALES. 
Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero 
Pulsanda tellus ; nunc Saliaribus 
Ornare pulvinar deorum 

Tempus erat dapibus, sodales. 

Antehac nefas depromere Csecubum 
Cellis avitis, dum Capitolio 



37.] CARMINUM. LIBER I. 31 

Regina dementes ruinas, 
Funus et imperio parabat 



Contaminato cum grege turpium 
Morbo virorum, quidlibet impotens 10 

Sperare, fortunaque dulci 
Ebria. Sed minuit furorem 

Vix una sospes navis ab ignibus ; 
Mentemque lympliatam Mareotico 

Redegit in veros timores 15 

Caesar, ab Italia volantera 

Remis adurgens, accipiter velut 
Molles columbas, aut leporem citus 
Venator in campis nivalis 

Harmonise ; daret ut catenis 20 

Fatale monstrum ; qua; generosius 
Perire quaerens, nee rnuliebriter 
Expavit ensem, nee latentes 
Classe cita reparavit oras ; 

Ausa et jacentem visere regiam 25 

Vultu sereno, fortis et asperas 
Tractare serpentes, ut atrum 
Corpore combiberet venenum ; 

Deliberata morte ferocior ; 

Ssevis Liburnis scilicet invidens 30 

Privata deduci superbo 

Non humilis mulier triumpho. 



32 a. HORATII FLACCI CARMINUM. LIBER I. [38. 



Carmen XXXVIII. 
AD PUEItUM. 

Persicos odi, puer, apparatus ; 
Displicent nexse philyra coronee ; 
Mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum 
Sera moretur. 

Simplici myrto nihil allabores 
Sedulus euro : neque te mini strum 
Dedecet myrtus, neque me sub arcta 
Vite bibentem. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

CAEMINUM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 



Carmen I. 
AD ASINIUM POLLIONEM. 
Motum ex Metello consule civicum, 
Bellique causas et vitia et modos, 
Ludumque Fortunse, gravesque 
Principum amicitias, et arm a 

Nondum expiatis uncta cruoribus, 5 

Periculosse plenum opus alese, 
Tractas, et incedis per ignes 
Suppositos cineri doloso. 

Paulum severse Musa tragOBdise 
Desit theatris : mox, ubi publicas 10 

Res ordinaris, grande munus 
Cecropio repetes cotliurno, 

Insigne moestis presidium reis 
Et consulenti Pollio curiae ; 

Cui laurus asternos honores 15 

Dalmatico peperit triumpho. 

Jam nunc minaci murmure cornuum 
Perstringis aures, jam litui strepunt ; 
B 2 



34 Q. HORATIl FLACCI [1,2. 

Jam fulgor armorum fugaces 

Terret equos equitumque vultus. 20 

Audire magnos jam videor duces 
Non indecoro pulvere sordidos, 
Et cuncta terrarum subacta 

Prseter atrocem animum Catonis. 

Juno, et deorum quisquis amicior 25 

Afris inulta cesserat impotens 
Tellure, victorum nepotes 
Rettulit inferias Jugurthse. 

Quis non Latino sanguine pinguior 
Campus sepulcris impia prcelia 30 

Testatur, auditumque Medis 
Hesperiee sonitum ruinee ? 

Qui gurges, aut quse flumina lugubris 
Ignara belli ? quod mare Dauniae 

Non decoloravere caedes ? 35 

Quse caret ora cruore nostro ? 

Sed ne, relictis, Musa procax, jocis, 
Ceae retractes munera nseniae : 
Mecum Dionseo sub antro 

Quaere modos leviore plectro. 40 



Carmen II. 
AD SALLUSTIUM CRISPUM. 

Nullus argento color est avaris 
Abdito terris, inimice lamnae 
Crispe Sallusti, nisi temperato 
Splendeat usu. 



2,3.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 35 

Vivet extento Proculeius a3vo 6 

Notus in fratres animi paterni : 
Ilium aget penna metuente solvi 
Fama superstes. 

Latius regnes avidum domando 
Spiritum, quam si Libyam remotis 10 

Gadibus jungas, et uterque Pcenus 
Serviat uni. 

Crescit indulgens sibi dirus hydrops, 
Nee sitim pellit, nisi causa morbi 
Fugerit venis, et aquosus albo 15 

Corpore languor. 

Redditum Cyri solio Phrahaten 
Dissidens plebi numero beatorum 
Eximit Virtus, populumque falsis 

Dedocet uti 20 

Vocibus ; regnum et diadema tutum 
Deferens uni propriamque laurum, 
Quisquis ingentes oculo irretorto 
Spectat acervos. 



Carmen III. 
AD DELLIUM. 
wiEquam memento rebus in arduis 
Servare mentem, non secus in bonis 
Ab insolenti temperatam 
Lsetitia, moriture Delli, 

Seu mcestus omni tempore vixeris, 
Sen te in remoto gramine per dies 



a. HORATII FLACCI [3, 6. 

Festos reclinatum bearis 
Interiore nota Falerni. 

Qua pinus ingens albaque populus 
Umbram hospitalem consociare amant 10 

Ramis, et obliquo laborat 

Lympha fugax trepidare rivo : 

Hue vina et unguenta et nimium brevis 
Flores amoenos ferre jube rosse, 

Dum res et zetas et Sororum 15 

Fila trium patiuntur atra. 

Cedes coemtis saltibus, et domo, 
Villaque, flavus quam Tiberis lavit : 
Cedes ; et exstructis in. altum 

Divitiis potietur hseres. 20 

Divesne prisco natus ab Inacho, 
Nil interest, an pauper et infima 
De gente, sub divo moreris, 
Victima nil miserantis Orci. 

Omnes eodera cogimur : omnium 25 

Versatur urna serius ocius 

Sors exitura, et nos in seternum 
Exsilium impositura eymbae. 



Carmen VI. 

AD SEPTIMIUM. 
Septimi, Gades aditure mecum et 
Cantabrum indoctum juga ferre nostra, et 
Barbaras Syrtes, ubi Maura semper 

^Estuat unda : 



6, 7.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 37 

Tibur, Argeo positum colonO, 5 

Sit mese sedes utinam senectae, 
Sit modus lasso maris et viarum 
Militiaeque. 

TJnde si ParcEe prohibent iniquse, 
Dulce pellitis ovibus Galaesi 10 

Flumen et regnata petam Lacoai 
Rura Phalanto. 

Ille terrarum mihi preeter omnes 
Angulus ridet, ubi non Hymetto 
Mella decedunt, viridique certat 15 

Bacca Venafro. 

Ver ubi longum tepidasque prsebet 
Jupiter brumas, et amicus Aulon 
Fertili Baccho minimum Falernis 

Invidet uvis. 20 

Ille te mecum locus et beatae 
Postulant arces ; ibi tu calentem 
Debita sparges lacrima favillam 
Vatis amici. 



Carmen VII. 
AD POMPEIUM. 

O ssepe mecum tempus in ultimum 
Deducte, Bruto militiee duce, 
Quis te redonavit Quiritem 
Dis patriis Italoque co2lo, 

Pompei, meorum prime sodalium ? 
Cum quo morantem ssepe diem mero 



38 a. horatii flacci [7, 9. 

Fregi, coronatus nitentes 
Malobathro Syrio capillos. 



Tecum Philippos et celerem fugam 
Sensi, relicta non bene parmula ; 10 

Quum fracta Virtus, et minaces 
Turpe solum tetigere mento. 

Sed me per hostes Mercurius celer 
Denso paventem sustulit aere ; 

Te rursus in bellum resorbens 15 

Unda fretis tulit cestuosis. 

Ergo obligatam redde Jovi dapem, 
Longaque fessum militia latus 
Depone sub lauru mea, nee 

Parce cadis tibi destinatis. 20 

Oblivioso levia Massico 
Ciborio exple, f'unde capacibus 
Unguenta de conchis. Quis udo 
Deproperare apio coronas 

Curatve myrto ? quem Venus arbitrum 25 

Dicet bibendi ? Non ego sanius 
Bacchabor Edonis : recepto 
Dulce mihi furere est amico. 



Carmen IX. 
AD VALGIUM. 
Non semper imbres nubibus bispidos 
Manant in agros, aut mare Caspium 
Vexant ina3quales procellse 
Usque, nee Armeniis in oris, 



9, 10.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 39 

Amice Valgi, stat glacies iners 5 

Menses per omnes ; aut Aquilonibus 
Querceta Gargani laborant, 
Et foliis viduantur orni. 

Tu semper urges flebilibus modis 
Mysten ademtum ; nee tibi Vespero 1 

Surgente decedunt amores, 
Nee rapidum fugiente Solem. 

At non ter sevo functus amabilem 
Ploravit omnes Antilochum senex 

Annos ; nee impubem parentes 1 5 

Troi'lon, aut Phrygian sorores 

Flevere semper. Desine mollium 
Tandem querelarum ; et potius nova 
Cantemus Augusti tropsea 

Ceesaris, et rigidum Nipliaten ; 20 

Medumque fiumen, gentibus additum 
Yictis, minores volvere vortices ; 
Intraque prsescriptum Gelonos 
Exiguis equitare campis. 



Carmen X. 
AD LICINIUM. 

Rectius vives, Licini, neque altum 
Semper urgendo, neque, dum procellas 
Cautus horrescis, nimium premendo 
Litus iniquurn. 

Auream quisquis mediocritatem 
Diligit, tutus caret obsoleti 



40 a. HORATII FLACCI [10, 11. 

Sordibus tecti, caret invidenda 
Sobrius aula. 



Ssepius ventis agitatur iiigens 
Pinus, et celsge graviore casu 10 

Decidunt turres, feriuntque summos 
Fulgura raontes. 

Sperat infestis, metuit secnndis 
Alteram sortem bene praeparatum 
Pectus. Informes hiemes reducit 15 

Jupiter, idem 

Summovet. Non, si male nunc, et olim 
Sic erit. Quondam cithara tacentem 
Suscitat Musam, neque semper arcurri 

Tendit Apollo. 20 

Rebus angustis animosus atque 
Fortis appare : sapienter idem 
Contrabes vento nimium secundo 
Turgfida vela. 



Carmen XL 
AD QUINTIUM. * 

Quid bellicosus Cantaber, et Scythes, 
Hirpine Quinti, cogitet, Hadria 
Divisus objecto, remittas 

Quaerere ; nee trepides in usum 

Poscentis sevi pauca. Fugit retro 
Levis Juventas, et Decor, arida 
Pellente lascivos amores 

Canitie facilemque sornnum. 



11,12.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 41 

Non semper idem floribus est honor 
Vernis ; neque uno Luna rubens nitet 10 

Vultu : quid aeternis minorem 
Consiliis animum fati^as ? 



Cur non sub alta vel platano vel hac 
Pinu jacentes sic temere, et rosa 

Canos odorati capillos, 15 

Dam licet, Assyriaque nardo 

Potamus uncti ? Dissipat Euius 
Curas edaces. Quis puer ocius 
Restinguet ardentis Falerni 
Pocula praetereunte lympha ? 



Carmen XII. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Nolis longa ferae bella Numanti®, 
Nee dirum Hannibalem, nee Siculum mare 
Pceno purpureum sanguine, mollibus 
Aptari citharse modis : 

Nee ssevos Lapithas, et nimium mero 5 

Hylseum ; domitosve Herculea maim 
Telluris juvenes, unde periculum 

Fulgens contremuit domus 

Saturni veteris : tuque pedestribus 
Dices historiis proelia Csesaris, 10 

Maecenas, melius, ductaque per vias 
Pv-egum colla minacium. 

Me dulces dominse Musa Licymniae 
Cantus, me voluit dicere lucidum 



42 Q. HORATII FLACCI [12,13. 

Fulgentes oculos, et "bene mutuis 15 

Fidum pectus amoribus : 

Quam nee ferre pedem dedecuit choris, 
Nee certare joco, nee dare brachia 
Ludentem nitidis virginibus, sacro 

DiansB Celebris die. 20 

Num tu, quae tenuit dives Achsemenes, 
Aut pinguis Phrygia3 Mygdonias opes, 
Permutare velis crine Licymnise, 

Plena s aut Arabum domos ? 



Carmen XIII. 
In arborem, cujus casu paene oppressus fuerat. 
Ille et nefasto te posuit die, 
Quicunque primum, et sacrilega manu 
Produxit, arbos, in nepotum 
Perniciem, opprobriumque pagi. 

Ilium et parentis crediderim sui 5 

Fregisse cervicem, et penetralia 
Sparsisse nocturno cruore 

Hospitis ; ille venena Colcha, 

Et quidquid usquam concipitur nefas 
Tractavit, agro qui statuit meo 10 

Te, triste lignum, te caducum 
In domini caput immerentis. 

Quid quisque vitet, nunquam homini satis 
Cautum est, in horas. Navita Bosporum 

Pcenus perhorrescit, neque ultra 5 

Cseca timet aliunde fata ; 



13, 14.] CARMINUM.— LIBER II. 43 

Miles sagittas et celerem fugam 
Parthi ; catenas Parthus et Italum 
Robur : sed improvisa leti 

Vis rapuit rapietque gentes. 20 

Quam paene furvae regna Proserpinae, 
Et judicantem vidimus iEacum, 
Sedesque discretas piorum, et 
^Eoliis fidibus querentem 

Sappho puellis de popularibus, 25 

Et te sonantem plenius aureo, 
Alcaee, plectro dura navis, 
Dura fugae mala, dura belli ! 

Utrumque saero digna silentio 

Mirantur Umbrae dicere ; sed magis 30 

Pugnas et exactos tyrannos 

Densum humeris bibit aure vulgus. 

Quid mirum ? ubi illis carminibus stupens 
Demittit atras bellua centiceps 

Aures, et intorti capillis 35 

Eumenidum recreantur angues ? 

Quin et Prometheus et Pelopis parens 
Dulci laborum decipitur sono : 
Nee curat Orion leones 

Aut timidos agitare lyncas. 40 



Carmen XIV. 
AD POSTUMUM. 
Eheu ! fugaces, Postume, Postume, 
Labuntur anni ; nee pietas moram 
Rugis et instanti senectas 
Afferet, indomitaeque morti : 



44 a. HORATII FLACCI [14,15. 

Non, si trecenis, quotquot emit dies, 5 

Amice, places illacrimabilem 

Plutona tauris : qui ter amplum 
Geryonen Tityonque tristi 

Compescit unda, scilicet omnibus, 
Quicunque terra munere vescimur, 10 

Enaviganda, sive reges 
Sive inopes erimus coloni. 

Frustra cruento Marte carebimus, 
Fractisque rauci fluctibus Hadrise ; 

Frustra per auctumnos nocentem 15 

Corporibus metuemus Austrum : 

Visendus ater flumine languido 

Cocytos errans, et Danai genus 

Infame, damnatusque longi 

Sisyphus iEolides laboris. 20 

Linquenda tellus, et domus, et placens 
Uxor ; neque harum, quas colis, arborum 
Te, prater invisas cupressos, 

TJlla brevem dominum sequetur. 

Absumet hseres Csecuba dignior 25 

Servata centum clavibus, et mero 
Tinget pavimentum superbis 
Pontificum potiore coenis. 



Carmen XV. 
IN SUI S^ECULI LUXURIAM. 
Jam pauca aratro jugera regiss 
Moles relinquent : undique latius 
Extenta visentur Lucrino 

Stagna lacu : platanusque cselebs 



15, 16.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 45 

Evincet ulmos : turn violaria, et . 5 

Myrtus, et omnis copia narium, 
Spargent olivetis odorem 
Fertilibus domino priori : 

Turn spissa ramis laurea fervidos 
Excludet ictus. Non ita Romuli 10 

Prsescriptum et intonsi Catonis 
Auspiciis, veterumque norma. 

Privatus illis census erat brevis, 
Commune magnum : nulla decempedis 

Metata privatis opacam 15 

Porticus excipiebat Arcton ; 

Nee fortuitum spernere cespitem 
Leges sinebant, oppida publico 
Sumtu jubentes et deorum 

Templa novo decorare saxo. 20 



Carmen XVI. 
AD GROSPHUM. 
Otium divos rogat impotenti 
Pressus iEgseo, simul' atra nubes 
Condidit Lunam, neque certa fulgent 
Sidera nautis : 

Otium bello furiosa Thrace, 5 

Otium Medi pharetra decori, 
Grosphe, non gemmis neque purpura ve- 
nale neque auro. 

Non enim gazse neque consularis 
Summovet lictor miseros tumultus 10 

Mentis, et curas laqueata circum 
Tecta volantes. 



46 a. HORATII FLACCI [16. 

Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternum 
Splendet in mensa tenui salinum, 
Nee leves somnos timor aut cupido 15 

Sordidus aufert. 

Quid brevi fortes jaculamur a3vo 
Multa ? quid terras alio calentes 
Sole mutamus ? Patriae quis exsul 

Se quoque fugit ? 20 

Scandit seratas vitiosa naves 
Cura, nee turmas equitum relinquit, 
Ocior cervis, et agente nimbos 
Ocior Euro. 

Leetus in prsesens animus, quod ultra est, 25 

Oderit curare, et amara lento 
Temperet risu. Nihil est ab omni 
Parte beatum. 

Abstulit clarum cita mors Acliillem, 
Longa Tithonum minuit senectus ; 30 

Et mihi forsan, tibi quod negarit, 
Porriget hora. 

Te greges centum Siculaeque circum 
Mugiunt vaccae ; tibi tollit hinnitum 
Apta quadrigis equa ; te bis Afro 35 

Murice tinctse 

Vestiunt lanse : mihi parva rura, et 
Spiritum Graise tenuem Camenee 
Parca non mend ax dedit, et malignum 

Spernere vulgus. 40 



17.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 47 

Carmen XVII. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 
Cur me querelis exanimas tuis ? 
Nee Dis amicum est, nee mini, te prius 
Obire, Maecenas, mearum 

Grande decus columenque rerum. 

Ah ! te meae si partem animae rapit 5 

Maturior vis, quid moror altera, 
Nee carus aeque, nee superstes 
Integer ? Ille dies utramque 

Ducet ruinam. Non ego perfidum 
Dixi sacramentum : ibimus, ibimus, 10 

Utcunque precedes, supremum 
Carpere iter comites parati. 

Me nee Chimaere spiritus ignese, 
Nee, si resurgat, centimanus Gyas 

Divellet unquam : sic potenti 15 

Justitiae placitumque Parcis. 

Seu Libra, seu me Scorpios adspicit 
'* Formidolosus, pars violentior 
Natalis hore, seu tyrannus 

Hesperiae Capricornus undae, 20 

Utrumque nostrum incredibili modo 
Consentit astrum. Te Jovis impio 
Tutela Saturno refulgens 
Eripuit, volucrisque Fati 

Tardavit alas, quum populus frequens 25 

Lsetum theatris ter crepuit sonum : 



48 a. HORATII FLACCI [17, 18. 

Me truncus illapsus cerebro 
Sustulerat, nisi Faunus ictum 



Dextra levasset, Mercurialium 
Custos virorum. Reddere victimas 30 

iEdemque votivam memento : 
Nos humilem feriemUs agnam. 



Carmen XVIII. 
Non ebur neque aureum 

Mea renidet in domo lacunar ; 
Non trabes Hymettise 

Premunt columnas, ultima recisas 
Africa ; neque Attali 5 

Ignotus hseres regiam occupavi ; 
Nee Laconicas mihi 

Trahunt honestas purpuras clientae. 
At fides et ingeni 

Benigna vena est ; pauperemque dives 10 

Me petit : nihil supra 

Deos lacesso ; nee potentem amicum 
Largiora flagito, 

Satis beatus unicis Sabinis. 
Truditur dies die, 15 

Novseque pergunt interire Lunse : 
Tu secanda marmora 

Locas sub ipsum funus ; et, sepulcri 
Immemor, struis domos ; 

Marisque Baiis obstrepentis urges 20 

Summovere litora, 

Parum locuples continente ripa. 
Quid ? quod usque proximos 

Revellis agri terminos, et ultra 
Limites clientium 25 

Salis avarus ; pellitur paternos 



18, 19.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 49 

In sinu fereus Deos 

Et uxor, et vir, sordidosque natos. 
Nulla certior tamen, 

Rapacis Orci fine destinata 30 

Aula divitem manet 

Herum. Quid ultra tendis ? ^Equa tellus 
Pauperi recluditur 

Regumque pueris : nee satelles Orci 
Callidum Promethea 35 

Revexit auro captus. Hie superbum 
Tantalum, atque Tantali 

Genus coercet ; hie levare functum 
Pauperem laboribus 

Vocatus atque non moratus audit. 40 



Carmen XIX. 
IN BACCHUM. 

Bacchum in remotis carmina rupibus 
Vidi docentera (credite posteri !) 
Nymphasque discentes, et aures 
Capripedum Satyrorum acutas. 

Euo3 ! recenti mens trepidat metu, 5 

Plenoque Bacchi pectore turbidum 
Laetatur ! Euoa ! parce, Liber ! 
Parce, gravi metuende thyrso ! 

Fas pervicaces est mini Thyiadas, 
Vinique fontem, lactis et uberes 10 

Cantare rivos, atque truncis 
Lapsa cavis iterare mella. 

Fas et beatae conjugis additum 
Stellis honorem, tectaque Penthei' 
C 



50 a. HORATII FLACCI [19,20. 

Disjecta non leni ruina, 15 

Thracis et exitium Lycurgi. 

Tu flectis amnes, tu mare barbarum : 
Tu separatis uvidus in jugis 
Nodo coerces viperino 

Bistonidum sine fraude crines. 20 

Tu, quum parentis regna per arduum 
Conors Gigantum scanderet impia, 
Rhcetum retorsisti leonis 

Unguibus horribilique mala : 

Quamquam, choreis aptior et jocis 25 

Ludoque dictus, non sat idoneus 
Pugnae ferebaris ; sed idem 
Pacis eras mediusque belli. 

Te vidit insons Cerberus aureo 
Cornu decorum, leniter atterens 30 

Caudam, et recedentis trilingui 
Ore pedes tetigitque crura. 



Carmen XX. 
AD JVUSCENATEM. 

Non usitata, non tenui ferar 
Penna biformis per liquidum ajthera 
Vates : neque in terris morabor 
Longius ; invidiaque major 

Urbes relinquam. Non ego pauperum 
Sanguis parentum, non ego, quern vocas 
Dilecte, Maecenas, obibo. 
Nee Stygia cohibebor unda. 



20.] CARMINUM. LIBER II. 51 

Jam jam residunt cruribus asperse 
Pelles ; et album mutor in alitem 10 

Superna ; nascunturque leves 
Per digitos humerosque plum&e. 

Jam Dsedaleo notior Icaro 
Visam gementis litora Bospori, 

Syrtesque Geetulas canorus 15 

Ales Hyperboreosque campos. 

Me Colchus, et, qui dissimulat metum 
Marsae cohortis, Dacus, et ultimi 
Noscent Geloni : me peritus 

Discet Iber, Pwhodanique potor. 20 

Absint inani funere naeniae, 
Luctusque turpes et querimonias : 
Compesce clamorem, ac sepulcri 
Mitte supervacuos honores. 



Q. HORATIIFLACCI 

CiRMINUM 

LIBER TERTIUS. 



Carmen I. 
Odi profanum vulgus et arceo : 
Favete Unguis : carmina non prius 
Audita Musarura sacerdos 
Virginibus puerisque canto. 

Regurn timendorum in proprios greges, 5 

Reges in ipsos imperium est Jovis, 
Clari Giganteo triumpho, 
Cuncta supercilio moventis. 

Est ut viro vir latius ordinet 

Arbusta sulcis ; hie generosior 1 

Descendat in Campum petitor ; 
Moribus hie meliorque fama 

Contendat ; illi turba clientium 
Sit major : sequa lege Necessitas 

Sortitur insignes et irnos ; 15 

Omne capax mo vet urna nomen. 

Destrictus ensis cui super impia 
Cervice pendet, non SiculaB dapes 
Dulcem elaborabunt saporem, 

Non avium citharseve cantus 20 



1.] a. HORATII FLACCI CARMINUM. — -LIBER III. 53 

Somnum reducent. Somnus agrestium 
Lenis virorum non humiles domos 
Fastidit, umbrosamve ripam, 
Non Zephyris agitata Tempe. 

Desiderantem quod satis est neque 25 

Tumultuosum sollicitat mare, 
Nee ssevus Arcturi cadentis 
Impetus, aut orientis Hsedi ; 

Non verberatae grandine vineae, 
Fundusve mendax, arbore nunc aquas 30 

Culpante, nunc torrentia agros 
Sidera nunc hiemes iniquas. 

Contracta pisces aequora sentiunt 
Jactis in altum molibus : hue frequens 

Caementa demittit redemtor 35 

Cum famulis, dominusque terrse 

Fastidiosus : sed Timor et Minae 
Scandunt eodem, quo dominus ; neque 
Decedit serata triremi, et 

Post equitem sedet atra Cura. 40 

Quod si dolentem nee Phrygius lapis, 
Nee purpurarum sidere clarior 
Delenit usus, nee Falerna 

Vitis, Achsemeniumve costum ; 

Cur invidendis postibus et novo 45 

Sublime ritu moliar atrium ? 
Cur valle permutem Sabina 
Divitias operosiores ? 



64 Q. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Carmen II. 
Angustam amice pauperiem pati 
Robustus acri militia puer 
Condiscat ; et Parthos feroees 
Vexet eques metuendus hasta : 

Vitamque sub divo trepidis agat 5 

In rebus. Ilium et moenibus hostieis 
Matrona bellantis tyranni 
Prospiciens et adulta virgo 

Suspiret : Eheu ! ne rudis agminum 
Sponsus lacessat regius asperum 10 

Tactu leonem, quem cruenta 
Per medias rapit ira caedes. 

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori : 
Mors et fugacem persequitur virum, 

Nee parcit imbellis juventss 15 

Poplitibus timidoque tergo. 

Virtus, repulsse nescia sordidee, 
Intamuiatis fulget bonoribus : 
Nee sumit aut ponit secures 

Arbitrio popularis auree. 20 

Virtus, recludens immeritis mori 
Co3lum, negata tentat iter via : 
Coetusque vulgares et udam 
Spernit humum fugiente penna. 

Est et fideH tuta silentio 25 

Merces : vetabo, qui Cereris sacrum 
Vulgarit arcana?, sub isdem 

Sit trabibus, fragilemve mecum 



2, 3.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 55 

Solvat phaselon. Ssepe Diespiter 
Neglectus incesto addidit integrum : 30 

Rare- antecedentem scelestum 
Deseruit pede Poena claudo. 



Carmen III. 
Justum ac tenacem propositi virum 
Non civium ardor prava jubentium, 
Non vultus instantis tyranni 

Mente quatit solida, neque Auster, 

Dux inquieti turbidus Hadriss, 5 

Nee fulminantis magna maims Jovis : 
Si fractus illabatur orbis, 
Impavidum ferient ruinse. 

Hac arte Pollux et vagus Hercules 
Enisus arces attigit igneas : 10 

Quos inter Augustus recumbens 
Purpureo bibit ore nectar. 

Hac te merentem, Bacche pater, tuse 
Vexere tigres, indocili j ugum 

Collo trahentes ; hac Quirinus 15 

Martis equis Acheronta fugit, 

Gratum elocuta consiliantibus 
Junone divis : Ilion, Ilion 
Fatalis incestusque judex 

Et mulier peregrina vertit 20 

In pulverem, ex quo destituit deos 
Mercede pacta Laomedon, mihi 
Castseque damnatum MinervaB 
Cum populo et duce fraudulento. 



56 a. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Jam nee LacEense splendet adulterse 25 

Famosus hospes, nee Priami domus 
Perjura pugnaces Achivos 
Hectoreis opibus refringit, 

Nostrisque ductum seditionibus 
Bellum resedit. Protinus et graves 30 

Iras, et invisum nepotem, 

Troia quem peperit sacerdos, 

Marti redonabo. Ilium ego lucidas 
Inire sedes, discere nectaris 

Succos, et adscribi quietis 35 

Ordinibus patiar deorum. 

Dum longus inter sseviat Ilion 
Romamque pontus, qualibet exsules 
In parte regnanto beati : 

Dum Priami Paridisque busto 40 

Insultet armentum, et catulos ferae 
Celent inultse, stet Capitolium 
Fulgens, triumphatisque possit 
Roma ferox dare jura Medis. 

Horrenda late nomen in ultimas 45 

Extendat oras, qua medius liquor 
Secernit Europen ab Afro, 

Qua tumidus rigat arva Nilus : 

Aurum irrepertum, et sic melius situm 
Quum terra celat, spernere fbrtior, 50 

Quam cogere humanos in usus 
Omne sacrum rapiente dextra. 



3, 4.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 57 

Quicunque mundo terminus obstitit, 
Hunc tangat armis, visere gestiens, 

Qua parte debacchantur ignes, 55 

Qua nebulae pluviique rores. 

Sed bellicosis fata Quiritibus 
Hac lege dico ; ne nimium pii 
Rebusque fidentes avitae 

Tecta velint reparare Trojae. 60 

Troj'93 renascens alite lugubri 
Fortuna tristi clade iterabitur, 
Ducente victrices catervas 
Conjuge me Jovis et sorore. 

Ter si resurgat murus aeneus 65 

Auctore Phoebo, ter pereat meis 
Excisus Argivis ; ter uxor 

Capta virum puerosque ploret. 

Non haec jocosae conveniunt lyrae : 
Quo Musa tendis ? Desine pervicax 70 

Referre sermones deorum, et 
Magna modis tenuare parvis. 



Carmen IV. 
AD CALLIOPEN. 
Descende coelo, et die age tibia, 
Regina, longum, Calliope, melos, 
Seu voce nunc mavis acuta, 
Seu fidibus citharaque Phcebi. 

Auditis ? an me ludit amabilis 
Insania ? Audire et videor pios 
C 2 



58 Cl. HORATII FLACCI [4. 

Errare per lucos, amoense 

Quos et aquse subeunt et auras. 



Me fabulosae, Vulture in Apulo 
Altricis extra limen ApuliaB, 10 

Ludo fatigatumque somno 

Fronde nova puerum palumbes 

Texere : mirum quod foret omnibus, 
Quicunque celsas nidum Acherontiae, 

Saltusque Bantinos, et arvum 1 5 

Pingue tenent humilis Forenti ; 

Ut tuto ab atris corpore viperis 
Dormirem et ursis ; ut premerer sacra 
Lauroque collataque myrto, 

Non sine Dis animosus infans. 20 

Vester, Camenae, vester in arduos 
Tollor Sabinos ; sou mihi frigidum 
Praeneste, seu Tibur supinum, 
Seu liquidae placuere Baise. 

Vestris amicum fontibus et choris 25 

Non me Philippis versa acies retro, 
Devota non exstinxit arbor, 
Nee Sicula Palinurus unda. 

Utcunque mecum vos eritis, libens 
Insanientem, navita, Bosporum 30 

Tentabo, et urentes arenas 
Litoris Assyrii viator. 

Visam Britannos hospitibus feros, 

Et laetum equino sanguine Concanum ; 



4.] CARM1NUM. LIBER III. 59 

Visam pharetratos Gelonos 35 

Et Scythicum inviolatus amnem. 

Vos Csesarem altum, militia simul 
Fessas cohortes addidit oppidis, 
Finire quaerentem labores, 

Pierio recreatis antro : 40 

Vos lene consilium et datis, et dato 
Gaudetis almae. Scimus, ut impios 
Titanas immanemque turmam 
Fulmine sustulerit corusco, 

Qui terram inertem, qui mare temperat 45 

Ventosum ; et umbras regnaque tristia, 
Divosque, mortalesque turbas 
Imperio regit unus aequo. 

Magnum ilia terrorem intulerat Jovi 
Fidens, juventus horrida, brachiis, 50 

Fratresque tendentes opaco 
Pelion imposuisse Olympo. 

Sed quid Typhoeus et validus Mimas, 
Aut quid minaci Porphyrion statu, 

Quid Rhcetus, evulsisque truncis 55 

Enceladus jaculator audax, 

Contra sonantem Palladis segida 
Possent ruentes ? Hinc avidus stetit 
Vulcanus, hinc matrona Juno, et 

Nunquam humeris positurus arcmn, 60 

Qui rore puro Castaliae lavit 
Crines solutos, qui Lyciae tenet 



60 a. HORATII FLACCI [4, 5. 

Dumeta natalemque silvam, 
Delius et Patareus Apollo. 



Vis consili expers mole ruit sua ; 65 

Vim temperatam Di quoque provehunt 
In majus ; idem odere vires 
Omne nefas animo moventes. 

Testis mearum centimanus Gyas 
Sententiarum, notus et integrse 70 

Tentator Orion Dianse 
Virginea domitus sagitta. 

Injecta monstris Terra dolet suis, 
Mceretque partus fulmine luridum 

Missos ad Orcum : nee peredit 75 

Impositam celer ignis iEtnen ; 

Incontinentis nee Tityi jecur 
Relinquit ales, nequitiee additus 
Custos : amatorem et trecentse 

Pirithoum cohibent catenae. SO 



Carmen V. 

Coelo tonantem credidimus Jovem 
Regnare : praesens divus habebitur 
Augustus, adjectis Britannis 
Imperio gravibusque Persis. 

Milesne Crassi conjuge barbara 
Turpis maritus vixit ? et hostium — 
Proh Curia, inversique mores ! — 
Consenuit socerorum in arvis, 



5.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 61 

Sub rege Medo, Marsus et Apulus ! 
Anciliorum et nominis et togse 10 

Oblitus aeternseque Vestae, 

Incolumi Jove et urbe Roma ? 



Hoc caverat mens provida Reguli, 
Dissentientis conditionibus 

Fcedis, et exemplo trahenti 15 

Perniciem veniens in sevum, 

Si non perirent immiserabilis 
Captiva pubes. " Signa ego Punicis 
Affixa delubris, et arma 

Militibus sine csede," dixit, 20 

" Derepta vidi : vidi ego civium 
Retorta tergo brachia libero, 
Portasque non clausas, et arva 
Marte coli populata nostro. 

Auro repensus scilicet acrior 25 

Miles redibit ! Flagitio additis 
Damnum. Neque amissos colores 
Lana refert medicata fuco, 

Nee vera virtus, quum semel excidit, 
Curat reponi deterioribus. 30 

Si pugnet extricata densis 
Cerva plagis, erit ille fortis, 

Qui perfidis se credidit hostibus ; 
Et Marte Pcenos proteret altero, 

Qui lora restrictis lacertis 35 

Sensit iners, timuitque mortem 



62 a. HORATII FLACCI [5,8. 

Hinc, made vitam sumeret aptius : 
Pacem et duello miscuit. O pudor ! 
O magna Carthago, probrosis 

Altior Italise ruinis !" — 40 

Fertur pudicse conjugis osculum, 
Parvosque natos, ut capitis minor, 
Ab se removisse, et virilem 
Torvus humi posuisse vultum ; 

Donee labantes consilio Patres 45 

Firmaret auctor nunquam alias dato, 
Interque mosrentes amicos 
Egregius properaret exsul. 

Atqui sciebat, quae sibi barbarus 
Tortor pararet ; non aliter tamen 50 

Dimovit obstantes propinquos, 
Et populum reditus morantem, 

Quam si clientum longa negotia 
Dijudicata lite relinqueret, 

Tendens Venafranos in agros, 55 

Aut Lacedeemonium Tarentum. 



Carmen VI. 
AD ROMANOS. 
Delicta majorum immeritus lues, 
Romane, donee templa refeceris, 
iEdesque labentes deorum, et 
Fceda nigro simulacra fumo. 

Dis te minorem quod geris, imperas : 
Hinc omne principium, hue refer exitum. 



CARMINUM. LIBER III. 63 

Di multa neglecti dederunt 
Hesperise mala luctuosse. 

Jam bis Monseses et Pacori manus 
Non auspicates contudit impetus 10 

Nostros, et adjecisse praedam 
Torquibus exiguis renidet. 

Paene occupatam seditionibus 
Delevit Urbem Dacus et iEthiops ; 

Hie classe formidatus, ille 15 

Missilibus melior sagittis. 

Fecunda culpse ssecula nuptias 
Primum inquinavere, et genus, et domos ; 
Hoc fonte derivata clades 

In patriam populumque fluxit. 20 

Non his juventus orta parentibus 
Infecit sequor sanguine Punico, 
Pyrrhumque et ingentem cecidit 

Antiochum, Hannibalemque dirum ; 

Sed rusticorum mascula militum 25 

Proles, Sabellis docta ligonibus 
Versare glebas, et severse 
Matris ad arbitrium recisos 

Portare fustes, sol ubi montium 
Mutaret umbras, et juga demeret 30 

Bobus fatigatis, amicum 

Tempus agens abeunte curru. 

Damnosa quid non imminuit dies ! 
iEtas parentum, pejor avis, tulit 



64 a. HORATII FLACCI [6, 8. 

Nos nequiores, mox daturos 35 

Progeniem vitiosiorem. 



Carmen VIII. 
AD MjECENATEM. 

Martiis caelebs quid agam Kalendis, 
Quid velint flores et acerra thuris 
Plena, miraris, positusque carbo 
Cespite vivo, 

Docte sermones utriusque linguae ? 5 

Voveram dulces epulas et album 
Libero caprum, prope funeratus 
Arboris ictu. 

Hie dies anno redeunte festus 
Corticera adstrictum pice demovebit 10 

Amphorae fumum bibere institutae 
Consule Tullo. 

Sume, Maecenas, cyathos amici 
Sospitis centum, et vigiles lucemas 
Perfer in lucem : procul omnis esto 15 

Clamor et ira. 

Mitte civiles super Urbe curas : 
Occidit Daci Cotisonis agmen : 
Medus infestus sibi luctuosis 

Dissidet armis : 20 

Servit Hispanae vetus hostis orse, 
Cantaber, sera domitus catena : 
Jam Scythae laxo meditantur arcu 
Cedere campis. 



8, 9.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 65 

Negligens, ne qua populus laboret 25 

Parte, privatim nimium cavere, 
Dona prsesentis cape laetus horse, et 
Linque severa. 



Carmen IX. 
CARMEN AMCEB^EUM. 

HORATIUS. 

Donee gratus eram tibi f 

Nee quisquam potior braehia Candidas 
Cervici juvenis dabat, 

Persarum vigui rege beatior. 

Lydia. 
Donee non aliam magis 5 

Arsisti, neque erat Lydia post Chloen, 
Multi Lydia nominis 

Romana vigui clarior Ilia. 

Horatius. 
Me nunc Thressa Chloe regit, 

Dulces docta modos, et citharas sciens : 10 

Pro qua non metuara mori, 

Si parcent animse fata superstiti. 

Lydia. 
Me torret face mutua 

Thurini Calais films Ornyti : 
Pro quo bis patiar mori, 15 

Si parcent puero fata superstiti. 

Horatius. 
Quid ? si prisca redit Venus, 
Diductosque jugo cogit aeneo ? 



66 a. HOEATII FLACCI [9, 11. 

Si flava excutitur Chloe, 

Rejectseque patet janua Lydiae ? 20 

Lydia. 
Quamquam sidere pulchrior 

Ille est, tu levior cortice, et iraprobo 
Iracundior Hadria ; 

Tecum vivere amem, tecum obeam libens. 



Carmen XI. 

AD LYDEN. 
Mercuri, nam te docilis magistro 
Movit Amphion lapides canendo, 
Tuque, testudo, resonare septem 

Callida nervis, 

Nee loquax olim neque grata, nunc et 5 

Divitum mensis et arnica templis, 
Die modos, Lyde quibus obstinatas 
Applicet aures. 

Tu potes tigres comitesque silvas 
Ducere, et rivos celeres morari ; 1 

Cessit immanis tibi blandienti 
Janitor aula?, 

Cerberus, quamvis furiale centum 
Muniant angues caput, sestuetque 
Spiritus teter, saniesque manet 15 

Ore trilingui. 

Quin et Ixion Tityosque vultu 
Risit invito : stetit urna paulum 
Sicca, dum grato Danai puellas 

Carmine mulces. 20 



11.] GAEMINUM. — -LIBER III. 67 

Audiat Lyde scelus atque notas 
Virginum poenas, et inane lymphae 
Dolium fundo pereuntis imo, 
Seraque fata, 

Quae manent culpas etiam sub Oreo. 25 

Impiae, nam quid potuere majus ? 
Impise sponsos potuere duro 
Perdere ferro. 



Una de multis, face nuptiali 
Digna, perjurum fuit in parentem 30 

Splendide mendax, et in omne virgo 
Nobilis aevum ; 

" Surge," quae dixit juveni marito, 
" Surge, ne longus tibi somnus, wide 
Non times, detur : socerum et scelestas 35 

Falle sorores ; 

Quae, velut nactse vitulos leaenae, 
Singulos, eheu ! lacerant. Ego, illis 
Mollior, nee te feriam, neque intra 

Claustra tenebo. 40 

Me pater see vis oneret catenis, 
Quod viro clemens misero peperci ; 
Me vel extremos Numidarum in agros 
Classe releget. 

I, pedes quo te rapiunt et auras, 45 

Dum fa vet nox et Venus : I secundo 
Omine ; et nostri memorem sepulcro 
Scalpe querelam." 



68 a. HORATII FLACCI [12, 13. 

Carmen XII. 
AD NEOBULEN. 
Miserarum est, neque Amori dare ludum, neque dulci 
Mala vino lavere : aut exanimari metuentes 
Patruae verbera linguae. Tibi qualum Cythereae 
Puer ales, tibi telas, operosaeque Minervae 
Studium aufert, Neobule, Liparei nitor Hebri, 5 

Simul unctos Tiberinis humeros lavit in undis, 
Eques ipso melior Bellerophonte, neque pugno 
Neque segni pede victus : catus idem per apertum 
Fugientes agitato grege cervos jaculari, et 
Celer alto latitantem fruticeto excipere aprum. 1 



Carmen XIII. 
AD FONTEM BANDUSIUM. 
O fons Bandusiae, splendidior vitro, 
Dulci digne mero, non sine fLoribus, 
Cras donaberis lisedo, 

Cui frons turgida cornibus 

Primis, et Venerem et prcelia destinat : 5 

Frustra : nam gelidos inficiet tibi 
Rubro sanguine rivos 
Lascivi suboles gregis. 

Te flagrantis atrox hora Caniculse 
Nescit tangere : tu frigus amabile 

Fessis vomere tauris 10 

Praebes, et pecori vago. 

Fies nobilium tu quoque fontium, 
Me dicente cavis impositam ilicem 

Saxis, unde loquaces 15 

Lymphae desiliunt tuae. 



14.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 69 

Carmen XIV. 
AD ROMANO S. 

Herculis ritu modo dictus, O Plebs ! 
Morte venalem petiisse laurum, 
Csesar Hispana repetit Penates 
Victor ab ora. 

Unico gaudens mulier marito 5 

Prodeat, justis operata divis ; 
Et soror clari ducis, et decorae 
Supplice vitta 

Virginum matres, juvenumque nuper 
Sospitum. Vos, O pueri, et puellae 10 

Jam virum expertes, male nominatis 
Parcite verbis. 

Hie dies vere mihi festus atras 
Eximet curas : ego nee tumultum, 
Nee mori per vim metuam, tenente 15 

Csesare terras. 

I, pete unguentum, puer, et coronas, 
Et cadum Marsi memorem duelli, 
Spartacum si qua potuit vagantem 

Fallere testa. 20 

Die et argutse properet Neaerse 
Myrrheum nodo cohibere crinem : 
Si per invisum mora janitorem 
Fiet, abito. 

Lenit albescens animos capillus 25 

Litium et rixse cupidos protervse : 



70 a. HORATII FLACCI [14, 16. 

Non ego hoc ferrem, calidus juventa, 
Consule Planco. 



Carmen XVI. 
AD M^CENATEM. 
Inclusam Danaen turris aenea, 
Robustseque fores, et vigilum canum 
Tristes excubia? munierant satis 
Nocturnis ab adulteris, 

Si non Acrisium, virginis abditse 5 

Custodem pavidum, Jupiter et Venus 
Risissent : fore enim tutum iter et patens 
Converso in pretium deo. 

Aurum per medios ire satellites, 
Et perrumpere amat saxa potentius 10 

Ictu fulmineo ! Concidit auguris 
Argivi domus, ob lucrum 

Demersa exitio. Dirndit urbium 
Portas vir Macedo, et submit semulos 
Reges muneribus ; munera navium 15 

Ssevos illaqueant duces. 

Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam, 
Majorumque fames. Jure perhorrui 
Late conspicuum tollere verticem, 

Maecenas, equitum decus ! 20 

Quanto quisque sibi plura negaverit, 
Ab Dis plura feret. Nil cupientium 
Nudus castra peto, et transfuga divitum 
Partes linquere gestio ; 



16, 17.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 71 

Contemtae dominus splendidior rei, 25 

Quam si, quidquid arat impiger Apulus, 
Occultare meis dicerer horreis, 
Magnas inter opes mops. 

Puree rivus aqua?, silvaque jugerum 
Paucorum, et segetis certa fides meae, 30 

Fulgentem imperio fertilis Africa? 
Fallit. Sorte beatior, 

Quamquam nee Calabrae mella ferunt apes, 
Nee Lsestrygonia Bacchus in amphora 
Languescit mihi, nee pinguia Gallicis 35 

Crescunt vellera pascuis, 

Importuna tamen pauperies abest ; 
Nee, si plura velim, tu dare deneges. 
Contracto melius parva cupidine 

Vectigalia porrigam, 40 

Quam si Mygdoniis regnum Alyattei 
Campis continuem. Multa petentibus 
Desunt multa. Bene est, cui Deus obtulit 
Parca, quod satis est, manu. 



Carmen XVII. 
AD HELIUM LAMIAM. 
iEli, vetusto nobilis ab Lamo, 
[Quando et priores hinc Lamias ferunt 
Denominatos, et nepotum 

Per memores genus omne fastos 

Auctore ab illo ducit originem,] 
Qui Formiarum mosnia dicitur 



72 a. HORATII FLACCI [17, 18. 

Princeps et innantem Maricee 
Litoribus tenuisse Lirim, 



Late tyr annus : eras foliis nemus 
Multis et alga litus inutili 10 

Demissa tempestas ab Euro 
Sternet, aquss nisi fallit augur 

Annosa cornix. Dum potis, aridum 
Compone lignum : eras Genium mero 

Curabis et porco bimestri, 15 

Cum famulis operum solutis. 



Carmen XVIII. 

AD FAUNUM. 

Faune, Nympharum fugientum amator, 

Per meos fines et aprica rura 

Lenis incedas, abeasque parvis 

JEquus alumnis, 

Si tener pleno cadit hsedus anno, 5 

Larga nee desunt Veneris sodali 
Vina craterse, vetus ara multo 
Fumat odore. 

Ludit herboso pecus omne campo, 
Quum tibi Nonse redeunt Decembres ; 10 

Festus in pratis vacat otioso 
Cum bove pagus : 

Inter audaces lupus errat agnos ; 
Spargit agrestes tibi silva frondes ; 
Gaudet invisam pepulisse fossor 15 

Ter pede terram. 



19.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 73 



Carmen XIX. 
AD TELEPHUM. 

Quantum distet ab Inacho 

Codrus, pro patria non timidus mori, 
Narras, et genus iEaci, 

Et pugnata sacro bella sub Ilio : 
Quo Chium pretio cadum 5 

Mercemur, quis aquam temperet ignibus, 
Quo preebente domum et quota 

Pelignis caream frigoribus, taces. 
Da Lunaa propere novee, 

Da Noctis mediae, da, puer, auguris 10 

MurensB : tribus aut novem 

Miscentor cyathis pocula commodis. 
Qui Musas amat impares, 

Ternos ter cyathos attonitus petet 
Vates : tres prohibet supra 15 

Rixarum metuens tangere Gratia, 
Nudis juncta sororibus. 

Insanire juvat : cur Berecyntiae 
Cessant flamina tibiae ? 

Cur pendet tacita fistula cum lyra ? 20 

Parcentes ego dexteras 

Odi : sparge rosas ; audiat invidus 
Dementem strepitum Lycus 

Et vicina seni non habilis Lyco. 
Spissa te nitidum coma, 25 

Puro te similem, Telephe, Vespero, 
Tempestiva petit Rhode : 

Me lentus Glyceree torret amor meee. 



D 



74 a. HORATII FLACCI [21. 



Carmen XXI. 
AD AMPHORAM. 

O nata mecum consule Manlio, 
Seu tu querelas, sive geris jocos, 
Seu rixam et insanos amores, 

Seu facilem pia, Testa, somnum ; 

Quocunque lsetum nomine Massicum 5 

Servas, moveri digna bono die, 
Descende, Corvino jubente 
Promere languidiora vina. 

Non ille, quamquam Socraticis madet 
Sermonibus, te negliget horridus : 1 

Narratur et prisei Catonis 
Seepe mero caluisse virtus. 

Tu lene tormentum ingenio admoves 
Plerumque duro : tu sapientium 

Curas et arcanum jocoso 15 

Consilium retegis Lyseo : 

Tu spem reducis mentibus anxiis 
Viresque : et addis cornua pauperi, 
Post te neque iratos trementi 

Regum apices, neque militum arma 20 

Te Liber, et, si lseta aderit, Venus, 

Segnesque nodum solvere Gratise, 

Vivseque producent lucernse, 

Dum rediens fugat astra Pboebus. 



23,24.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 75 



Carmen XXIII. 
AD PHIDYLEN. 
Coelo supinas si tuleris manus 
Nascente Luna, rustica Phidyle, 
Si thure placaris et horna 

Fruge Lares, avidaque porca : 

Nee pestilentern sentiet Africum 5 

Fecunda vitis, nee sterilem seges 
Robiginem, aut dulces alumni 
Pomifero grave tempus anno. 

Nam, quae nivali pascitur Algido 
Devota quercus inter et ilices, 1 

Aut crescit Albania in herbis, 
Victima, pontificum securim 

Cervice tinget. Te nihil attinet 
Tentare multa casde bidentium 

Parvos coronantem marino 15 

Rore deos fragilique myrto. 

Immunis aram si tetigit manus, 
Non sumtuosa blandior hostia 
Mollivit aversos Penates 

Farre pio et saliente mica. 20 



Carmen XXIV. 
Intactis opulentior 

Thesauris Arabum et divitis Indiae, 
Caementis licet occupes 

Tyrrhenum omne tuis et mare Apulicum, 



76 a. HORATII FLACCI [24. 

Si figit adamantinos 5 

Summis verticibus dira Necessitas 
Clavos, non animum metu, 

Non mortis laqueis expedies caput. 
Campestres melius Scythae, 

Quorum plaustra vagas rite trahunt domos, 10 

Vivunt, et rigidi Getae, 

Immetata quibus jugera liberas 
Fruges et Cererem ferunt, 

Nee cultura placet longior annua ; 
Defunctumque laboribus 15 

-ZEquali recreat sorte vicarius. 
Illic matre carentibus 

Privignis mulier temperat innocens : 
Nee dotata regit virum 

Conjux, nee nitido fidit adultero. 20 

Dos est magna parentium 

Virtus, et metuens alterius viri 
Certo faedere castitas, 

Et peccare nefas, aut pretium emori. 
O quis, quis volet impias 25 

Csedes et rabiem tollere civicam ? 
Si quaere t Pater Urbium 

Subscribi statuis, indomitam audeat 
Refrenare licentiam, 

Clarus postgenitis : quatenus, heu nefas ! 30 

Virtutem incolumem odimus, 

Sublatam ex oculis quaerimus invidi. 
Quid tristes querimoniae, 

Si non supplicio culpa reciditur ? 
Quid leges, sine moribus 35 

Vanse, proflciunt, si neque fervidis 
Pars inclusa caloribus 

Mundi, nee Boreae finitimum latus, 
Durataeque solo nives, 

Mercatorem abigunt ? horrida callidi 40 



24, 25.] CARM1NUM. LIBER III. 77 

Vincunt sequora navita3 ? 

Magnum pauperies opprobrium jubet 
Quidvis et facere et pati, 

Virtutisque viam deserit arduse ? 
Vel nos in Capitolium, 45 

Quo clamor vocat et turba faventium, 
Vel nos in mare proximum 

Gemmas, et lapides, aurum et inutile, 
Summi materiem mali, 

. Mittamus, scelerum si bene pcenitet. 50 

Eradenda cupidinis 

Pravi sunt elementa ; et tenerse nimis 
Mentes asperioribus 

. Firmandse studiis. Nescit equo rudis 
Hserere ingenuus puer, 55 

Venarique timet ; ludere doctior, 
Seu Graico jubeas trocho, 

Seu malis vetita legibus alea : 
Quum perjura patris fides 

Consortem socium fallat, et hospitem, GO 

Indignoque pecuniam 

Hseredi properet. Scilicet improbae 
Crescunt divitiae : tamen 

CurtaB nescio quid semper abest rei. 



Carmen XXV. 
AD BACCHUM. 

Quo me, Bacche, rapis tui 

Plenum ? Quae nemora, quos agor in specus, 
Velox mente nova ? Quibus 

Antris egregii Ceesaris audiar 
iEternum meditans decus 

Stellis inserere et consilio Jovis ? 



78 a, hoeatii flacci [25, 27. 

Dicam insigne, recens, adhuc 

Indictum ore alio. Non secus in jugis 
Exsomnis stupet Euias, 

Hebrum prospiciens, et nive candidam 10 

Thracen, ao pede barbaro 

Lustratam Rhodopen. Ut mihi devio 
Ripas et vacuum nemus 

Mirari libet ! O Nai'adum potens 
Baccharumque valentium 15 

Proceras manibus vertere fraxinos, 
Nil parvum aut humili modo, 

Nil mortale loquar. Dulce periculum, 
O Lena3e ! sequi deum 

Cingentem viridi tempora pampino. 20 



Carmen XXVII. 
AD GALATEAM. 

Impios parra^ recinentis omen 
Ducat, et prsegnans canis, aut ab agro 
Rava decurrens lupa Lanuvino, 
Fetaque vulpes : 

Rumpat et serpens iter institutum, 5 

Si per obliquum similis sagitta3 
Terruit mannos. — Ego cui timebo, 
Providus auspex, 

Antequam stantes repetat paludes 
Imbrium divina avis imminentum, 10 

Oscinem corvum prece suscitabo 
Solis ab ortu. 

Sis licet felix, ubicunque mavis, 
Et memor nostri, Galatea, vivas, 



27.] CAItMINUM. LIBER III. 79 

Teque nee lsevus vetet ire picus, 15 

Nee vasra comix. 



Sed vides, quanto trepidet tumultu 
Pronus Orion. Ego, quid sit ater 
Hadrise, novi, sinus, et quid albus 

Peccet Iapyx. 20 

Hostium uxores puerique cascos 
Sentiant motus orientis Austri, et 
JEquoris nigri fremitum, et treraentes 
Verbere ripas. 

Sic et Europe niveum doloso 25 

Credidit tauro latus ; at scatentem 
Belluis pontum mediasque fraudes 
Palluit audax. 

Nuper in pratis studiosa florum, et 
Debitae Nymphis opifex coronse, 30 

Nocte sublustri nihil astra prseter 
Vidit et undas. 

Quae simul centum tetigit potentem 
Oppidis Creten, " Pater ! O relictum 
Filiae nomen ! pietasque," dixit, 35 

" Victa furore ! 

Unde ? quo veni ? Levis una mors est 
Virginum culpae. Vigilansne ploro 
Turpe commissum ? an vitio carentem 

Ludit imago 40 

Vana, quam e porta fugiens eburna 
Somnium ducit ? Meliusne fluctus 



80 a. HORATII FLACCI [27. 

Ire per longos fuit, an recentes 
Carpere flores ? 



Si quis infamem mihi nunc juvencum 45 

Dedat iratse, lacerare ferro et 
Frangere enitar modo multum amati 
Cornua monstri ! 

Impudens liqui patrios Penates : 
Impudens Orcum moror. O Deorum 50 

Si quis hsec audis, utinam inter errem 
Nuda leones ! 

Antequam turpis macies decentes 
Occupet malas, tenereeque succus 
Defluat prsedae, speciosa qussro 55 

Pascere tigres. 

Vilis Europe, pater urget absens : 
Quid mori cessas ? Potes hac ab orno 
Pendulum zona bene te secuta 

Lsedere collum. 60 

Sive te rupes et acuta leto 
Saxa delectant, age, te procellse 
Crede veloci : nisi herile mavis 
Carpere pensum, 

(Regius sanguis !) dominseque tradi 65 

Barbarae pellex." Aderat querenti 
Perfidum ridens Venus, et remisso 
Filius arcu. 

Mox, ubi lusit satis, " Abstineto," 

Dixit, " irarum calida3que rixse, 70 



27,28,29.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 81 

Quura tibi invisus laceranda reddet 
Cornua taurus. 

Uxor invicti Jovis esse nescis : 
Mitte singultus ; bene ferre magnam 
Disce fortunam : tua sectus orbis 75 

Nomina ducet." 



Carmen XXVIII. 
AD LYDEN. 

Festo quid potius die 

Neptuni faciam ? Prome reconditum, 
Lyde strenua, Csecubum, 

Munitseque adhibe vim sapientise. 
Inclinare meridiem 5 

Sentis ; ac, veluti stet volucris dies, 
Parcis deripere horreo 

Cessantem Bibuli consulis amphoram ? 
Nos cantabimus invicem 

Neptunum, et virides Nereidum comas : 10 

Tu curva recines lyra 

Latonam, et celeris spicula Cynthise : 
Summo carmine, quae Cnidon 

Fulgentesque tenet Cycladas, et Paphon 
Junctis visit oloribus : 15 

Dicetur merita Nox quoque nsenia. 



Carmen XXIX. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Tyrrhena regum progenies, tibi 
Non ante verso lene merum cado, 
Cum flore, Maecenas, rosarum, et 
Pressa tuis balanus capillis 
D 2 



82 a. HORATII FLACCI [29. 

Jam dudum apud me est. Eripe te morse ; 5 
Ut semper-udum Tibur, et iEsulse 
Declive contempleris arvum, et 
Telegoni juga parricidal. 

Fastidiosam desere copiam, et 
Molem propinquam nubibus arduis ; 10 

Omitte mirari beatee 

Fumum et opes strepitumque Romas. 

Plerumque gratae divitibus vices, 
Mund33que parvo sub lare pauperum 

Coense, sine aulseis et ostro, 15 

Sollicitam explicuere frontem. 

Jam clarus oecultum Andromedse pater 
Ostendit ignem : jam Procyon furit, 
Et stella vesani Leonis, 

Sole dies referente siccos : 20 

Jam pastor umbras cum grege languido 
Hivumque fessus qusarit, et horridi 
Dumeta Silvani ; caretque 
Ripa vagis taciturna ventis. 

Tu, civitatem quis deceat status, 25 

Curas, et Urbi sollicitus times, 
Quid Seres et regnata Cyro 

Bactra parent Tanaisque discors. 

Prudens futuri temporis exitum 
Caliginosa nocte premit Deus, 30 

Ridetque, si mortalis ultra 

Fas trepidat. Quod adest memento 



29.] CARMINUM. LIBER III. 83 

Componere sequus : cetera fluminis 
Ritu feruntur, nunc medio alveo 

Cum pace delabentis Etruscum 35 

In mare, nunc lapides adesos, 

Stirpesque raptas, et pecus et domos 
Volventis una, non sine montium 
Clamore vicina^que silvas, 

Quum fera diluvies quietos 40 

Irritat amnes. Ille potens sui 
Lsetusque deget, cui licet in diem 
Dixisse, " Vixi : eras vel atra 
Nube polum Pater occupato, 

Vel sole puro : non tamen irritum, 45 

Quodcunque retro est, efficiet ; neque 
DifTmget infectumque reddet, 
Quod fugiens semel hora vexit." 

Fortuna ssevo lseta negotio, et 
Ludum insolentem ludere pertinax, 50 

Transmutat incertos honores, 
Nunc mihi, nunc alii benigna. 

Laudo manentem : si celeres quatit 
Pennas, resigno quae dedit, et mea 

Virtute me involvo, probamque 55 

Pauperiem sine dote qusero. 

Non est meum si mugiat Africis 
Malus procellis, ad miseras preces 
Decurrere ; et votis pacisci, 

Ne Cyprise Tyriseve merces 60 



84 a. HORATII FLACCI CARMINUM. LIBER III. [29, 30. 

Addant avaro divitias mari. 
Turn me, biremis prsesidio scaphae 
Tutum, per iEgaeos tumultus 
Aura feret geminusque Pollux. 



Carmen XXX. 
Exegi monumentum aere perennius, 
Regalique situ pyramidum altius ; 
Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens 
Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 
Annorum series, et fuga temporum. 5 

Non omnis moriar ! multaque pars mei 
Vitabit Libitinara. Usque ego postera 
Crescam laude recens, dum Capitolium 
Scandet cum tacita Virgine pontifex. 
Dicar, qua violens obstr^pit Aufidus, 10 

Et qua pauper aquce Daunus agrestiura 
Regnavit populorum, ex humili potens, 
Princeps iEolium carmen ad Italos 
Deduxisse modos. Sume superbiam 
Qusesitam meritis, et mihi Delphica 15 

Lauro cinge volens, Melpomene, comam. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 
CARMINUM 

LIBER QUARTUS. 

Carmen II. 
AD IULUM ANTONIUM. 

Pindarum quisquis studet semulari, 
Iule, ceratis ope Deedalea 
Nititur pennis, vitreo datum s 
Nomina ponto. 

Monte decurrens velut amnis, imbres 5 

Quern super notas aluere ripas, 
Fervet immensusque ruit profundo 
Pindarus ore ; 

Laurea donandus Apollinari, 

Seu per audaces nova dithyrambos 10 

Verba devolvit, numerisque fertur 
Lege solutis : 

Seu Deos, regesve canit, Deorum 
Sanguinem, per quos cecidere justo 
Marte Centauri, cecidet tremendaB 1 5 

Flamma Chimserse : 

Sive, quos Elea domum reducit 
Palma coelestes, pugilemve equumve 
Dicit, et centum potiore signis 

Munere donat : 20 



86 a. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Flebili sponsae juvenemve raptum 
Plorat, et vires anirrmmque moresque 
Aureos educit in astra, nigroque 
Invidet Oreo. 



Multa Dircseum levat aura eyenum, 25 

Tendit, Antoni, quoties in altos 
Nubium tractus : ego, apis Matinee 
More modoque, 

Grata carpentis thyma per laborem 
Plurimum, circa nemus uvidique 30 

Tiburis ripas operosa parvus 
Carmina fingo. 

Concines majore poeta plectro 
Ceesarem, quandoque trahet feroces 
Per sacrum clivum, merita decorus 35 

Fronde, Sygambros ; 

Quo niliil majus meliusve terris 

Fata donavere bonique divi, 

Nee dabunt, quamvis redeant in aurum 

Tempora priscum. 40 

Concines laetosque dies, et Urbis 
Publicum ludum, super impetrato 
Fortis Augusti reditu, forumque 
Litibus orbum. 

Turn mea3 (si quid loquor audiendum) 45 

Vocis accedet bona pars : et, " O Sol 
Pulcher ! O laudande !" canam, recepto 
Csesare felix. 



% 3.] CARMINUM.— LIBER IV. 87 

Tuque dum procedis, " Io Triumphe !" 
• Non semel dicemus, "Io Triumphe !" 50 

Civitas omnis, dabimusque divis 
Thura benignis. 

Te decern tauri totidemque vaccse, 
Me tener solvet vitulus, relicta 
Matre, qui largis juvenescit herbis 55 

In mea vota, 

Fronte curvatos imitatus ignes 
Tertium Lunae referentis ortum, 
Qua notam duxit niveus videri, 

Csetera fulvus. 60 



Carmen III. 
AD MELPOMENEN. 

Quern tu, Melpomene, semel 

Nascentem placido lumine videris, 
Ilium non labor Isthmius 

Clarabit pugilem, non equus impiger 
Curru ducet Achai'co 5 

Victorem, neque res bellica Deliis 
Ornatum foliis ducem, 

Quod regum tumidas contuderit minas, 
Ostendet Capitolio : 

Sed quae Tibur aquae fertile prasfmunt, 1 

Et spissse nemorum comas, 

Fingent iEolio carmine nobilem. 
Romaa principis urbium 

Dignatur suboles inter amabiles 
Vatum ponere me choros ; 15 

Et jam dente minus mordeor invido. 



88 a. HORATII FLACCI [3, 4. 

O, testudinis auress 

Dulcem quae strepitum, Pieri, temperas ! 
O, rrratis quoque piscibus 

Donatura cycni, si libeat, sonum ! 20 

Totum muneris hoc tui est, 

Quod monstror digito prsetereuntium 
Ttomari8B fidicen lyras : 

Quod spiro et placeo (si placeo), tuum est. 



Carmen IV. 
DRUSI LAU.DES. 
Qualem ministrum fulminis alitem, 
Cui rex Deorum regnum in aves vagas 
Permisit, expertus fidelem 
Jupiter in Ganymede flavo, 

Olim juventas et patrius vigor 5 

Nido laborum propulit inscium : 
Vernique, jam nimbis remotis, 
Insolitos docuere nisus 

Venti paventem : mox in ovilia 
Demisit hostem vividus impetus : >0 

Nunc in reluctantes dracones 
Egit amor dapis atque pugnse : 

Qualemve laetis caprea pascuis 
Intenta, fulvse matris ab ubere 

Jam lacte depulsum leonem, 15 

Dente novo peritura, vidit : 

Videre Rretis bella sub Alpibus 
Drusum gerentem Vindelici [quibus 
Mos unde deductus per omne 

T§mpus Amazonia securi 20 



4.] CARMINUM. LIBER IV. 89 

Dextras obarmet, quserere distuli : 
Nee scire fas est omnia] : sed diu 
Lateque victrices catervae, 
Consiliis juvenis revictse, 



? 



Sensere, quid mens rite, quid indoles, 25 

Nutrita faustis sub penetralibus, 
Posset, quid Augusti paternus 
In pueros animus Nerones. 

Fortes creantur fortibus : et bonis 
Est in juvencis, est in equis patrum 30 

Virtus : neque imbellem feroces 
Progenerant aquilse columbam. 

Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, 
Rectique cultus pectora roborant : 

Utcunque defecere mores, 35 

Indecorant bene nata culpae. 

Quid debeas, O Roma, Neronibus, 
Testis Metaurum flumen, et Hasdrubal 
Devictus, et pulclier fugatis 

Ille dies Latio tenebris, 40 

Qui primus alma risit adorea, 
Dims per urbes Afer ut Italas, 
Ceu flamma per tsedas, vel Eurus 
Per Siculas equitavit undas. 

Post hoc secundis usque laboribus 45 

Romana pubes crevit, et impio 
Vastata PoenorUm tumultu 
Fana deos habuere rectos : 



90 Q. HOEATII FLACCI [4. 

Dixitque tandem perfidus Hannibal : 
" Cervi, luporum praeda rapacium, 50 

Sectamur ultro, quos opimus 

Fallere et efFugere est triumphus. 

Gens, quae cremato fortis ab Ilio 
Jactata Tuscis aequoribus sacra, 

Natosque maturosque patres 55 

Pertulit Ausonias ad urbes, 

Duris nt ilex tonsa bipennibus 
Nigrae feraci frondis in Algido, 
Per damna, per caedes, ab ipso 

Ducit opes anim unique ferro. 60 

Non Hydra secto corpore firmior 
Vinci dolentem crevit in Herculem : 
Monstrumve submisere Colchi 
Majus, Echioniaave Thebae. 

Merses profundo, pulchrior evenit : 65 

Luctere, multa proruet integrum 
Cum laude victorem, geretque 
Proelia conjugibus loquenda. 

Carthagini jam non ego nuntios 
Mittam superbos : occidit, occidit 70 

Spes omnis et fortuna nostri 

Nominis, Hasdrubale interemto. 

Nil Claudiae non perficient manus : 
Quas et benigno numine Jupiter 

Defendit, et curae sagaces 75 

Expediunt per acuta belli." 



5.] CARMINUM. LIBER IV. 91 

Carmen V. 
AD AUGUSTUM. 
Divis orte bonis, optime Pvomulae 
Custos gentis, abes jam nimium diu : 
Maturum reditum pollicitus Patrum 
Sancto consilio, redi. 

Lucem redde tuse, dux bone, patriae : 5 

Instar veris enim vultus ubi tuus 
Affulsit populo, gratior it dies, 

Et soles melius nitent. 

Ut mater juvenem, quem Notus invido 
Flatu Carpathii trans maris sequora 10 

Cunctantem spatio longius annuo 
Dulci distinet a domo, 

Votis ominibusque et precibus vocat, 
Curvo nee faciem litore demovet : 
Sic desideriis icta fidelibus 15 

Quserit patria Csesarem. 

Tutus bos etenim tuta perambulat ; 
Nutrit rura Ceres, almaque Faustitas ; 
Pacatum volitant per mare navitse ; 

Culpari metuit Fides ; 20 

Nullis polluitur casta domus stupris ; 
Mos et lex maculosnm edomuit nefas ; 
Laudantur simili prole puerperse ; 

Culpam Poena premit comes. 

Quis Parthum paveat ? quis gelidum Scythen ? 25 
Quis, Germania quos horrida parturit 



92 a. HORATII FLACCI [5,6. 

Fetus, incolumi Caesare ? quis ferae 
Bellum curet Iberiae ? 



Condit quisque diem collibus in suis, 
Et vitem viduas ducit ad arbores ; 30 

Hinc ad vina redit laetus, et alteris 
Te mensis adhibet Deum : 

Te multa prece, te prosequitur mero 
Defuso pateris : et Laribus tuum 
Miscet numen, uti Graecia Castoris 35 

Et magni memor Herculis. 

Longas O utinam, dux bone, ferias 
Prsestes Hesperiae ! dicimus integro 
Sicci mane die, dicimus uvidi, 

Quum Sol oceano subest. 40 



Carmen VI. 
AD APOLLINEM. 
Dive, quern proles Niobea magna? 
Vindicem linguae, Tityosque raptor 
Sensit, et Trojae prope victor altae 
Phthius Achilles, 

Ceteris major, tibi miles impar ; 5 

Filius quamquam Thetidos marinae 
Dardanas turres quateret tremenda 
Cuspide pugnax. 

Hie, mordaci velut icta ferro 

Pinus, aut impulsa cupressus Euro, 10 

Procidit late posuitque collum in 
Pulvere Teucro. 



6.] CARMINUM. LIBER IV. 93 

Ille non, inclusus equo Minervae 
Sacra mentito, male feriatos 

Troas et lsetam Priami choreis 15 

Falleret aulam ; 

Sed palam captis gravis, heu nefas ! heu ! 
Nescios fari pueros Achivis 
Ureret iiammis, etiam latentem 

Matris in alvo : 20 

Ni, tuis nexus Venerisque gratae 
Vocibus, Divum pater adnuisset 
Rebus iEneae potiore ductos 
Alite muros. 

Doctor Argivse fidicen Thaliae, 25 

Phoebe, qui Xantho lavis amne crines, 
Dauniae defende decus Camenae, 
Levis Agyieu. 

Spiritum Phoebus mihi, Phoebus artem 
Carminis, nomenque dedit poetae. 30 

Virginum primal, puerique claris 
Patribus orti, 

Deliae tutela deae, fugaces 
Lyncas et cervos cohibentis arcu, 
Lesbium servate pedem, meique 35 

Pollicis ictum, 

Rite Latonae puerum canentes, 
Rite crescentem face Noctilucam, 
Prosperam frugum, celeremque pronos 

Volvere menses. 40 



94 a. HORATII FLACCI [6, 7. 

Nupta jam dices : Ego Dis amicum, 
Sseculo festas referente luces, 
Reddidi carmen, docilis modorum 
Vatis Horati. 



Carmen VII. 
AD TORQUATUM. 

Diffugere nives ; redeunt jam gramina campis, 

Arboribusque comse : 
Mutat terra vices ; et decrescentia ripas 

Flumina prsetereunt : 
Gratia cum Nymphis geminisque sororibus audet 5 

Ducere nuda choros. 
Immortalia ne speres, monet Annus et almum 

Quse rapit Hora diem. 
Frigora mitescunt Zephyris : Ver proterit iEstas, 

Interitura, simul 10 

Pomifer Auctumnus fruges effuderit : et mox 

Bruma recurrit iners. 
Damna tamen celeres reparant coelestia lunse : 

Nos, ubi decidimus, 
Quo pius iEneas, quo dives Tullus et Ancus, 15 

Pulvis et umbra sumus. 
Quis scit, an adjiciant hodiernse crastina summa^ 

Tempora Di superi ? 
Cuncta manus avidas fugient hseredis, amico 

Quae dederis animo. 20 

Quum semel occideris, et de te splendida Minos 

Fecerit arbitria : 
Non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te 

Restituet pietas. 
Infernis neque enim tenebris Diana pudicum 25 

Liberat Hippolytum ; 
Nee Lethsea valet Theseus abrumpere caro 

Vincula Pirithoo. 



8.] CARMINUM. LIBER IV. 95 



Carmen VIII. 
, AD CENSORINUM. 
Donarem pateras grataque commodus, 
Censorine, meis sera sodalibus ; 
Donarem tripodas, preemia fortium 
Graiorum ; neque tu pessima munerum 
Ferres, divite me scilicet artimri, 5 

Quas aut Parrhasius protulit, ant Scopas, 
Hie saxo, liquidis ille coloribus 
Sollers nunc hominem ponere, nunc Deum. 
Sed non haec mihi vis : nee tibi talium 
Res est aut animus deliciarum egens. 10 

Gaudes carminibus ; carmina possumus 
Donare, et pretium dicere muneri. 
Non incisa notis marmora publicis, 
Per quse spiritus et vita redit bonis 
Post mortem ducibus ; non celeres fugae, 15 

Rejecteeque retrorsum Hannibalis minse ; 
[Non stipendia Carthaginis impiae], 
Ejus, qui domita nomen ab Africa 
Lucratus rediit, clarius indicant 
Laudes, quam Calabrse Pierides : neque, 20 

Si chartse sileant, quod bene feceris, 
Mercedem tuleris. Quid foret Ilise 
Mavortisque puer, si taciturnitas 
Obstaret meritis invida Romuli ? 
Ereptum Stygiis fluctibus ^Eacum 25 

Virtus et favor et lingua potentium 
Vatum divitibus consecrat insulis. 
Dignum laude virum Musa vetat mori ; 
Coelo Musa beat. Sic Jovis interest 
Optatis epulis impiger Hercules : 30 

Clarum Tyndaridse sidus ab infimis 



96 a. HORATII FLACCI [8, 9. 

Quassas eripiunt sequoribus rates : 
Ornatus viridi tempora pampino 
Liber vota bonos ducit ad exitus. 



4" 



Carmen IX. 
AD LOLLIUM. 

Ne forte credas interitura, quae, 
Longe sonantem natus ad Aufidum, 
Non ante vulgatas per artes 
Verba loquor socianda chordis. 

Non, si priores Mseonius tenet 5 

Sedes Homeras, Pindaricse latent, 
Ceseque, et Alcaei minaces, 

Stesichorique graves Camense ; 

Nee, si quid olim lusit Anacreon, 
Delevit setas : spirat adhuc amor, 10 

Vivuntque commissi calores 
iEoliae fidibus puellse. 

Non sola comtos arsit adulteri 
Crines, et aurum vestibus illitum 

Mirata, regalesque cultus 15 

Et comites Helene Lacsena ; 

Primusve Teucer tela Cydonio 
Direxit arcu ; non semel Ilios 
Vexata ; non pugnavit ingens 

Idomeneus Sthenelusve solus 20 

Dicenda Musis proelia ; non ferox 
Hector, vel acer Deiphobus graves 
Excepit ictus pro pudicis 

Conjugibus puerisque primus. 



CAAMINUM. LIBER IV. 97 

Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona 25 

Multi : sed omnes illacrimabiles 
Urgentur ignotique longa 

Nocte, carent quia vate sacro. 

Paulum sepultae distat inertiae 
Celata virtus. Non ego te meis 30 

Chartis inornatum silebo, 
Totve tuos patiar labores 

Impune, Lolli, carpere lividas 
Obliviones. Est animus tibi 

Rerumque prudens, et secundis 35 

Temporibus dubiisque rectus ; 

Vindex avarae fraudis, et abstinens 
Ducentis ad se cuncta pecuniae : 
Consulque non unius anni, 

Sed quoties bonus atque fidus 40 

Judex honestum prsetulit utili, 
Rejecit alto dona nocentium 
Vultu, per obstantes catervas 
Explicuit sua victor arma. 

Non possidentera multa vocaveris 45 

Recte beatum : rectius occupat 
Nomen beati, qui deorum 
Muneribus sapienter uti, 

Duramque callet pauperiem pati, 
Pejusque leto flagitium timet ; 50 

Non ille pro caris amicis 
Aut patria timidus perire. 
E 



98 a. HORATII FLACCI [11,12. 

Carmen XI. 
AD PHYLLIDEM. 

Est mihi nonum superantis annum 
Plenus Albani cadus ; est in horto s 
Phylli, nectendis apium coronis ; 
Est ederee vis 

Multa, qua crines religata fulges ; 5 

Ridet argento domus ; ara castis 
Vincta verbenis avet immolato 
Spargier agno ; 

Cuncta festinat manus, hue et illuc 
Cursitant mixtss pueris puellse ; 10 

Sordidum flammse trepidant rotantes 
Vertice fumum. 

Ut tamen noris, quibus advoceris 
Gaudiis, Idus tibi sunt agendse. 
Qui dies mensem Veneris marinas 15 

Findit Aprilem ; 

Jure solennis mihi, sanctiorque 
Psene natali proprio, quod ex hac 
Luce MsBcenas meus affluentes 

Ordinat annos. 20 



Carmen XII. 
AD VIRGILIUM. 
Jam Veris comites, quae mare temperant, 
Impellunt animse lintea Thracise : 
Jam nee prata rigent, nee fluvii strepunt 
Hiberna nive turgidi. 



12, 14.] CARMINUM. LIBER IV. 99 

Nidum ponit, Ityn flebiliter gemens, 5 

Infelix avis, et Cecropise domus 
iEternum opprobrium, quod male Barbaras 
Regum est ulta libidines. 

Dicunt in tenero gramine pinguium 
Custodes ovium carmina fistula, 10 

Delectantque Deum, cui pecus et nigri 
Colles Arcadiae placent. 

Adduxere sitim tempora, Virgili : 
Sed pressum Calibus ducere Liberum 
Si gestis, juvenum nobilium cliens, 15 

Nardo vina merebere. 

Nardi parvus onyx eliciet cadum, 
Qui nunc Sulpiciis accubat horreis, 
Spes donare novas largus, amaraque 

Curarum eluere efficax. 20 

Ad quse si properas gaudia, cum tua 
Velox merce veni : non ego te meis 
Immunem meditor tingere poculis, 
Plena dives ut in domo. 

Verum pone moras et studium lucri ; 25 

Nigrorumque memor, dum licet, ignium, 
Misce stultitiam consiliis brevem : 
Dulce est desipere in loco. 



Carmen XIV. 
AD AUGUSTUM. 
Quae cura Patrum, quaeve Quiritium, 
Plenis honorum muneribus tuas, 



100 a. HORATII FLACCI [14; 

Auguste, virtutes in ssvum 
Per titulos memoresque fastos 

iEternet ? O, qua sol habitabiles 5 

Illustrat oras, maxime principum ; 
Quern legis expertes Latinae 
Vindelici didicere nuper, 

Quid Marte posses ; milite nam tuo 
Drusus Genaunos, implacidum genus, 10 

Breunosque veloces, et arces 
Alpibus impositas tremendis, 

Dejecit acer plus vice simplici. 
Major Neronum mox grave prcelium 

Commisit, immanesque Rsetos 15 

Auspiciis pepulit secundis : 

Spectandus in certamine Martio, 
Devota morti pectora libera? 
Quantis fatigaret ruinis : 

Indomitas prope qualis undas 20 

Exercet Auster, Pleiadum choro 
Scindente nubes : impiger hostium 
Vexare turmas, et frementem 
Mittere equum medios per ignes. 

Sic tauriformis volvitur Aufldus, 25 

Qua regna Dauni prsefluit Apuli, 
Quum ssevit, horrendamque cultis 
Diluviem meditatur agris : 

Ut barbarorum Claudius agmina 

Ferrata vasto diruit impetu, 30 



14, 15.] CARM1NUM. LIBER IV. 101 

Primosque et extremos metendo 
Stravit humum, sine clade victor, 

Te copias, te consilium et tuos 
Prsebente Divos. Nam, tibi quo die 

Portus Alexandrea supplex 35 

Et vacuam patefecit aulam, 

Fortuna lustro prospera tertio 
Belli secundos reddidit exitus, 
Laudemque et optatum peractis 

Imperiis decus arrogavit. 40 

Te Cantaber non ante domabilis, 
Medusque, et Indus, te profugus Scythes 
Miratur, O tutela preesens 
Italise dominseque Romse : 

Te, fontium qui celat origines, 45 

Nilusque, et Ister, te rapidus Tigris, 
Te belluosus qui remotis 

Obstrepit Oceanus Britannis : 

Te non paventis funera Gallise 
Duraeque tellus audit Iberise : 50 

Te csede gaudentes Sygambri 
Compositis venerantur armis. 



Carmen XV. 
AUGUSTI LAUDES. 

Phoebus volentem proelia me loqui 
Victas et urbes, increpuit, lyra : 
Ne parva Tyrrhenum per sequor 
Vela darem. Tua, Caesar, setas 



102 Q. HORATII FLACCI CARMINUM. LIBER IV. [15. 

Fruges et agris retulit uberes, 5 

Et signa nostro restituit Jovi, 
Derepta Parthorum superbis 
Postibus, et vacuum duellis 



Janum Quirinum clusit, et ordinem 
Rectum evaganti frena Licentise - 10 

Injecit, emovitque culpas, 
Et veteres revocavit artes, 

Per quas Latinum nomen et Italse 
Crevere vires, famaque et imperi 

Porrecta majestas ad ortum 1 5 

Solis ab Hesperio cubili. 

Custode rerum Caesare, non furor 
Civilis aut vis exiget otium, 
Non ira, quse procudit enses, 

Et miseras inimicat urbes. 20 

Non, qui profundum Danubium bibunt, 
Edicta rumpent Julia, non GetsB, 
Non Seres, inndive Persee, 

Non Tanain prope flumen orti. 

Nosque, et profestis lucibus et sacris, 25 

Inter jocosi mnnera Liberi, 

Cum prole matronisque nostris, 
Rite deos prius apprecati, 

Virtute functos, more patrum, duces, 
Lydis remixto carmine tibiis, 30 

Trojamque et Anchisen et almse 
Progeniem Veneris canemus. 



Q. H0KAT1I FLACCI 



EPODOI 



LIBER. 



Q. HORATII FIACCI 
E P D N 

LIBER. 



Carmen I. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Ibis Libumis inter alta naviurn, 

Amice, propugnacula, 
Paratus omne Caesari periculum 

Subire, Maecenas, tuo ? 
Quid nos, quibus te vita si superstite 5 

Jucunda, si contra, gravis ? 
Utrurane j ussi persequemur otium, 

Non dulce, m. tecum simul ? 
An hunc laborem mente laturi, decet 

Qua ferre non molles viros ? 10 

Feremus ; et te vel per Alpium juga, 

Inliospitalem et Caucasum, 
Vel occidentis usque ad ultimum sinuni 

Forti sequemur pectore. 
Roges, tuum labore quid juvem meo 15 

Imbellis ac firmus parum ? 
Comes minore sum futurus in metu, 

Qui major absentes habet : 
Ut assidens implumibus pullis avis 

Serpentium allapsus timet 20 

Magis relictis ; non, ut adsit, auxili 

Latura plus prsesentibus. 
E 2 



106 a. HORATII FLACCI [l, 2. 

Libenter hoc et omne militabitur 

Bellum in tuse spem gratise ; 
Non ut juvencis illigata pluribus 25 

Aratra nitantur me a ; 
Pecusve Calabris ante sidus fervidum 

Lucana mutet pascuis ; 
Nee ut superni villa candens Tusculi 

Circsea tangat mcenia. 30 

Satis superque me benignitas tua 

Ditavit : baud paravero, 
Quod aut, avarus ut Chremes, terra premam, 

Discinctus aut perdam ut nepos. 



Carmen II. 
" Beatus ille, qui procul negotiis, 

Ut prisca gens mortalium, 
Patema rura bobus exercet suis, 

Solutus omni fenore. 
Neque excitatur classico miles truci, 5 

Neque horret iratum mare ; *• 
Forumque vitat et superba civium 

Potentiorum limina. 
Ergo aut adulta vitium propagine 

Altas maritat populos, 10 

Inutilesque falce ramos amputans 

Feliciores inserit ; 
Aut in reducta valle mugientium 

Prospectat errantes greges ; 
Aut pressa puris mella condit amphoris ; 1 5 

Aut tondet infirmas oves ; 
Vel, quum decorum mitibus pomis caput 

Auctumnus agris extulit, 
Ut gaudet insitiva decerpens pira, 

Certantem et uvam purpurae, 20 



2.J EPODON LIBER. 107 

Qua muneretur te, Priape, et te, pater 

Silvane, tutor finium. 
Libet jacere, modo sub antiqua ilice, 

Modo in tenaci gramme. 
Labuntur altis interim ripis aquae ; 25 

Queruntur in silvis aves ; 
Frondesque lymphis obstrepunt manantibus ; 

Somnos quod invitet leves. 
At quum Tonantis annus hibernus Jo vis 

Imbres nivesque comparat, 30 

Aut trudit acres hinc et hinc multa cane 

Apros in obstantes plagas ; 
Aut amite levi rara tendit retia, 

Turdis edacibus dolos ; 
Pavidumque leporem, et advenam laqueo gruem, 35 

Jucunda captat praemia. 
Quis Bon malarum, quas amor curas habet, 

Hsec inter obliviscitur ? 
Quod si pudica mulier in partem juvet 

Domum atque dulces liberos, 40 

Sabina qualis, aut perusta solibus 

Pernicis uxor A.puli, 
Sacrum et vetustis extruat lignis focum, 

Lassi sub adventum viri ; 
Claudensque textis cratibus lsetum pecus, 45 

Distenta siccet ubera ; 
Et horna dulci vina promens dolio, 

Dapes inemtas apparet : 
Non me Lucrina juverint conchylia, 

Magisve rhombus, aut scari, 50 

3i quos Eois intonata fluctibus 

Hiems ad hoc vertat mare ; 
Non Afra avis descendat in ventrem raeura, 

Non attagen Ionicus 
Jucundior, quam lecta de pinguissimis 55 

Oliva ramis arborum, 



108 Q. HORATII FLACCI [2,3. 

Aut herba lapathi prata amantis, et gravi 

Malvae salubres corpori, 
Vel agna festis csesa Terminalibus, 

Vel hsedus ereptus lupo. 60 

Has inter epulas, ut juvat pastas oves 

Videre properantes domum ! 
Videre fessos vomerem inversum boves 

Collo tralientes languido ! 
Positosque vernas, ditis exameu domus, 65 

Circum renidentes Lares !" 
Hsec ubi locutus fenerator Alphius, 

Jam jam futurus rusticus, 
Omnem redegit Idibus pecuniam — 

Qua3rit Kalendis ponere ! 70 



Carmen III. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Parentis olim si quis impia manu 

Senile guttur fregerit 
Edit cicutis allium nocentius. 

O dura messorum ilia ! 
Quid hoc veneni ssevit in prsecordiis ? 5 

Num viperinus his cruor 
Incoctus herbis me fefellit ? an malas 

Canidia tractavit dapes ? 
Ut Argonautas prseter omnes candidum 

Medea mirata est ducem, 10 

Ignota tauris illigaturum juga, 

Perunxit, hoc Iasonem : 
Hoc delibutis ulta donis pellicem, 

Serpente fugit alite. 
Nee tantus unquam siderum insedit vapor 15 

Siticulosae Apuliss : 
Nee munus humeris efficacis Herculis 

Inarsit eestuosius. 



4, 5.] EPODON LIBER. 109 



Carmen IV. 
Lupis et agnis quanta sortito obtigit, 

Tecum mihi discordia est, 
Ibericis peruste funibus latus, 

Et crura dura compede. 
Licet superbus ambules pecunia, 5 

Fortuna non mutat genus. 
Videsne, Sacram metiente te viam 

Cum bis trium ulnarum toga, 
Ut ora vertat hue et hue euntium 

Liberrima indignatio ? 1 

" Sectus flagellis hie Triumviralibus, 

Praeconis ad fastidium, 
Arat Falerni mille fundi jugera 

Et Appiam mannis terit ; 
Sedilibusque magnus in primis eques, 15 

Othone contemto, sedet ! 
Quid attinet tot ora navium gravi 

Rostrata duci pondere 
Contra latrones atque servilem manum, 

Hoc, hoc tribuno militura ?" 20 



Carmen V. 
IN CANIDIAM VENEFICAM. 
" At, O deorum quicquid in ccelo regit 
Terras et humanum genus ! 
Quid iste fert tumultus ? aut quid omnium 

Vultus in unum me truces ? 
Per liberos te, si vocata partubus 

Lucina veris adfuit, 
Per hoc inane purpurge decus precor, 
Per improbaturum hsec Jovem, 



110 a. HORATII FLACCI [5. 

Quid ut noverca me intueris, aut uti 

Petita ferro bellua ?"— 10 

Ut hsec tremente questus ore constitit 

Insignibus raptis puer, 
Impube corpus, quale posset impia 

Mollire Thracum pectora ; 
Canidia brevibus implicata viperis 15 

Crines et incomtum caput, 
Jubet sepulcris capriiicos erutas, 

Jubet cupressus funebres, 
Et uncta turpis ova ranse sanguine, 

Plumamque nocturnal strigis, 20 

Herbasque, quas Iolcos atque Iberia 

Mittit venenorum ferax, 
Et ossa ab ore rapta jejunal canis, 

Flammis aduri Colchicis. 
At expedita Sagana, per totam domum 25 

Spargens Avernales aquas, 
Horret capillis ut marinus asperis 

Echinus, aut Laurens aper. 
Abacta nulla Veia conscientia 

Ligonibus duris humura 30 

Exhauriebat, ingemens laboribus ; 

Quo posset infossus puer 
Longo die bis terque mutatge dapis 

Inemori spectaculo ; 
Quum promineret ore, quantum exstant aqua 35 

Suspensa mento corpora ; 
Exsucca uti medulla et aridum jecur 

Amoris esset poculum, 
Interminato quum semel fixse cibo 

Intabuissent pupula?. 40 

Hie irresectum sasva dente livido 

Canidia rodens pollicem 
Quid dixit ? aut quid tacuit ? " O rebus meis 

Non in fi deles arbitrae, 



5.] EPODON LIBER. Ill 

Nox, et Diana, quae silentium regis, 45 

Arcana quum fiunt sacra, 
Nunc nunc adeste, nunc in hostiles domos 

Tram atque numen vertite. 
Formidolosse dum latent silvis ferse, 

Dulci sopore languidse, 50 

Senem, quod omnes rideant, adulterum 

Latrent Suburanse canes, 
Nardo perunctum, quale non perfectius 

Mess laborarint manus. — 
Quid accidit ? cur dira barbaree minus 55 

Venena Medese valent ? 
Quibus superbam fugit ulta pellicem, 

Magni Creontis filiam, 
Quum palla, tabo munus imbutum, novam 

Incendio nuptam abstulit." 60 

Sub hsec puer, jam non, ut ante, mollibus 

Lenire verbis impias ; 
Sed dubius, unde rumperet silentium, 

Misit Thyesteas preces : 
" Venena magica fas nefasque, non valent 65 

Convertere humanam vicem. 
Diris agam vos : dira detestatio 

Nulla expiatur victim a. 
Quin, ubi perire jussus expiravero, 

Nocturnus occurram Furor, 70 

Petamque vultus umbra curvis unguibus, 

Quae vis deorum est Manium, 
Et inquietis assidens praecordiis 

Pavore somnos auferam. 
Vos turba vicatim hinc et hinc saxis petens 75 

Contundet obscenas anus. 
Post insepulta membra different lupi 

Et Esquilinse alites. 
Neque hoc parentes, heu milii superstites ! 

Efrugerit spectaculum." 80 



112 a. HORATII FLACCI [6,7. 

Carmen VI. 
Quid immerentes hospites vexas, canis, 

Ignavus adversum lupos ? 
Quin hue inanes, si potes, vertis minas, 

Et me remorsurum petis ? 
Nam, qualis aut Molossus, aut fulvus Laeon, 5 

Arnica vis pastoribus, 
Agam per altas aure sublata nives, 

Qusseunque praecedet fera. 
Tu, quum timenda voce complesti nemus, 

Projectum odoraris cibum. 10 

Cave, cave : namque in malos asperrimus 

Parata tollo cornua ; 
Qualis Lycambee spretus inndo gener, 

Aut acer hostis Bupalo. 
An, si quis atro dente me petiverit, 15 

Inultus ut flebo puer ? 



Carmen VII. 
AD POPULUM ROMANUM. 

Quo, quo scelesti ruitis ? aut cur dexteris 

Aptantur enses conditi ? 
Parumne campis atque Neptuno super 

Fusum est Latini sanguinis ? 
Non, ut superbas invidae Carthaginis 5 

Pvomanus arces ureret, 
Intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet 

Sacra catenatus via, 
Sed ut, secundum vota Parthorum, sua 

Urbs hsec periret dextera. 10 

Neque hie lupis mos, nee fuit leonibus, 

Nunquam, nisi in dispar, feris. 



7,9.] EPODON LIBER. 113 

Furome caecus, an rapit vis acrior ? 

An culpa ? responsum date. — 
Tacent ; et ora pallor albus inficit, 1 5 

Mentesque perculsaB stupent. 
Sic est ; acerba fata Romanos agunt, 

Scelusque fraternse necis, 
Ut immerentis fluxit in terram Remi 

Sacer nepotibus cruor. 20 



Carmen IX. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Quando repostum Caecubum ad festas dapes, 

Victore laetus Caesare, 
Tecum sub alta, sic Jovi gratum, domo, 

Beate Maecenas, bibam, 
Sonante mixtum tibiis carmen lyra, 5 

Hac Dorium, illis barbarum ? 
Ut nuper, actus quum freto Neptunius 

Dux fugit, ustis navibus, 
Minatus Urbi vincla, quae detraxerat 

Servis amicus perfidis. 10 

Romanus, eheu ! posteri negabitis, 

Emancipatus feminae, 
Eert vallum et arm a miles, et spadonibus 

Servire rugosis potest ! 
Interque signa turpe militaria 15 

Sol adspicit conopium ! 
Ad hoc frementes verterunt bis mille equos 

Galli, canentes Ccesarem ; 
Hostiliumque navium portu latent 

Puppes sinistrorsum citae. 20 

Io Triumphe ! tu moraris aureos 

Currus, et intactas boves ? 



114 Q. HORATII FLACCI [9, 10. 

Io Triumphe ! nee Jugurthino parem 

Bello reportasti ducem, 
Neque Africanum, cui super Carthaginem 25 

Virtus sepulcrum condidit. 
Terra marique victus hostis, Punico 

Lugubre mutavit sagum ; 
Aut ille centum nobilem Cretam urbibus, 

Ventis ifurus non suis ; 30 

Exercitatas aut petit Syrtes Noto ; 

Aut fertur incerto mari. 
Capaciores affer hue, puer, scyphos, 

Et Chia vina, aut Lesbia, 
Vel, quod fluentem nauseam coerceat, 35 

Metire nobis Csecubum. 
Curam metumque Ceesaris rerum juvat 

Dulci Lyseo solvere. 



Carmen X. 
IN IVLEVIUM POETAM. 
Mala soluta navis exit alite, 

Ferens olentem Mesvium. 
Ut horridis utrumque verberes latus, 

Auster, memento fluctibus. 
Niger rudentes Eurus, inverso mari, 5 

Fractosque remos dirTerat ; 
Tnsurgat Aquilo, quantus altis montibus 

Frangit trementes ilices ; 
Nee sidus atra nocte amicum appareat, 

Qua tristis Orion cadit ; — 10 

Quietiore nee feratur sequore, 

Quam Graia victorum manus, 
Quum Pallas usto vertit iram ab Ilio 

In impiam Ajacis ratem. 



10,13.] EPODON LIBER. 115 

O quantus instat navitis sudor tuis, 15 

Tibique pallor luteus, 
Et ilia non virilis ejulatio, 

Preces et aversum ad Jovem, 
lonius udo quum remugiens sinus 

Noto carinam ruperit ! 20 

Opima quod si preeda curvo litore 

Porrecta mergos juveris, 
Libidinosus immolabitur caper 

Et agna Tempestatibus. 



Carmen XIII. 
AD AMICOS. 
Horrida tempestas caelum contraxit, et imbres 

Nivesque deducunt Jovem ; nunc mare, nunc siluse 
Threi'cio Aquilone sonant. Rapiamus, amici, 

Occasionem de die ; dumque virent genua, 
Et decet, obducta solvatur fronte senectus. 5 

Tu vina Torquato move Consule pressa meo. 
Csetera mitte loqui : Deus heec fortasse benigna 

Reducet in sedem vice. Nunc et Achsemenio 
Perfundi nardo juvat, et fide Cyllenea 

Levare diris pectora sollicitudinibus. 1® 

Nobilis ut grandi cecinit Centaurus alumno : 

Invicte, mortalis dea nate, puer, Thetide, 
Te manet Assaraci tellus, quam frigida parvi 

Findunt Scamandri flumina, lubricus et SimoVs ; 
Unde tibi reditum curto subtemine Parcss 1 5 

Rupere ; nee mater doraum cserula te revehet. 
Illic omne malum vino cantuque levato, 

Deformis segrimonice dulcibus alloquiis. 



116 a. HORATII FLACCI [16. 

Carmen XVI. 
AD POPULUM ROMANUM. 

Altera jam teritur bellis civilibus setas, 

Suis et ipsa Roma viribus ruit, 
Quam neque flnitimi valuerunt perdere Marsi, 

Minacis aut Etrusca Porsense manus, 
^mula nee virtus Capuse, nee Spartacus acer, 5 

Novisque rebus infidelis Allobrox ; 
Nee fera cserulea domuit Germania pube, 

Parentibusque abominatus Hannibal : 
Impia perdemus devoti sanguinis setas ; 

Ferisque rursus occupabitur solum. 1 

Barbarus, heu ! cineres insistet victor, et Urbem 

Eques sonante verberabit ungula ; 
Quseque carent ventis et solibus, ossa Quirini, 

Nefas videre ! dissipabit insolens. 
Forte, quid expediat, communiter, aut melior pars 15 

Malis carere quseritis laboribus. 
Nulla sit hac potior sententia ; Phocseorum 

Velut profugit exsecrata civitas : 
Agros atque Lares patrios, habitandaque fana 

Apris reliquit et rapacibus lupis : 20 

Ire, pedes quocunque ferent, quocunque per undas 

Notus vocabit, aut protervus Africus. 
Sic placet ? an melius quis habet suadere ? secunda 

Ratem occupare quid moramur alite ? 
Sed juremus in hsec : Simul imis saxa renarint 25 

Vadis levata, ne redire sit nefas ; 
Neu conversa domum pigeat dare lintea, quando 

Padus Matina laverit cacumina ; 
In mare seu celsus procurrerit Apenninus ; 

Novaque monstra junxerit libidine 30 

Mirus amor, juvet ut tigres subsidere cexvis, 

Adulteretur et columba miluo ; 



16. J EPODON LIBER. 117 

Credula nee flavos timeant armenta leones ; 

Ametque salsa levis hircus ssquora. 
Haec, et quee poterunt reditus abscindere dulces, 35 

Eamus omnis exsecrata ci vitas, 
Aut pars indocili melior grege ; mollis et exspes 

Inominata perprimat cubilia ! 
Vos, quibus est virtus, muliebrem tollite luctum, 

Etrusca preeter et volate litora. 40 

Nos manet Oceanus circumvagus : arva, beata 

Petamus arva, divites et insulas, 
Reddit ubi Cererem tellus inarata quotannis, 

Et imputata floret usque vinea, 
Germinat et nunquam fallentis termes olivse, 45 

Suamque pulla flcus ornat arborem, 
Mella cava manant ex ilice, montibus altis 

Levis crepante lympha desilit pede. 
Illic injuss« veniunt ad mulctra capellaB, 

Refertque tenta grex amicus ubera : 50 

Nee vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile ; 

Nee intumescit alma viperis humus. 
Nulla nocent pecori contagia, nullius astri 

Gregem sestuosa torret impotentia. 
Pluraque felices mirabimur ; ut neque largis 55 

Aquosus Eurus arva radat imbribus, 
Pinguia nee siccis urantur semina glebis ; 

Utrumque rege temperante Co3litum. 
Non hue Argoo contendit remige pinus, 

Neque impudica Colchis intulit pedem ; 60 

Non hue Sidonii torserunt cornua nautse, 

Laboriosa nee cohors Ulixei. 
Jupiter ilia pise secrevit litora genti, 

Ut inquinavit sere tempus aureum : 
JErea dehinc ferro duravit ssecula ; quorum 65 

Piis secunda vate me datur fuga. 



119 a. HORATII FLACCI [17. 



Carmen XVII. 
IN CANIDIAM. 

HoRATIUS. 

Jam jam efficaci do manus scientiae 

Supplex, et oro regna per Proserpina), 

Per et Dianas non movenda numina, 

Per atque libros carminum valentium^ 

Defixa C03I0 devocare sidera, 5 

Canidia, parce vocibus tandem sacris, 

Citumque retro solve, solve turbinem. 

Movit nepotem Telephus Nerei'um, 

In quern superbus ordinarat agmina 

Mysorum, et in quern tela acuta torserat. 10 

Unxere matres Iliae addictum feris 

Alitibus atque canibus homicidam Hectorem, 

Postquam relictis mcenibus rex procidit 

Heu ! pervicacis ad pedes Achillei'. 

Setosa duris exuere pellibus 15 

Laboriosi remiges Ulixei, 

Volente Circa, membra ; tunc mens et sonus 

Helapsus, atque notus in vultus honor. 

Dedi satis superque pcenarum tibi. 

Fugit juventas, et verecundus color 20 

Reliquit ossa pelle amicta lurida ; 

Tuis capillus albus est odoribus, 

Nullum a labore me reclinat otium. 

Urget diem nox, et dies noctem, neque est 

Levare tenta spiritu praecordia. 25 

Ergo negatum vincor ut credam miser, 

Sabella pectus increpare carmina, 

Caputque Marsa dissilire na3nia. 

Quid amplius vis ? O mare ! O terra ! ardeo, 

Quantum neque atro delibutus Hercules 30 



17.] EPODOX LIBER. 119 

Nessi cruore, nee Sicana fervida 

Furens in iEtna flamma. Tu, donee cinis 

Injuriosis aridus ventis ferar, 

Cales venenis ofiicina Colchicis. 

Quae finis ? ant quod me manet stipendium ? 35 

EfFare : jussas cum fide pcenas luam, 

Paratus, expiare seu poposceris 

Centum juvencis, sive mendaci lyra 

Voles sonare Tu pudica, tu proba ; 

Perambulabis astra sidus aureum. 40 

Infamis Helense Castor offensus vicem, 

Fraterque magni Castoris, victi prece, 

Ademta vati reddidere lumina. 

Et tu, potes nam, solve me dementia, 

O nee paternis obsoleta sordibus, 45 

Nee in sepulcris pauperum prudens anus 

Novendiales dissipare pulveres. 

Canidia. 
Quid obseratis auribus fundis preces ? 
Non saxa nudis surdiora navitis 
Neptunus alto tundit hibernus salo. 50 

Quid proderat ditasse Pelignas anus 
Velociusve miscuisse toxicum ? 
Sed tardiora fata te votis manent : 
Ingrata misero vita ducenda est, in hoc, 
Novis ut usque suppetas laborious. 55 

Optat quietem Pelopis infidi pater, 
Egens benignae Tantalus semper dapis ; 
Optat Prometheus obligatus aliti ; 
Optat supremo collocare Sisyphus 
In monte saxum ; sed vetant leges Jo vis. 60 

Voles modo altis desilire turribus, 
Modo ense pectus Norico recludere ; 
Frustraque vincla gutturi nectes tuo, 



120 a. HORATII FLACCI EPODON LIBER. [17. 

Fastidiosa tristis segrimonia. 

Vectabor hunieris tunc ego inimicis eques, 65 

Meaeque terra cedet insolentise. 

An, quse movere cereas imagines, 

Ut ipse nosti curiosus, et polo 

Deripere Lunam vocibus possim meis, 

Possim crematos excitare mortuos, 70 

Plorem artis, in te nil agentis, exitum ? 



Q. HOEATII FLACCI 
CARMEN SICULAEE 

PRO INCOLUMITATE IMPERII. 



Phcebe, silvarumque potens Diana, 
Lucidum coeli decus, O colendi 
Semper et culti, date, quas precamur 
Tempore sacro ; 

Quo Sibyllini monuere versus 5 

Virgines lectas puerosque castos 
Dis, quibus septem placuere colles, 
Dicere carmen. 

Alme Sol, curru nitido diem qui 
Promis et celas, aliusque et idem 10 

Nasceris, possis nihil urbe Roma 
Visere majus. 

Rite maturos aperire partus 
Lenis, Uithyia, tuere matres ; 

Sive tu Lucina probas vocari, 15 

Seu Genitalis. 

Diva, producas subolem, Patrumque 
Prosperes decreta super jugandis 
Feminis, prolisque novae feraci 

Lege marita : 20 

F 



122 a. HORATII FLACCI 

Certus undenos decies per annos 
Orbis ut cantus referatque ludos, 
Ter die claro, totiesque grata 
Nocte frequentes. 

Vosque veraces cecinisse, Parcse, 25 

Quod semel dictum est, stabilisque rerum 
Terminus servat, bona jam peractis 
Jungite fata. 

Fertilis frugum pecorisque Tellus 
Spicea donet Cererem corona ; 30 

Nutriant fetus et aquas, salubres 
Et Jovis aurse. 

Condito mitis placidusque telo 
Supplices audi pueros, Apollo ; 

Siderum regina bicornis, audi, 35 

Luna, puellas : 

Roma si vestrum est opus, Iliseque 
Litus Etruscum tenuere turmse, 
Jussa pars mutare Lares et urbem 

Sospite cursu, 40 

Cui per ardentem sine fraude Trojam 
Castus ./Eneas patriae superstes 
Liberum munivit iter, daturus 
Plura relictis : 

Di, probos mores docili juventa^, Id 

Di, senectuti placidae quietem, 
Romulee genti date remque prolemque 
Et decus orane. 



CARMEN SjECULARE. 123 

Quique vos bobus veneratur albis, 
Clarus Anchisae Venerisque sanguis, 50 

Imperet, bellante prior, jacentem 
Lenis in hostem. 

Jam mari terraque manus potentes 
Medus Albanasque timet secures ; 
Jam Scythas responsa petunt, superbi 55 

Nuper, et Indi. 

Jam Fides, et Pax, et Honor, Pudorque 
Priscus, et neglecta redire Virtus 
Audet ; apparetque beata pleno 

Copia cornu. 60 

Augur, et fulgente decorus arcu 
Phoebus, acceptusque novem Camenis, 
Qui salutari levat arte fessos 
Corporis artus ; 

Si Palatums videt sequus arces, 65 

Remque Romanam Latiumque, felix, 
Alterum in lustrum, meliusque semper 
Proroget revum. 

Quaeque Aventinum tenet Algid umque, 
Quindecim Diana preces virorum 70 

Curet, et votis puerorum arnicas 
Applicet aures. 

Haec Jovem sentire, deosque cunctos, 
Spem bonam certamque domum reporto, 
Doctus et Phcebi chorus et Dianas 15 

Dicere laudes. 



ft. HORATII FLACC] 



SERMONES. 



Q. HORATII FIACCI 

SEEIONUM 

LIBER PRIMUS. 

Satira I. 
IN AVAROS. 
Qui fit, Maecenas, ut nemo, quam sibi sortem 
Seu ratio dederit, seu fors objecerit, ilia 
Contentus vivat, laudet diversa sequentes ? 
O fortunati mercatores ! gravis annis 

Miles ait, multo jam fractus membra labore. 5 

Contra mercator, navim jactantibus austris, 
Militia est potior ! Quid enim ? concurritur : horse 
Momento ant cita mors venit aut victoria laeta. 
Agricolam laudat juris legumque peritus, 
Sub galli cantum consultor ubi ostia pulsat. 10 

Ille, datis vadibus qui rure extractus in urbem est, 
Solos felices viventes clamat in urbe. 
Cetera de genere hoc, adeo sunt multa, loquacem 
Delassare valent Fabium. Ne te morer, audi 
Quo rem deducam. Si quis Deus, En ego, dicat, 15 

Jam faciam quod vultis : eris tu, qui modo miles, 
Mercator : tu, consultus modo, rusticus : hinc vos, 
Vos hinc mutatis discedite partibus. Eia ! 
Quid statis ? — nolint. Atqui licet esse beatis. 
Quid causae est, merito quin illis Jupiter ambas 20 

Iratus buccas inflet, neque se fore posthac 
Tarn facilem dicat, votis ut praebeat aurem ? 



128 a. HORATII FLACCI [l. 

Prseterea, ne sic, ut qui jocularia, ridens 
Percurram : quamquam ridentem dicere verum 
Quid vetat ? ut pueris olim dant crustula blandi 25 

Doctores, elementa velint ut discere prima : 
Sed tamen amoto quseramus seria ludo. 
llle gravem duro terram qui vertit aratro, 
Perfidus hie cautor, miles, nauteeque, per omne 
Audaces mare qui currunt. hac mente laborem 30 

Sese ferre, senes ut in otia tuta recedant, 
Aiunt, quum sibi sint congesta cibaria ; sicut 
Parvula (nam exemplo est) magni formica laboris 
Ore trahit quodcunque potest, atque addit acervo, 
Quern struit, haud ignara ac non incauta futuri. 35 

Quse, simul inversum contristat Aquarius annum, 
Non usquam prorepit, et illis utitur ante 
Qusesitis sapiens : quum te neque fervidus aestus 
Demoveat lucro, neque hiems, ignis, mare, ferrum ; 
Nil obstet tibi, dum ne sit te ditior alter. 40 

Quid juvat immensum te argenti pondus et auri 
Furtim defossa timidum deponere terra ? — 
Quod, si comminuas, vilem redigatur ad assem. — 
At, ni id fit, quid habet pulchri constructus acervus ? 
Millia frumenti tUa triverit area centum ; 45 

Non tuus hoc capiet venter plus ac meus : ut, si 
Reticulum panis venales inter onusto 
Forte vehas humero, nihilo plus accipias, quam 
Qui nil portarit. Vel die, quid referat intra 
Naturae fines viventi, jugera centum an 50 

Mille aret ? — At suave est ex magno tollere acervo. — 
Dum ex parvo nobis tantundem haurire relinquas, 
Cur tua plus laudes cumeris granaria nostris ? 
Ut tibi si sit opus liquidi non amplius urna 
Vel cyatho, et dicas : Magno de flumine malim, 55 

Quam ex hoc fonticulo tantundem sumere. Eo fit, 
Plenior ut si quos delectet copia j usto, 



1.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 129 

Cum ripa simul avulsos ferat Aufidus acer : 

At qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque lirno 

Turbatam haurit aquam, neque vitam amittit in undis. 60 

At bona pars hominum, decepta cupidine falso, 
Nil satis est, inquit ; quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis. 
Quid facias illi ? Jubeas miserum esse, libenter 
Quatenus id facit. Ut quidam memoratur Athenis 
Sordidus ac dives populi contemnere voces 65 

Sic solitus : Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo 
Ipse domi, simul ac nummos contemplor in area. — 
Tantalus a labris sitiens fugientia captat 
Flumina : Quid rides ? mutato nomine de te 
Fabula narratur : congestis undique saccis 70 

Indormis inhians, et tanquam parcere sacris 
Cogens, aut pictis tanquam gaudere tabellis. 
Nescis quo valeat nummus ? quern prsebeat usum ? 
Panis ematur, olus, vini sextarius : adde, 
Queis humana sibi doleat natura negatis. 75 

An vigilare metu exanimem, noctesque diesque 
Formidare malos fures, incendia, servos, 
Ne te compilent fugientes, hoc juvat ? Horum 
Semper ego optarim pauperrimus esse bonorum. — 

At si condoluit tentatum frigore corpus. 80 

Aut alius casus lecto te affixit, habes qui 
Assideat, f omenta paret, medicum roget, ut te 
Suscitet, ac natis reddat carisque projnnquis. — 
Non uxor salvum te vult, non films : omnes 
Vicini oderunt, noti, pueri atque puellse. 85 

Miraris, quum tu argento post omnia ponas, 
Si nemo prsestet, quern non merearis, amorem ? 
An sic cognatos, nullo natura labore 
Quos tibi dat, retinere velis, servareque amicos ? 
Infelix operam perdas, ut si quis asellum 90 

In campo doceat parentem currere frenis ! 

Denique sit finis quserendi ; qupque habeas plus, 
F 2 



130 Q. HORATII FLACCI [1,2. 

Pauperiem metuas minus, et finire laborem 

Incipias, parto quod avebas. Ne facias, quod 

Ummidius, qui, tarn (non longa est fabula) dives, 95 

Ut metiretur nummos ; ita sordidus, ut se 

Non unquam servo melius vestiret ; ad usque 

Supremum tempus, ne se penuria victus 

Opprimeret, metuebat. At hunc liberta securi 

Divisit medium, fortissima Tyndaridarum. 100 

Quid mi igitur suades ? ut vivam Mcenius aut sic 
Ut Nomentanus ? Pergis pugnantia secum 
Frontibus adversis componere ? Non ego, avarum 
Quum veto te fieri, vappam jubeo ac nebulonem. 
Est inter Tanain quiddam socerumque Viselli : 105 

Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines, 
Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum. 

Illuc, unde abii, redeo. Nemon ut avarus 
Se probet, ac potius laudet diversa sequentes ; 
Quodque aliena capella gerat distentius uber, 110 

Tabescat ? neque se majori pauperiorum 
Turbae comparet ? hunc atque hunc superare laboret ? 
Sic festinanti semper locupletior obstat : 
Ut, quum carceribus missos rapit ungula currus, 
Instat equis auriga suos vincentibus, ilium 115 

Prasteritum temnens extremos inter euntem. 
Inde fit, ut raro, qui se vixisse beatum 
Dicat, et exacto contentus tempore, vita 
Cedat, uti conviva satur, reperire queamus. 

Jam satis est. Ne me Crispini scrinia lippi 120 

Compilasse putes, verbum non amplius addam. 



Satira II. 
IN MGECHOS. 
Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolae, 
Mendici, mimes, balatrones, hoc genus omne 
Moestum ac sollicitum est cantoris morte Tigelli : 



2, 3.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 131 

Quippe benignus erat. Contra hie, ne prodigus esse 

Dicatur metuens, inopi dare nolit amico, 5 

Frigus quo duramque famem propellere possit. 

Hunc si perconteris, avi cur atque parentis 

Praeclaram ingrata stringat malus ingluvie rem, 

Omnia conductis coemens opsonia nummis : 

Sordidus atque animi parvi quod nolit haberi, 10 

Respondet. Laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis. 

Fufidius vappsB famam timet ac nebulonis, 

Dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis : 

Quinas hie capiti mercedes exsecat, atque 

Quanto perditior quisque est, tanto acrius urget ; 15 

Nomina sectatur, modo sumta veste virili, 

Sub patribus duris', tironum. Maxime, quis non, 

Jupiter, exclamat, simul atque audivit ? — At in se 

Pro qucestu sumtum facit hie. — Vix credere possis, 

Quam sibi non sit amicus : ita ut pater ille, Terenti 20 

Fabula quern miserum nato vixisse fugato 

Inducit, non se pejus cruciaverit atque hie. 

Si quis nunc quaerat, Quo res hsec pertinet ? Illuc : 
Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt. 



Satira III. 

IN OBTRECTATORES ET SUPERCILIUM 

STOICUM. 

Omnibus hoc vitium est cantoribus, inter amicos 
Ut nunquam inducant animum cantare rogati, 
Injussi nunquam desistant. Sardus habebat 
Ille Tigellius hoc. Caesar, qui cogere posset, 
Si peteret per amicitiam patris atque suam, non 
Quidquam proficeret ; si collibuisset, ab ovo 
Usque ad mala citaret Io Bacche ! modo summa 
Vooe, modo hac, resonat quae chordis quatuor ima. 



132 Q. HOItATII FLACCI [3. 

Nil eequale homini fuit illi. Ssepe velut qui 

Currebat fugiens hostem, perseepe velut qui 10 

Junonis sacra ferret : habebat ssepe ducentos, 

Ssepe decern servos : mode- reges atque tetrarchas, 

Omnia magna, loquens : modo, Sit mihi mensa tripes et 

Concha salis puri et toga, quce defendere frigus, 

Quamvis crassa, qucat. Decies centena dedisses 15 

Huic parco, paucis contento, quinque diebus 

Nil erat in loculis. Noctes vigilabat ad ipsum 

Mane ; diem totum stertebat. Nil fuit unquam 

Sic impar sibi. 

Nunc aliquis dicat mihi : Quid tu ? 
Nullane kabes vitia ? Imo alia, et fortasse minora. 20 
Maenius absentem Novium quum carperet, Hens tu, 
Quidam ait, ignoras te ? an ut ignotum dare nobis 
Verba putas ? Egomet mi ignosco, Masnius inquit. 
Stultus et improbus hie amor est dignusque notari. 
Quum tua pervideas oculis male lippus inunctis, 25 

Cur in amicorum vitiis tarn cernis acutum, 
Quam aut aquila aut serpens Epidaurius ? At tibi contra 
Evenit, inquirant vitia ut tua rursus et illi. 
Iracundior est paulo ; minus aptus acutis 
Naribus horum hominum ; rideri possit, eo quod 30 

Rusticius tonso toga defluit, et male laxus 
In pede calceus hseret : at est bonus, ut melior vir 
Non alius quisquam ; at tibi amicus ; at ingenium ingens 
Inculto latet hoc sub corpore : denique te ipsum 
Concute, num qua tibi vitiorum inseverit olim 35 

Natura aut etiam consuetudo mala : namque 
Neglectis urenda filix innascitur agris. 

Illuc prawertamur : amatorem quod amicse 
Turpia decipiunt .caecum vitia, aut etiam ipsa haec 
Delectant, veluti Balbinum polypus Hagnse. 40 

Vellem in amicitia sic erraremus, et isti 
Errori nomen virtus posuisset honestum. 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 133 

At pater ut gnati, sic nos debemus amici, 

Si quod sit vitium, 11011 fastidire : strabonem 

Appellat Peetum pater ; et Pullum, male parvus 45 

Si cui filius est, ut abortivus fuit olim 

Sisyphus : mine Varum, distortis cruribus ; ilium 

Balbutit Scaurum, pravis fultum male talis. 

Parcius hie vivit ? frugi dicatur. Ineptus 

Et jactantior hie paulo est ? concinnus amicis 50 

Postulat ut videatur. At est truculentior atque 

Plus aequo liber ? simplex fortisque habeatur. 

Caldior est ? acres inter numeretur. Opinor, 

Ha3c res et jungit, junctos et servat amicos. 

At nos virtutes ipsas invertimus atque 55 

Sincerum cupimus vas incrustare. Probus quis 
Nobiscum vivit ? multum est demissus homo ? Illi 
Tardo cognomen pingui et damus. Hie fugit omnes 
Insidias, nullique malo latus obdit apertum ? 
(Quum genus hoc inter vitas versemur, ubi acris CO 

Invidia atque vigent ubi crimina :) pro bene sano 
Ac non incauto fictum astutumque vocamus. 
Simplicior quis, et est, qualem me saepe libenter 
Obtulerim tibi, Maecenas, ut forte legentem 
Aut taciturn impellat quovis sermone molestus ? 65 

Communi sensu plane caret, inquirnus. Eheu, 
Quam temere in nosmet legem sancimus iniquaai ! 
Nam vitiis nemo sine nascitur : optimus ille est, 
Qui minimis urgetur. Amicus dulcis, ut aequum est, 
Quum mea compenset vitiis bona, pluribus hisce, 70 

Si modo plura mihi bona sunt, inclinet. Amari 
Si volet hac lege, in trutina ponetur eadem. 
Qui, ne tuberibus propriis offendat amicum, 
Postulat, ignoscet verrucis illius ; aequum est, 
Peccatis veniam poscentem reddere rursus. 75 

Denique, quatenus excidi penitus vitium irae, 
Cetera item nequeunt stultis haerentia ; cur non 



134 a. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Ponderibus modulisque suis ratio utitur ? ac res 

Ut quseque est, ita suppliciis delicta coercet ? 

Si quis eura servum, patinam qui tollere jussus 80 

Semesos pisces tepidumque ligurierit jus, 

In cruce suffigat, Labeone insanior inter 

Sanos dicatur. Quanto hoc furiosius atque 

Majus peccatum est ? Paulum deliquit amicus ; 

Quod nisi concedas, habeare insuavis ; acerbus 85 

Odisti, et fugis, ut Rusonem debitor teris, 

Qui nisi, quum tristes misero venere Kalendse, 

Mercedem aut nummos unde unde extricat, amaras 

Porrecto jugulo historias, captivus ut, audit. 

Comminxit lectum potus, mensave catillum 90 

Euandri manibus tritum dejecit : ob hanc rem> 

Aut positum ante mea quia pullum in parte catini 

Sustulit esuriens, minus hoc jucundus amicus 

Sit mihi ? Quid faciam, si furtum feeerit ? aut si 

Prodiderit commissa fide ? sponsumve negarit ? 95 

Queis paria esse fere placuit peccata, laborant, 
Quum ventum ad verum est ; sensus moresque repugnant, 
Atque ipsa utilitas, justi prope mater et sequi. 
Quum prorepserunt primis animalia terris, 
Mutum et turpe pecus, glandem atque cubilia propter 100 
Unguibus et pugnis, dein fustibus, atque ita porro 
Pugnabant armis, quae post fabricaverat usus ; 
Donee verba, quibus voces sensusque notarent, 
Nominaque invenere : dehinc absistere bello 
Oppida coeperunt munire, et ponere leges, 1 05 

No quis fur esset, neu latro, ne quis adulter. 
Nam fuit ante Helenam mulier teterrima belli 
Causa : sed ignotis perierunt mortibus illi, 
Quos, Venerem incertam rapientes, more ferarum, 
Viribus editior caedebat, ut in grege taurus. ] 1 

Jura inventa metu injusti fateare necesse est, 
Tempora si fastosque velis evolvere mundi. 



3, 4.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 135 

Nec natura potest justo secernere iniquum, 

Dividit ut bona diversis, fugienda petendis : 

Nec vincet ratio hoc, tantundem ut peccet idemque, 115 

Qui teneros caules alieni fregerit horti, 

Et qui nocturnus sacra Divum legerit. Adsit 

Regula, peccatis quae poenas irroget sequas, 

Nec scutica dignum horribili sectere nagello. 

Ne ferula ceedas meritura majora subire. 120 

Verbera, non vereor, quum dicas esse pares res 

Furta latrociniis, et magnis parva mineris 

Falce recisurum simili te, si tibi regnum 

Permittant homines. Si dives, qui sapiens est, 

Et sutor bonus, et solus formosus, et est rex ; 125 

Cur optas quod habes ? — Non nosti, quid pater, inquit, 

Chrysippus dicat : Sapiens crepidas sibi nunquam 

Nec soleas fecit ; sutor tamen est sapiens. — Qui ? — 

Ut, quamvis tacet Hermogenes, cantor tamen atque 

Optimus est modulator ; ut Alfenius vafer, omni 1 30 

Abjecto instrumento artis clausaque taberna, 

Tonsor erat : sapiens operis sic optimus omnis 

Est opifex solus, sic rex. — Vellunt tibi barbam 

Lascivi pueri ; quos tu nisi fuste coerces, 

Urgeris turba circum te stante, miserque 1 35 

Rumperis, et latras, magnorum maxime regum. 

Ne longum faciam, dum tu quadrante lavatum 

Rex ibis, neque te quisquam stipator, ineptum 

Prseter Crispinum, sectabitur, et raihi dulces 

Ignoscent, si quid peccaro stultus, amici ; 140 

Inque vicem illorum patiar delicta libenter, 

Privatusque magis vivam te rege beatus. 



Satira IV. 
IN OBTRECTATORES SIJOS. 

Eupolis atque Cratinus Aristophanesque poeta), 
Atque alii, quorum Comcedia prisca virorum est, 



136 a. HORATII FLACCI [4. 

Si quis erat dignus describi, quod malus, aut fur, 

Quod moechus foret, aut sicarius, aut alioqui 

Famosus, multa cum libertate notabant. 5 

Hinc omnis pendet Lucilius, hosce secutus, 

Mutatis tantum pedibus numerisque ; facetus, 

Emunctas naris, durus componere versus. 

Nam fuit hoc vitiosus, in hora saepe ducentos, 

Ut magnum, versus dictabat stans pede in uno. 10 

Quum flueret lutulentus, erat quod tollere velles : 

Garrulus, atque piger scribendi ferre laborem, 

Scribendi recte : nam ut multum, nil moror. Ecce ! 

Crispinus minimo me provocat : — Accipe, si vis, 

Accipiam tabulas ; detur nobis locus, liora, 15 

Custodies ; videamus, uter plus scribere ptossit. — 

Di bene fecerunt, inopis me quodque pusilli 

Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. 

At tu conclusas hircinisfollibus auras, 

Usque laborantes, dum ferrum emolliat ignis, 20 

Ut mavis, imitare. 

Beatus Fannius, ultro 
Delatis capsis et imagine ! quum mea nemo 
Scripta legat, vulgo recitare timentis, ob hanc rem, 
Quod sunt quos genus hoc minime juvat, utpote plures 
Culpari dignos. Quemvis media elige turba ; 25 

Aut ab avaritia aut misera ambitione laborat. 
Hunc capit argenti splendor ; stupet Albius sere ; 
Hie mutat merces surgehte a sole ad eum, quo 
Vespertina tepet regio ; quin per mala praeceps 
Fertur, uti pulvis collectus turbine, ne quid 30 

Summa deperdat metuens, aut ampliet ut rem. 
Omnes hi metuunt versus, odere poetas. — 
Fenum habet in cornu ; longefuge: dummodo risum 
Excutiat sibi, non hie cuiquam parcet amico ; 
Ft, quodcunque semel cJiartis illeverit, omnes 35 

Geatiet a fwrno redeuntcs scire lacuque 



4.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 137 

Et pueros et anus,. — Agedum, pauca accipe contra, 

Primum ego me illorum, dederim quibus esse poetis, 

Excerpam numero : neque enim concludere versum 

Dixeris esse satis ; neque, si qui scribat, uti nos, 40 

Sermoni propiora, putes hunc esse poetam. 

Ingenium cui sit, cui mens divinior, atque os 

Magna sonaturum, des nominis hujus honorem. 

Idcirco quidam, Comoedia necne poema 

Esset, qusesivere ; quod acer spiritus ac vis 45 

Nee verbis nee rebus inest, nisi quod pede certo 

Differt sermoni, sermo merus. — At pater ardens 

Solvit, quod meretrice nepos insanus arnica 

Filius uxorem grandi cum dote recuset, 

Ebrius et, magnum quod dedecus, ambulet ante 50 

Noctem cum facibus. — Numquid Pomponius istis 

Audiret leviora, pater si viveret ? Ergo 

Non satis" est puris versum perscribere verbis, 

Quem si dissolvas, quivis stomachetur eodem 

Quo personatus pacto pater. His, ego quae nunc, 55 

Olim quae scripsit Lucilius, eripias si 

Tempora certa modosque, et, quod prius ordine verbum est, 

Posterius facias, prseponens ultima primis, 

Non, ut si solvas " Postquam discordia tetra 

Belli ferratos postes portasque ref regit" 60 

Invenias etiam disjecti membra poetae. 

Hactenus haec : alias, justum sit necne poema ; 
Nunc illud tantum quseram, meritone tibi sit 
Suspectum genus hoc scribendi. Sulcius acer 
Ambulat et Caprius, rauci male cumque libellis, 65 

Magnus uterque timor latronibus ; at bene si quis 
Et vivat puris manibus, contemnat utrumque. 
Ut sis tu similis Caeli Birrique latronum, 
Non ego sum Capri neque Sulci : cur metuas me ? 
Nulla taberna meos habeat neque pila libellos, 70 

Queis manus insudet vulgi Hermogenisque Tigelli ; 



138 a. HORATII FLACCI [4. 

Nec recito cuiquam, nisi amicis, idque coactus, 

Non ubivis, coram ve quibuslibet. — In medio qui 

Scripta foro recitent, sunt multi, quique lavantes ; 

Suave locus voci resonat condusus. — Inanes 75 

Hoc juvat, haud illud quserentes, nura sine sensu, 

Tempore num faciant alieno. — Lcedere gaudes, 

Inquit, et hoc studio pravus fads. — Unde petitum 

Hoc in me jacis ? est auctor quis denique eorum, 

Vixi cum quibus ? Absentem qui rodit amicum, 80 

Qui non defendit alio culpante, solutos 

Qui captat risus hominum famamque dicacis, 

Fingere qui non visa potest, commissa tacere 

Qui nequit ; hie niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto. 

Saepe tribus lectis videas coenare quaternos, 85 

E quibus unus amet quavis adspergere cunctos, 

Prater eum, qui prsebet aquam : post, hunc quoque potus, 

Condita quum verax aperit prsecordia Liber. 

Hie tibi comis et urbanus liberque videtur 

Infesto nigris : ego, si risi, quod ineptus 90 

Pastillos Hufilms olet, Gargonius hircum, 

Lividus et mordax videor tibi ? Mentio si qua 

De Capitolini furtis injecta Petilli 

Te coram fuerit, defendas, ut tuus est mos : — 

Me Capitolinus convictore usus amicoque 95 

A puero est, causaque mea permulta rogatus 

Fecit, et incolumis Icetor quod vivit in urbe ; 

Sed tamen admiror, quo pacto judicium illud 

Fugerit. — Hie nigrse succus loliginis, haec est 

iErugo mera ; quod vitium procul afore chartis, 100 

Atque animo prius, ut si quid promittere de me 

Possum aliud vere, promitto. Liberius si 

Dixero quid, si forte jocosius, hoc mihi juris 

Cum venia dabis : insuevit pater optimus hoc me 

Ut fugerem, exemplis vitiorum quseque notando. 105 

Quum me hortaretur, parce, frugaliter, atque 



4.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 139 

Viverem uti contentus eo, quod mi ipse parasset : 

Nonne vides, Albi ut male vivat filius ? utque 

Barrus inops? inagnum documentum, nepatriam rem 

Perdere quis velit. A turpi meretricis amore 110 

Quum deterreret : Scetani dissimilis sis, 

Aiebat. Sapiens, vitatu quidque petitu 

Sit melius, causas reddet tibi ; mi satis est, si 

Traditum ab antiquis morem servare, tuamque, 

Dum custodis eges, vitam famamque tueri 115 

Incolumem possum ; simul ac duraverit cetas 

Membra animumque tuum, nobis sine cortice. Sic me 

Formabat puerum dictis, et sive jubebat 

Ut facerem quid, Habes auctorem, quo facias hoc ; 

Unum ex judicibus selectis objiciebat : 120 

Sive vetabat, An hoc inhonestum et inutile factum 

Necne sit, addubites, flagret rumore malo quum 

Hie atque Me ? Avidos vicinum funus ut segros 

Exanimat, mortisque metu sibi parcere cogit ; 

Sic teneros animos aliena opprobria ssepe 125 

Absterreut vitiis. Ex hoc ego sanus ab illis, 

Perniciem qusecunque ferunt, mediocribus, et queis 

Ignoscas, vitiis teneor. Fortassis et istinc 

Largiter abstulerit longa aetas, liber amicus, 129 

Consilium proprium ; neque enim, quum lectulus aut me 

Porticus excepit, desum mihi. Rectius hoc est ; 

Hoc faciens vivam melius ; sic dulcis amicis 

Occurram; hoc quidam non belle ; numquid ego Mi 

Imprudens olim faciam simile ? Heec ego mecum 

Compressis agito labris ; ubi quid datur oti, 135 

Illudo chartis. Hoc est mediocribus illis 

Ex vitiis unum, cui si concedere nolis, 

Multa poetarum veniet manus, auxilio quae 

Sit mihi ; nam multo plures sumus, ac veluti te 

Judaei cogemus in hanc concedere turbam. 140 



140 Q. HORATII FLACCI [5. 



Carmen V. 

ITER BRUNDISINUM. 

Egressum magna me excepit Aricia Roma 

Hospitio modico ; rhetor comes Heliodorus, 

Greecorum longe doctissimus. Inde Forum Appi, 

Diifertum nautis, cauponibus atque malignis. 

Hoc iter ignavi divisimus, altius ac nos 5 

Prsecinctis unum : minus est gravis Appia tardis. 

Hie ego propter aquam, quod erat deterrima, ventri 

Indico bellum, ccenantes haud animo asquo 

Exspectans comites. Jam nox inducere terris 

Umbras et ccelo diffundere signa parabat : 10 

Turn pueri nautis, pueris convicia nautse 

Ingerere. — Hue appelle. Trecentos inserts ; ohe 

Jam satis est ! — Dum ses exigitur, dum mula ligatur, 

Tota abit hora. Mali culices rana^que palustres 

Avertunt somnos. Absentem ut cantat amicam 15 

Multa prolutus vappa nauta atque viator 

Certatim, tandem fessus dormire viator 

Incipit, ac missse pastum retinacula mulse 

Nauta piger saxo religat, stertitque supinus. 

Jamque dies aderat, nil quum procedere lintrem 20 

Sentimus ; donee cerebrosus prosilit unus, 

Ac mulse nautssque caput lurnbosque saligno 

Fuste dolat. Quarta vix demum exponimur bora, 

Ora manusque tua ]avimur, Feronia, lympha. 

Millia turn pransi tria repimus, atque subimus 25 

Impositum saxis late candenlibus Anxur. 
Hue venturus erat Maecenas optimus, atque 
Cocceius, missi magnis de rebus uterque 
Legati, aversos soliti componere amicos. 
Hie oculis ego nigra meis collyria lippus 30 

Illinere. Interea Maecenas advenit atque 



5.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. l4l 

Cocceius Capitoque simul Fonteius, ad unguem 

Factus homo, Antoni, non ut magis alter, amicus. 

Fundos Aufidio Lusco praetore libenter 

Linquimus, insani ridentes praemia scribae, 35 

Praetextam et latum clavum prunaeque batillum. 

In Mamurrarum lassi deinde urbe manemus, 

Murena praebente domum, Capitone culinam. 

Postera lux oritur multo gratissima, namque 
Plotius et Varius Sinuessjfe Virgiliusque 40 

Occurrunt, animae, quales neque candidiores 
Terra tulit, neque queis me sit devinctior alter. 
O qui complexus et gaudia quanta fuerunt ! 
Nil ego contulerim jucundo sanus amico. 

Proxima Campano ponti quae villula tectum 45 

Praebuit, et parochi, quae debent, ligna salemque. 
Hinc muli Capuas clitellas tempore ponunt. 
Lusum it Maecenas, dormitum ego Virgiliusque : 
Namque pila lippis inimicum et ludere crudis. 

Hinc nos Cocceii recipit plenissima villa, 50 

Quae super est Caudi cauponas. Nunc mihi paucis 
Sarmenti scurrae pugnam Messique Cicirri, 
Musa, velim memores, et quo patre natus uterque 
Contulerit lites. Messi clarum genus Osci ; 
Sarmenti domina exstat : ab his majoribus orti 55 

Ad pugnam venere. Prior Sarmentus : Equi te 
Esse feri similem dico. Ridemus ; et ipse 
Messius : Accipio ; caput et movet. O, tua cwnu 
Ni foret exsecto frons, inquit, quid faceres, quum 
Sic mutilus minitaris ? At illi fceda cicatrix 60 

Setosam laevi frontem turpaverat oris. 
Campanum in morbum, in faciem permulta jocatus, 
Pastorem saltaret uti Cyclopa rogabat ; 
Nil illi larva aut tragicis opus esse cothurnis. 
Multa Cicirrus ad haec : Donasset jamne catenam 65 

Ex voto Laribus, quaerebat ; scriba quod esset, 



142 a. HORATII FLACCI [5. 

Nihilo deterius dominse jus esse. Rogabat 

Denique, cur unquam fugisset, cui satis una 

Farris libra foret, gracili sic tamque pusillo ? 

Prorsus jucunde ccenam produximus illam. 70 

Tendimus hinc recta Beneventum, ubi sedulus hospes 
Pssne macros arsit dum turdos versat in igni ; 
Nam vaga per veterem dilapso flamma culinam 
Vulcano summum properabat lambere tectum. 
Convivas avidos ccenam servosque timentes 75 

Turn rapere, atque omnes restinguere velle videres. 

Incipit ex illo montes Apulia notos 
Ostentare mihi, quos torret Atabulus, et quos 
Nunquam erepsemus, nisi nos vicina Trivici 
Villa recepisset, lacrimoso non sine fumo, 80 

Udos cum foliis ramos urente camino. 

Quatuor hinc rapimur viginti et millia rhedis, 
Mansuri oppidulo, quod versu dicere non est, 
Signis perfacile est : venit vilissima rerum 
Hie aqua ; sed panis longe pulcherrimus, ultra 85 

Callidus ut soleat humeris portare viator ; 
Nam Canusi lapidosus, aquse non ditior urna 
Qui locus a forti Diomede est conditus olim. 
Flentibus hie Varius discedit mosstus amicis. 

Inde Rubos fessi pervenimus, utpote longum 90 

Carpentes iter et factum corruptius imbri. 
Postera tempestas melior, via pejor ad usque 
Bari moenia piscosi. Dehinc Gnatia lymphis 
Iratis exstructa dedit risusque jocosque, 
Dum flamma sine thura liquescere limine sacro 95 

Persuadere cupit. Credat Judseus Apella, 
Non ego ; namque deos didici securum agere sevum, 
Nee, si quid miri faciat natura, deos id 
Tristes ex alto cceli demittere tecto. 
Brundisium longee finis charteeque viseque. 100 



6.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 143 

Satira VI. 
IN DERJSORES NATALIUM SUORUM. 

Non, quia, Maecenas, Lydorum quidquid Etruscos 

Incoluit fines, nemo generosior est te, 

Nee, quod avus tibi maternus fuit atque paternus, 

Olim qui magnis legionibus imperitarunt, 

Ut plerique solent, naso suspendis adunco 5 

Ignotos, ut me libertino patre natum. 

Quum referre negas, quali sit quisque parente 

Natus, dum ingenuus : persuades hoc tibi vere, 

Ante potestatem Tulli atque ignobile regnum 

Multos ssepe viros nullis majoribus ortos 10 

Et vixisse probos, amplis et honoribus auctos : 

Contra Laevinum, Valeri genus, unde Superbus 

Tarquinius regno pulsus fugit, unius assis 

Non unquam pretio pluris licuisse, notante 

Judice, quo nosti, populo, qui stultus honores 15 

Ssepe dat indignis, et famae servit ineptus, 

Qui stupet in titulis et imaginibus. Quid oportet 

Nos facere, a vulgo longe longeque remotos ? 

Namque esto, populus Laevino mallet honorem 
Quam Decio mandare novo, censorque moveret 20 

Appius, ingenuo si non essem patre natus ; 
Vel merito, quoniam in propria non pelle quiessem. 
Sed fulgente trahit constrictos Gloria curru 
Non minus ignotos generosis. Quo tibi, Tilli, 
Sumere depositum clavum, fierique tribuno ? 25 

Invidia accrevit, privato quae minor esset. 
Nam ut quisque insanus nigris medium impediit crus 
Pellibus, et latum demisit pectore clavum, 
Audit continuo : Quis homo hie est ? quo patre natus ? 
Ut si qui aegrotet, quo morbo Barrus, haberi 30 

Ut cupiat formosus, eat quacunque, puellis 






144 a. HORATII FLACCI [6. 

Injiciat curam quaerendi singula, quali 

Sit facie, sura, quali pede, dente, capillo : 

Sic qui promittit, cives, Urbem sibi curse, 

Imperium fore, et Italiam, et delubra deorum ; 35 

Quo patre sit natus, num ignota matre inhonestus, 

Omnes mortales curare et quaerere cogit. — 

Tune Syri, Damce, aut Dionysi filius, cmdes 

Dejicere e saxo cives, aut tradere Cadmo ? — 

At Novius collega gradu post me sedet uno ; 40 

Namque est Me, pater quod erat meus. — Hoc tibi Paullus 

Et Messala videris ? At hie, si plostra ducenta 

Concurrantque foro tria funera, magiia sonabit 

Cornua quod vincatque tubas : saltan tenet Iwc nos. — 

Nunc ad me redeo, libertino patre natum, 45 

Quern rodunt omnes libertino patre natum ; 
Nunc, quia sum tibi, Maecenas, convictor ; at olim, 
Quod mihi pareret legio Roraana tribuno. 
Dissimile hoc illi est, quia non, ut forsit honorem 
Jure mihi invideat quivis, ita te quoque amicum, 50 

Praesertim cautum dignos assumere, prava 
Ambitione procul. Felicem dieere non hoc 
Me possim, casu quod te sortitus amicum ; 
Nulla etenim mihi te fors obtulit : optimus olim 
VirgiHus, post hunc Varius, dixere quid essem. 55 

Ut veni coram, singultim pauca locutus, 
Infans namque pudor prohibebat plura profari, 
Non ego me claro natum patre, non ego circum 
Me Satureiano vectari rura caballo, 

Sed, quod eram, narro. Respondes, ut tuus est mos, 60 
Pauca : abeo ; et revocas nono post mense, jubesque 
Esse in arnicorum numero. Magnum hoc ego duco, 
Quod placui tibi, qui turpi secernis honestum, 
Non patre praeclaro, sed vita et pectore puro. 
Atqui si vitiis mediocribus ac mea paucis 65 

Mendosa est natura, alioqui recta, velut si 



6.] SERx>IONUM. LIBER I. 145 

Egregio inspersos reprendas corpore nsevos, 
Si neque avaritiam neque sordes aut mala lustra 
Objiciet vere quisquara mihi ; purus et insons, 
Ut me collaudem, si et vivo cams amicis ; 70 

Causa fuit pater his, qui macro pauper agello 
Noluit in Flavi ludum me mittere, magni 
Quo pueri magnis e centurionibus orti, 
Lsevo suspensi loculos tabulamque lacerto, 
Ibant octonis referentes Idibus sera ; 75 

Sed puerum est ausus K-omara portare, docendum 
Artes, quas doceat quivis eques atque senator 
Semet prognatos. Vestem servosque sequentes, 
In magno ut populo, si qui vidisset, avita 
Ex re prseberi sumtus mihi crederet illos. 80 

Ipse mihi custos incorruptissimus omnes 
Circum doctores aderat. Quid multa ? pudicum, 
Qui primus virtutis honos, servavit ab omni 
Non solum facto, verum opprobrio quoque turpi : 
Nee timuit, sibi ne vitio quis verteret olim, 85 

Si praeco parvas, aut, ut fuit ipse, coactor 
Mercedes sequerer ; neque ego essem questus. At hoc nunc 
Laus illi debetur et a me gratia major. 
Nil me pceniteat sanum patris hujus ; eoque 
Non, ut magna dolo factum negat esse suo pars, 90 

Quod non ingenuos habeat clarosque parentes, 
Sic me defendam. Longe mea discrepat istis 
Et vox et ratio : nam si natura juberet 
A certis annis eevum remeare peractum, 
Atque alios legere ad fastum quoscunque parentes, 95 

Optaret sibi quisque : meis contentus honestos 
Fascibus et sellis nollem mihi sumere, demens 
Judicio vulgi, sanus fortasse tuo, quod 
Nollem onus haud unquam solitus portare molestum. 
Nam mihi continuo major qusrenda foret res, 100 

Atque salutandi plures : ducendus et unus 

G 



146 a. HORATII FLACCI [6, 7. 

Et comes alter, uti ne solus rusve peregreve 

Exirem ; plures calones atque caballi 

Pascendi ; ducenda petorrita. Nunc mihi curto 

Ire licet mulo vel, si libet, usque Tarentum, 105 

Mantica cui lurnbos onere ulceret atque eques armos 

Objiciet nemo sordes mihi, quas tibi, Tilli, 

Quum Tiburte via prestorem quinque sequuntur 

Te pueri, lasanum portantes cenophorumque. 

Hoc ego commodius quam tu, prseclare senator, 110 

Multis atque aliis vivo. Quacunque libido est, 

Tncedo solus ; percontor, quanti olus ac far ; 

Fallacem circum vespertinumque pererro 

Ssepe forum ; adsisto divinis ; inde domum me 

Ad porri et ciceris refexo laganique catinum. 115 

Ccena ministratur pueris tribus, et lapis albus 

Pocula cum cyatho duo sustinet ; adstat echinus 

Vilis, cum patera guttus, Campana supellex. 

Deinde eo dormitum, non sollicitus, mihi quod eras 

Surgendum sit mane, obeundus Marsya, qui se 120 

Vultum ferre negat Noviorum posse minoris. 

Ad quartam jaceo ; post hanc vagor ; aut ego, lecto 

Aut scripto, quod me taciturn juvet, ungor olivo, 

Non quo fraudatis immundus Natta lucernis. 

Ast ubi me fessum sol acrior ire lavatum 125 

Admonuit, fugio campum lusumque trigonem. 

Pransus non avide, quantum interpellet inani 

Ventre diem durare, domesticus otior. Hsec est 

Vita solutorum misera ambitione gravique. 

His me consolor victurum suavius, ac si 130 

Quaestor avus, pater atque meus, patruusque fuisset. 



Satira VII. 
IN MALEDICOS ET INHUMANOS 

Proscripti Regis Pvupili pus atque venenum 
Hybrida quo pacto sit Persius ultus, opinor 



7.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 147 

Omnibus et lippis notum et tonsoribus esse. 

Persius hie permagna negotia dives habebat 

Clazomenis, etiam lites cum Rege molestas ; 5 

Durus homo, atque odio qui posset vincere Regem, 

Confidens, tumidusque, adeo sermonis amari, 

Sisennas, Barros ut equis prsecurreret albis. 

Ad Regem redeo. Postquam nihil inter utrumque 

Convenit (hoc etenim sunt omnes jure molesti, 10 

Quo fortes, quibus adversum bellum incidit : inter 

Hectora Priamiden, animosum atque inter Achillem 

Ira fuit capitalis, ut ultima divideret mors, 

Non aliam ob causam nisi quod virtus in utroque 

Summa fuit ; duo si discordia vexet inertes, 15 

Aut si disparibus bellum incidat, ut Diomedi 

Cum Lycio Glauco, discedat pigrior, ultro 

Muneribus missis) : Bruto prsetore tenente 

Ditem Asiam, Rupili et Persi par pugnat, uti non 

Compositum melius cum Bitho Bacchius. In jus 20 

Acres procurrunt, magnum spectaculum uterque. 

Persius exponit causam ; ridetur ab omni 

Conventu : laudat Brutum laudatque cohortem ; 

Solem Asise Brutum appellat, stellasque salubres 

Appellat comites, excepto Rege ; canem ilium, 25 

Invisum agricolis sidus, venisse : ruebat, 

Flumen ut hibernum, fertur quo rara securis. 

Turn Preenestinus salso multoque fluenti 

Expressa arbusto regerit convicia, durus 

Vindemiator et invictus, cui ssspe viator 30 

Cessisset, magna compellans voce cucullum. 

At Grsecus, postquam est Italo perfusus aceto, 

Persius cxclamat : Per magnos, Brute, Deos te 

Oro, qui reges consuesti tollere ; cur non 34 

Hunc Regem jugulas ? operum hoc, mihi crede, tuorum est. 






148 a. HORATII FLACCI [8. 

Satira VIII. 
IN SUPERSTITIOSOS ET VENEFICAS. 

Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum, 

Quum faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum, 

Maluit esse Deum. Deus inde ego, furum aviumque 

Maxima formido : nam fures dextra coercet. 

Ast importunas volucres in vertice arundo 5 

Terret fixa, vetatque novis considere in hortis. 

Hue prius angustis ejecta cadavera cellis 

Conservus vili portanda locabat in area. 

Hoc misersB plebi stabat commune sepulcrum, 

Pantolabo scurrae Nomentanoque nepoti. 10 

Mille pedes in fronte, trecentos cippus in agrum 

Hie dabat ; heredes monumentum ne sequeretur. 

Nunc licet Esquiliis habitare salubribus, atque 

Aggere in aprico spatiari, qua modo tristes 

Albis informem spectabant ossibus agrum, 15 

Quum mihi non tantum furesque feraeque, suetae 

Hunc vexare locum, cures sunt atque labori, 

Quantum carminibus quae versant atque venenis 

Humanos animos. Has nullo perdere possum 

Nee prohibere modo, simul ac vaga Luna decorum 20 

Protulit os, quin ossa legant herbasque nocentes. 

Vidi egomet nigra succinctam vadere palla 

Canidiam, pedibus nudis, passoque capillo, 

Cum Sagana majore ululantem. Pallor utrasque 

Fecerat horrendas adspectu. Scalpere terram 25 

Unguibus, et pullam divellere mordicus agnam 

Coeperunt ; cruor in fossam confusus, ut inde 

Manes elicerent, animas responsa daturas. 

Lanea et effigies erat, altera cerea ; major 

Lanea, quae pcenis compesceret inferiorem. 30 

Cerea suppliciter stabat, servilibus ut quae 



8, 9.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 149 

Jam peritura modis. Hecaten vocat altera, ssevam 

Altera Tisiphonen : serpentes atque videres 

Infemas errare canes, lunamque rubentem, 

Ne foret his testis, post magna latere sepulcra. 35 

Singula quid memorem ? quo pacto alterna loquentes 

Umbrse cum Sagana resonarent triste et acutum ? 

Utque lupi barbam varise cum dente colubrse 

Abdiderint furtum terris, et imagine cerea 

Largior arserit ignis, et ut non testis inultus 40 

Horruerim voces Furiarum et facta duarum ? — 



Satira IX. 
IN IMPUDENTES ET INEPTOS PARASITAS- 
TROS. 
Ibam forte Via Sacra, sicut meus est mos, 
Nescio quid meditans nugarum, totus in illis : 
Accurrit quidam notus mihi nomine tantum, 
Arreptaque manu, Quid agis, dulcissime rerum ? 
Suaviter, ut nunc est, inquam, et cupio omnia qu<z vis. 5 
Quum assectaretur, Num quid vis ? occupo : at ille, 
Noris nos, inquit ; docti sumus. Hie ego, Pluris 
Hoc, inquam, mihi eris. Misere discedere quaerens, 
Ire modo ocius, interdum consistere, in aurem 
Dicere nescio quid puero ; quum sudor ad imos 1 

Manaret talos. O te, Bolane, cerebri 
Felicem ! aiebam tacitus ; quum quidlibet ille 
Garriret, vicos, urbem laudaret. Ut illi 
Nil respondebam, Misere cupis, inquit, abire, 
Jamdudum video, sed nil Agis, usque tenebo, 15 

Persequar. Hinc quo nunc iter est tibi ? — Nil opus est te 
Circumagi ; quendam volo visere non tibi notum ; 
Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, prope Ccesaris hortos. — 
Nil habeo quod agam, et non sum piger; usque sequar te. — 
Demitto auriculas ut iniquse mentis asellus, 20 



150 a. HORATII FLACCI [9. 

Quum gravius dorso subiit onus. Incipit ille : 

Si bene me novi, non Viscum pluris amicum, 

Non Varium fades ; nam quis me scribere plures 

Aut citius possit versus ? quis membra movere 

Mollius ? invideat quod et Hermogenes, ego canto. 25 

Interpellandi locus hie erat. — Est tibi mater ? 

Cognati, quels te salvo est opus ? — Haud mihi quisquam ; 

Omnes composui. — Felices ! Nunc ego resto ; 

Confice, namque instat fatum mihi triste, Sabella 

Quod puero cecinit mota divina anus urna : 30 

" Hunc neque dira venena nee hosticus auferet ensis, 

Nee laterum dolor, aut tussis, nee tarda podagra ; 

Garrulus hunc quando consumet cunque ; loquaces, 

Si sapiat, vitet, simul atque adoleverit cetas." 

Ventum erat ad Vestse, quarta jam parte diei 35 

Preeterita, et casu tunc respondere vadato 
Debebat ; quod ni fecisset, perdere litem. 
Si me amas, inquit, paulum hie ades. — Inteream, si 
Aut valeo stare, aut novi civilia jura ; 
Et propero quo scis. — Dubius sum quid faciam, inquit ; 40 
Tene relinquam an rem. — Me, sodes. — Non faciam, ille, 
Et prsecedere ccepit. Ego, ut contendere durum est 
Cum victore, sequor. — Mcecenas quomodo tecum ? 
Hie repetit. — Paucorum hominum et mentis bene sance ; 
Nemo dexterius for tuna est usus. Haberes 45 

Magnum adjutorem, posset qui f err e secundas, 
Hunc hominem velles si tradere ; dispeream, ni 
Summosses omnes. — Non isto vivitur illic, 
Quo tu rere, modo ; domus hac nee purior ulla est, 
Nee magis his aliena malis ; nil mi officit inquam, 50 
JDitior hie aut est quia doctior ; est locus uni- 
Cuique suus. — Magnum narras, vix credibile. — Atqui 
Sic habet. — Accendis, quare cupiam magis illi 
Proximus esse. — Velis tantummodo ; quce. tua virtus, 
Expugnabis ; et est qui vinci possit, eoque 55 



9, 10.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 151 

Difficiles aditus primos habet. — Hand mihi deero ; 

Muneribus servos cwrumpam ; non, hodie si 

Exclusus fuero, desistam ; tempora queer am, 

Occurram in triviis, deducam. Nil sine magno 

Vita labore dedit mortalibus. — Haec dum agit, ecce, 60 

Fuscus Aristius occurrit, mihi carus et ilium 

Qui pulchre nosset. Consistimus. Unde venis ? et, 

Quo tendis ? rogat et respondet. Vellere caepi, 

Et prensare manu lentissima brachia, nutans, 

Distorquens oculos, ut me eriperet. Male salsus 65 

Ridens dissimulare. Meum jecur urere bilis. 

Certe nescio quid secreto velle loqui te 

Aiebas mecum. — Memini bene, sed meliore 

Tempore dicam ; hodie tricesima sabbata ; viri tu 

Curtis Judceis oppedere ? — Nulla mihi, inquam, 70 

Relligio est. — At mi ; sum paido infirmior, unus 

Multorum ; ignosces, alias loquar. — Hunccine solem 

Tarn nigrum surrexe mihi ! Fugit improbus ac me 

Sub cultro linquit. Casu venit obvius illi 

Adversarius, et, Quo tu turpissime ? magna 75 

Inclamat voce, et, Licet antestari ? Ego vero 

Appono auriculam. Rapit in jus. Clamor utrinque, 

Undique concursus. Sic me servavit Apollo. 



Satira X. 
IN INEPTOS LUCILII FAUTORES. 

Jjucili, quam sis mendosus, teste Catone, 
Defensore tuo, pervincam, qui male factos 
Emendare parat versus. Hoc lenius Me, 
Est quo vir melior, longe subtilior illo, 
Qui multum puer et loris et funibus udis 
Ecehortatus, ut esset opem qui ferre poetis 



152 a. HORATII FLACC1 [10. 

Antiquis posset contra fastidia nostra, 
Grammaticorum equitum doctissimus. Tit redeam illuc : 
Nempe incomposito dixi pede currere versus 
Lucili. Quis tarn Lucili fautor inepte est, 10 

Ut non hoc fateatur ? At idem, quod sale multo 
Urbem defricuit, charta laudatur eadem. 
Nee tamen hoc tribuens dederim quoque cetera ; nam sic 
Et Laberi mimos ut pulchra poemata mirer. 
Ergo non satis est risu diducere rictum 15 

Auditoris : et est quaedam tamen hie quoque virtus : 
Est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia, neu se 
Impediat verbis lassas onerantibus aures : 
Et sermone opus est modo tristi, ssepe jocoso, 
Defendente vicem modo rhetoris atque poetaa, 20 

Interdum urbani, parcentis viribus, atque 
Extenuantis eas consulto. Bidieulum acri 
Fortius et melius magnas plerumque secat res. 
Illi, scripta quibus Comoedia prisca viris est, 
Hoc stabant, hoc sunt imitandi ; quos neque pulcher 25 
Hermogenes unquam legit, neque simius iste, 
Nil praeter Calvum et doctus cantare Catullum. — 
At magnum, fecit, quod verbis G-rceca Latinis 
Miscuit. — O seri studiorum ! quine putetis 
Difficile et mirum, Rhodio quod Pitholeonti 30 

Contigit ? — At sermo lingua concinnus utraque 
Suavior, ut Chio nota si commixta Falerni est. 
Quum versus facias, te ipsum percontor, an et quum 
Dura tibi peragenda rei sit causa Petilli, 
Scilicet oblitus patriaeque patrisque, Latine 35 

Quum Pedius causas exsudet Publicola, atque 
Corvinus, patriis intermiscere petita 
Verba foris malis, Canusini more bilinguis ? 
Atqui ego quum Gra3Cos facerem, natus mare citra, 
Versiculos, vetuit tali me voce Quirinus, 40 

Post mediam noctem visus, quum somnia vera : 



10.] SERMONUM. LIBER I. 153 

In silvam non lignaferas insanius, ac si 
Magnas Grcecorum malis implere catervas. 
Turgidus Alpinus jugulat dum Memnona, dumque 
Defingit Rheni luteum caput, hasc ego ludo, 45 

Quae neque in sede sonent certantia judice Tarpa, 
Nee redeant iterum atque iterum spectanda theatris. 

Arguta meretrice potes, Davoque Chremeta 
Eludente senem, comis garrire libellos, 

Unus vivorum, Fundani : Pollio regum 50 

Facta canit pede ter percusso : forte epos acer, 
Ut nemo, Varius ducit : molle atque facetum 
Virgilio annuerunt gaudentes rure Camena3. 
Hoc erat, experto frustra Varrone Atacino 
Atque quibusdam aliis, melius quod scribere possem, 55 

Inventore minor ; neque ego illi detrahere ausim 
Hasrentem capiti cum multa laude coronam. 
At dixi fluere hunc lutulentum, saepe ferentem 
Plura quidem tollenda relinquendis. Age, quaaso, 
Tu nihil in magno doctus reprendis Homero ? 60 

Nil comis tragici mutat Lucilius Atti ? 
Non ridet versus Enni gravitate minores, 
Quum de se loquitur, non ut majore reprensis ? 
Quid vetat et nosmet Lucili scripta legentes 
Quserere, num illius, num rerum dura negarit 65 

Versiculos natura magis factos et euntes 
Mollius, ac si quis, pedibus quid claudere senis, 
Hoc tantum contentus, amet scripsisse ducentos 
Ante cibum versus, totidem coenatus ; Etrusci 
Quale fuit Cassi rapido ferventius amni 70 

Ingenium, capsis quern fama est esse librisque 
Ambustum propriis. Fuerit Lucilius, inquam, 
Comis et urbanus ; fuerit limatior idem, 
Quam rudis et Graeeis intacti carminis auctor, 
Quamque poetarum seniorum turba ; sed ille, 75 

Si foret hoc nostrum fato dilatus in sevum, 
G 2 



154 a. HORATII FLACCI SERMONUM. LIBER I. [10. 

Detereret sibi multa, recideret orane, quod ultra 
Perfectum traheretur, et in versu faciendo 
Ssepe caput scaberet, vivos et roderet ungues. 

Ssepe stilum vertas, iterum quae digna legi sint, 80 

Scripturus ; neque, te ut miretur turba, labores, 
Contentus paucis lectoribus. An tua demens 
Vilibus in ludis dictari carmina malis ? 
Non ego ; nam satis est equitem mihi plaudere, ut audax, 
Contemtis aliis, explosa Arbuscula dixit. 85 

Men moveat cimex Pantilius ? aut cruciet, quod 
Vellicet absentem Demetrius ? aut quod ineptus 
Fannius Hermogenis lsedat conviva Tigelli ? 
Plotius et Varius, Maecenas Virgiliusque, 
Valgius, et probet haec Octavius optimus, atque 90 

Fuscus, et hasc utinam Viscorum laudet uterque ! 
Ambitione relegata, te dicere possum, 
Pollio, te, Messala, tuo cum fratre, simulquo 
Vos, Bibule et Servi ; simul his te, candide Furni, 
Compluresque alios, doctos ego quos et amicos 95 

Prudens prsetereo ; quibus haec, sunt qualiacunque 
Arridere velim ; doliturus, si placeant spe 
Deterius nostra. Demetri, teque, Tigelli, 
Discipularum inter jubeo plorare cathedras. 
I, puer, atque meo citus hasc subscribe libello. 100 



Q. H R A T I I F L A C C I 
SERMONUM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 



Satira I. 

IN QUENDAM, QUI ACTIONEM DE FAMOSIS 
LIBELLIS HORATIO INTENTABAT. 

HoRATIUS. 

Sunt quibus in Satira videor nimis acer, et ultra 
Legem tendere opus ; sine nervis altera, quidquid 
Composui, pars esse putat, similesque meorum 
Mille die versus deduci posse. Trebati, 
Quid faciam, prescribe. 

Trebatius. 
Quiescas. 

Horatius. 

Ne faciam, inquis, 5 
Omnino versus ? 



Trebatius. 



Aio. 



Horatius. 

Peream male, si non 
Optimum erat ; verum nequeo dormire. 



156 a. HORATII FLACCI [l. 

Trebatius. 

Ter uncti 
Transnanto Tiberim, soirmo quibus est opus alto, 
Irriguumque mero sub noctem corpus habento. 
Aut si tantus amor scribendi te rapit, aude 10 

Csesaris invicti res dicere, multa laborum 
Prsemia laturus. 

HoRATIUS. 

Cupidum, pater optime, vires 
Deflciunt ; neque endm quivis horrentia pilis 
Agmina, nee fracta pereuntes cuspide Gallos, 
Aut labentis equo describat vulnera Parthi. 15 

Trebatius. 
Attamen et justum poteras et scribere fortem, 
Scipiadam ut sapiens Lucilius. 

HORATTUS. 

Haud mihi deero, 
Quum res ipsa feret. Nisi dextro tempore Flacci 
Verba per attentam non ibunt Csesaris aurem ; 
Cui male si palpere, recalcitret undique tutus. 20 

Trebatius. 
Quanto rectius hoc, quam tristi laedere versu 
Pantolabum scurram Nomentanumque nepotem ! 
Quum sibi quisque timet, quamquam est intactus, et odit. 

HORATIUS. 

Quid faciam ? Saltat Milonius, ut semel icto 

Accessit fervor capiti numerusque lucernis. 25 

Castor gaudet equis ; ovo prognatus eodem 

Pugnis ; quot capitum vivunt, totidem studiorum 

Millia : me pedibus delectat claudere verba, 

Lucili ritu, nostrum melioris utroque. 



1.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 157 

Ille velut fidis arcana sodalibus olim 30 

Credebat libris ; neque, si male cesserat, unquam 

Decurrens alio, neque, si bene : quo fit, ut omnis 

Votiva pateat veluti descripta tabella 

Vita senis. Sequor hunc, Lucanus an Apulus anceps : 

Nam Venusinus arat finem sub utrumque colonus, 35 

Missus ad hoc, pulsis, vetus est ut fama, Sabellis, 

Quo ne per vacuum Romano incurreret hostis, 

Sive quod Apula gens, seu quod Lucania bellum 

Incuteret violenta. Sed hie stilus haud petet ultro 

Quemquam animantem ; et me veluti custodiet ensis 40 

Vagina tectus, quern cur destringere coner, 

Tutus ab infestis latronibus ? O pater et rex 

Jupiter, ut pereat positum robigine telum, 

Nee quisquam noceat cupido mihi pacis ! at ille, 

Qui me commdrit (melius non tangere, clamo), 45 

Flebit, et insignis tota cantabitur urbe. 

Cervius iratus leges minitatur et urn am : 

Canidia Albuti, quibus est inimica, venenum ; 

Grande malum Turius, si quid se judice certes. 

Ut, quo quisque valet, suspectos terreat, utque 50 

Imperet hoc natura potens, sic collige mecum : 

Dente lupus, cornu taurus, petit ; unde, nisi intus 

Monstratum ? Sceevas vivacem crede nepoti 

Matrem : nil faciet sceleris pia dextera (mirum, 

Ut neque calce lupus quemquam, neque dente petit bos) ; 55 

Sed mala toilet anum vitiato melle cicuta. 

Ne longum faciam, seu me tranquilla senectus 

Exspectat, seu mors atris circumvolat alis, 

Dives, inops, R,omae, seu, fors ita jusserit, exsul, 

Quisquis erit vitae, scribam, color. 

Trebatius. 

O puer, ut sis 60 

Vitalis, metuo, et majorum ne quis amicus 
Frigore te feriat. 



158 Q. HORATII FLACCI [1. 

HoRATIUS. 

Quid ? quum est Lucilius ausus 
Primus in hunc operis componere carmina morem, 
Detrahere et pellem, nitidus qua quisque per or a 
Cederet, introrsum turpis ; num Lselius, aut qui 65 

Duxit ab oppressa meritum Carthagine noraen, 
Ingenio offensi ? aut lseso doluere Metello, 
Famosisque Lupo cooperto versibus ? Atqui 
Priraores populi arripuit, populumque tributiin ; 
Scilicet uni aequus virtuti atque ejus amicis. 70 

Quin ubi se a vulgo et scena in secreta remorant 
Virtus Scipiadse et mitis sapientia La^li, 
Nugari cum illo et discincti ludere, donee 
Decoqueretur olus, soliti. Quidquid sum ego, quamvis 
Infra Lucili censum ingeniumque, tamen me 75 

Cum magnis vixisse invita fatebitur usque 
Tnvidia, et fragili quserens illidere dentem 
OfTendet solido ; nisi quid tu, docte Trebati, 
Dissentis. 

i 

Trebatius. 
Equidem nihil hinc diffindere possum ; 
Sed tamen ut monitus caveas, ne forte negoti 80 

Incutiat tibi quid sanctarum inscitia legum : 
Si mala condiderit in quern quis carmina, jus est 
Judiciumque. 

HoRATIUS. 

Esto, si quis mala ; sed bona si quis 
Judice condiderit laudatus Caesare ? si quis 
Opprobriis dignum laceraverit, integer ipse ? 85 

Trebatius. 
Solventur risu tabular, tu missus abibis. 



2.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 159 

Satira II, 
IN VIT^E URBAN^E LUXURIAM ET INEPTIAS. 
Quae virtus, et quanta, boni, sit vivere parvo 
(Neo meus hie sermo est, sed quern praecepit Ofellus 
Rusticus, abnormis sapiens, crassaque Minerva), 
Discite, non inter lances rnensasque nitentes, 
Quum stupet insanis acies fulgoribus, et quum 5 

Acclinis falsis animus meliora recusat ; 
Verum hie impransi mecum disquirite. — Cur hoc? 
Dicam, si potero. Male verum examinat omnis 
Corruptus judex. 

Leporem sectatus, equove 
Lassus ab indomito, vel, si Romana fatigat 10 

Militia assuetum graecari, seu pila velox, 
Molliter austerum studio fallente laborem, 
Seu te discus agit, pete cedentem aera disco : 
Quum labor extuderit fastidia, siccus, inanis, 
Sperne cibum vilem ; nisi Hymettia mella Falerno 1 5 

Ne biberis diluta. Foris est promus, et atrum 
Defendens pisces hiemat mare ; cum sale panis 
Latrantem stomachum bene leniet. Unde putas, aut 
Qui partum ? Non in caro nidore voluptas 
Summa, sed in te ipso est. Tu pulmentaria quaere 20 

Sudando : pinguem vitiis albumque neque ostrea 
Nee scarus aut poterit peregrina juvare lagois. 
Vix tamen eripiam, posito pavone, velis quin 
Hoc potius, quam gallina, tergere palatum, 
Corruptus vanis rerum, quia veneat auro 25 

Rara avis, et picta pandat spectacula cauda ; 
Tanquam ad rem attineat quidquam. Num vescoris ista, 
Quam laudas, pluma ? cocto num adest honor idem ? 
Came tamen quamvis distat nihil, hac magis illam 
Imparibus formis deceptum te petere ! Esto : 30 

Unde datum sentis, lupus hie Tiberinus an alto 



160 Q. HOEATII FLACCI [2. 

Captus hiet, pontesne inter jactatus an amnis 

Ostia sub Tusci ? laud as insane trilibrem 

Mullum, in singula quern minuas pulmenta necesse est. 

Ducit te species, video : quo pertinet ergo 35 

Proceros odisse lupos ? quia scilicet illis 

Majorem natura modum dedit, his breve pondus. 

Jejunus raro stomachus vulgaria temnit. 

Porrectum magno magnum spectare catino 

Vellem, ait Harpyiis gula digna rapacibus : at vos, 40 

Praesentes Austri, coquite horum opsonia. Quamquam 

Putet aper rhombusque recens, mala copia quando 

JEgrum sollicitat stomachum, quum rapula plenus 

Atque acidas mavult inulas. Necdum omnis abacta 

Pauperies epulis regum : nam vilibus ovis 45 

Nigrisque est oleis hodie locus. Haud ita pridem 

Galloni praeconis erat acipensere mensa 

Infamis. Quid ? turn rhombos minus aequora alebant ? 

Tutus erat rhombus, tutoque ciconia nido, 

Donee vos auctor docuit prsetorius. Ergo 50 

Si quis nunc mergos suaves edixerit assos, 

Parebit pravi docilis Romana juventus. 

Sordidus a tenui victu distabit, Ofello 
Judice ; nam frustra vitium vitaveris illud, 
Si te alio pravum detorseris. Avidienus, 55 

Cui Canis ex vero ductum cognomen adhaeret, 
Quinquennes oleas est et silvestria corna, 
Ac nisi mutatum parcit defundere vinum, et 
Cujus odorem olei nequeas perferre (licebit 
Ille repotia, natales, alios ve dierum 60 

Festos albatus celebret), cornu ipse bilibri 
Caulibus instillat, veteris non parcus aceti. 

Quali igitur victu sapiens utetur ? et horum 
Utrum imitabitur ? Hac urget lupus, hac canis, aiunt. 
Mundus erit, qui non offendat sordidus, atque 65 

In neutram partem cultus miser. Hie neque servis, 



2.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 161 

Albuti senis exemplo, dum munia didit, 
Seevus erit ; nee sic ut simplex Naevius unctara 
Convivis prsebebit aquara ; vitium hoc quoque magnum. 

' Accipe nunc, victus tenuis quae quantaque secum 70 

Afferat. Inprimis valeas bene : nam, variee res 
Ut noceant homini, credas, memor illius esces, 
Quse simplex olim tibi sederit : at simul assis 
Miscueris elixa, simul conchylia turdis, 
Dulcia se in bilem vertent, stomachoque tumultum 75 

Lenta feret pituita. Vides, ut pallidus omnis 
Ccena desurgat dubia ? Quin corpus onustum 
Hesternis vitiis animum quoque prsegravat una, 
Atque affigit humo divinse particulam aurse. 
Alter, ubi dicto citius curata sopori 80 

Membra dedit, vegetus prsescripta ad munia surgit. 
Hie tamen ad melius poterit transcurrere quondam, 
Sive diem festum rediens advexerit annus, 
Sou recreare volet tenuatum corpus ; ubique 
Accedent anni, tractari mollius setas 85 

Imbecilla volet. Tibi quidnam accedet ad istam, 
Quam puer et validus preesumis, mollitiem, seu 
Dura valetudo inciderit seu tarda senectus ? 

Rancidum aprum antiqui laudabant, non quia nasus 
Illis nullus erat, sed, credo, hac mente, quod hospes 90 

Tardius adveniens vitiatum commodius, quam 
Integrum edax dominus consumeret. Hos utinam inter 
Heroas natum tellus me prima tulisset ! 

Das aliquid famse, quae carmine gratior aurem 
Occupat humanam ? grandes rhombi patinaeque 95 

Grande ferunt una cum damno dedecus : adde 
Iratum patruum, vicinos, te tibi iniquum, 
Et frustra mortis cupidum, quum deerit egenti 
As, laquei pretium. Jure, inquit, Trausius istis 
Jurgatur verbis ; ego vectigalia magna 100 

Divitiasque habeo tribus amplas regibus. Ergo, 



162 a. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Quod superat, non est melius quo insumere possis ? 

Cur eget indignus quisquam, te divite ? quare 

Templa ruunt antiqua Deum ? cur, improbe, carss 

Non aliquid patriae tanto emetiris acervo ? 105 

Uni nimirum tibi recte semper erunt res ! 

O magnus posthac inimicis risus ! Uterne 

Ad casus dubios fidet sibi certius ? hie, qui 

Pluribus assuerit mentem corpusque superbum, 

An qui, contentus parvo metuensque futuri, 110 

In pace, ut sapiens, aptarit idonea bello ? 

Quo magis his credas, puer hunc ego parvus Ofellum 
Integris opibus novi non latius usum, 
Quam nunc accisis. Videas metato in agello 
Cum pecore et gnatis for tern mercede colonum, 115 

Non ego, narrantem, temere edi luce profesta 
Quidquam prater olus fumosce cum pede pernce. 
Ac mihi seu longum post tempus venerat hospes, 
Sive operum vacuo gratus conviva per imbrem 
Vicinus, bene erat, non piscibus urbe petitis, 120 

Sed pullo atque hcedo : turn pensilis uva secundas 
Et nux ornabat mensas cum duplice ficu. 
Post hoc ludus erat, culpa potare magistra : 
Ac venerata Ceres, ita culmo surgeret alto, 
Explicuit vino contracted seria frontis. 125 

Sceviat atque novos moveat fortuna tumultus ; 
Quantum hinc imminuet ? quanto aut ego parcius, aut vos, 
O pueri, nituistis, ut hue novus incola venit ? 
Nam proprice, telluris herum natura neque ilium, 
Nee me, nee quemquam statuit : nos expulit ille ; 130 

Ilium aut nequities aut vafri inscitia juris, 
Postremum expellet certe vivacior he res. 
Nunc ager Umbreni sub nomine, nuper Ofelli 
Dictus, erit nulli proprius, sed cedit in usum 
Nunc mihi, nunc alii. Quocirca vivite fortes, 135 

Fortiaque adversis opponite pectora rebus. 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 1G3 



Satira III. 

OMNES INSANIRE,„ETIAM IPSOS STOICOS, 
DUM HOC DOCENT. 

Damasippus. 
Sic raro scribis, ut toto non quater anno 
Membranam poscas, scriptorum quaeque retexens, 
Iratus tibi, quod vini somnique benignus 
Nil dignum sermone canas. Quid net ? Ab ipsis 
Saturnalibus hue fugisti. Sobrius ergo 5 

Die aliquid dignum proraissis : incipe. Nil est. 
Culpantur frustra calami, immeritusque laborat 
Iratis natus paries Dis atque poetis. 
Atqui vultus erat multa et prseclara minantis, 
Si vacuum tepido cepisset villula tecto. 10 

Quorsum pertinuit stipare Platona Menandro, 
Eupolin, Archilochum, comites educere tantos ? 
Invidiam placare paras, virtute relicta ? 
Contemnere, miser. Vitanda est improba Siren 
Desidia ; aut quidquid vita meliore parasti, 15 

Ponendum aequo animo. 

Horatius. 

Di te, Damasippe, Deseque 
Verum ob consilium donent tonsore. Sed unde 
Tarn bene me nosti ? 

Damasippus. 

Postquam omnis res mea Janum 
Ad medium fracta est, aliena negotia euro, 
Excussus propriis. Olim nam quaerere amabam, 20 

Quo vafer ille pedes lavisset Sisyphus sere, 
Quid sculptum infabre, quid fusum durius esset : 
Callidus huic signo ponebam millia centum : 



1G4 Q. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Hortos egregiasque domos mercarier unus 

Cum lucro noram ; unde frequentia Mercuriale 25 

Imposuere mihi cognomen compita. 

Horatius. 

Novi, 
Et miror morbi purgatum te illius. 

Damasippus. 

Atqui 
Emovit veterem mire novus, ut solet, in cor 
Trajecto lateris miseri capitisve dolore, 
Ut lethargicus hie, quum fit pugil, et medicum urget. 30 

Horatius. 
Dum ne quid simile huic, esto ut libet. 

Damasippus. 

O bone, ne te 
Frustrere ; insanis et tu stultique prope omnes, 
Si quid Stertinius veri crepat ; unde ego mira 
Descripsi docilis prsecepta haec, tempore quo me 
Solatus jussit sapientem pascere barbam, 35 

Atque a Fabricio non tristem ponte reverti. 
Nam male re gesta quum vellem mittere operto 
Me capite in flumen, dexter stetit, et, Cave faxis 
Te quidquam indignum : pudor, inquit, te malus angit, 
Insanos qui inter vereare insanus haberi. 40 

Primum nam inquiram, quid sit furere : hoc si erit in te 
Solo, nil verbi, pereas quin fortiter, addam. 
Quern mala stultitia, et quemcunque inscitia veri 
Cascum agit, insanum Chrysippi porticus et grex 
Autumat. Hac populos, hsec magnos formula reges, 45 
Excepto sapiente, tenet. Nunc accipe, quare 
Desipiant omnes aeque ac tu, qui tibi nomen 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 165 

Insano posuere. Velut silvis, ubi passim 

Palantes error certo de tramite pellit, 

Hie sinistrorsum, hie dextrorsum a bit ; unus utrisque 50 

Error, sed variis illudit partibus ; hoc te 

Crede modo insanum ; nihilo ut sapientior ille, 

Qui te deridet, caudam trahat. Est genus unum 

Stultitise nihilura metuenda timentis, ut ignes, 

Ut rupes, fluviosque in campo obstare queratur : 55 

Alterum et huic varum et nihilo sapientius, ignes 

Per medios fluviosque ruentis ; clamet arnica 

Mater, honesta soror cum cognatis, pater, uxor : 

Hie fossa est ingens, hie rupes maxima, serva! 

Non magis audierit, quam Fufius ebrius olim, 60 

Quum Ilionam edormit, Catienis mille ducentis, 

Mater, te appello, clamantibus. Huic ego vulgus 

Errori similem cunctum insanire docebo. 

Insanit veteres statuas Damasippus emendo : 

Integer est mentis Damasippi creditor ? esto. 65 

Accipe quod nunquam reddas mihi, si tibi dicam, 

Tune insanus eris, si acceperis ? an magis excors, 

Rejecta prseda, quam prsesens Mercurius fert ? 

Scribe decern a Nerio ; non est satis : adde Cicutse 

Nodosi tabulas centum ; mille adde catenas : 70 

EfFugiet tamen haec sceleratus vincula Proteus. 

Quum rapies in jus malis ridentem alienis, 

Fiet aper, modo avis, modo saxum, et, quum volet, arbor. 

Si male rem gerere insani, contra bene sani est, 

Putidius multo cerebrum est, mihi crede, Perilli, 15 

Dictantis, quod tu nunquam rescribere possis. 

Audire atque togam jubeo componere, quisquis 
Ambitione mala aut argenti pallet amore ; 
Quisquis luxuria tristique superstitione 
Aut alio mentis morbo calet ; hue propius me, 80 

Dura doceo insanire omnes, vos ordine adite. 

Danda est ellebori multo pars maxima avaris : 



166 a. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Nescio an Anticyram ratio illis destinet omnem. 

Heredes Staberi summara incidere sepulcro : 

Ni sic fecissent, gladiatorum dare centum 85 

Damnati populo paria, atqUe epulum arbitrio Arri, 

Frumenti quantum metit Africa. Sive ego prave, 

Seu recte hoc volui, ne sis patruus mihi. Credo 

Hoc Staberi prudentem animum vidisse. Quid ergo 

Sensit, quum summam patrimoni insculpere saxo 90 

Heredes voluit ? Quoad vixit, credidit ingens 

Pauperiem vitium, et cavit nihil acrius ; ut, si 

Forte minus locuples uno quadrante perisset, 

Ipse videretur sibi nequior. Omnis enim res, 

Virtus, fama, decus, divina humanaque pulchris 95 

Divitiis parent ; quas qui construxerit, ille 

Clarus erit, fortis, Justus. Sapiensne ? Etiam, et rex, 

Et quidquid volet. Hoc, veluti virtute paratum, 

Speravit magnse laudi fore. Quid simile isti 

Grsecus Aristippus ? qui servos projicere aurum 100 

In media jussit Libya, quia tardius irent 

Propter onus segnes. Uter est insanior horum ? 

Nil agit exemplum, litem quod lite resolvit. 

Si quis emat citharas, emtas comportet in unum, 
Nee studio citharae nee Musse deditus ulli ; 105 

Si scalpra et formas non sutor ; nautica vela 
Aversus mercaturis ; delirus et aniens 
Undique dicatur merito. Qui discrepat istis, 
Qui nummos aurumque recondit, nescius uti 
Compositis, metuensque velut contingere sacrum? 110 

Si quis ad ingentem frumenti semper acervum 
Porrectus vigilet cum longo fuste, neque illinc 
Audeat esuriens dominus contingere granum, 
Ac potius foliis parous vescatur amaris ; 
Si positis intus Chii veterisque Falerni 115 

Mille cadis, nihil est, tercentum millibus, acre 
Potet acetum ; age, si et stramentis incubet, unde- 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 167 

Octoginta annos natus, cui stragula vestis, 
Blattarum ac tinearum epulse, putrescat in area : 
Nimirum insanus paucis videatur, eo quod 120 

Maxima pars hominum morbo jactatur eodem. 

Filius aut etiam hsec libertus ut ebibat heres, 
Dis inimice senex, custodis ? ne tibi desit ? 
Quantulum enim summse curtabit quisque dierum, 
Ungere si caules oleo meliore, caputque 125 

C(Eperis impexa foedum porrigine ? Quare, 
Si quid vis satis est, perjuras, surripis, aufers 
Undique ? tun sanus ? Populum si csedere saxis 
Incipias, servosve tuo quos sere pararis, 
Insanum te omnes pueri clamentque puellae : 130 

Quum laqueo uxorera interimis, matremque veneno, 
Incolumi capite es ? Quid enim ? Neque tu hoc facis Argis, 
Nee ferro, ut demens genitricem occidit Orestes. 
An tu reris eum occisa insanisse parente, 
Ac non ante malis dementem actum Funis, quam 135 

In matris jugulo ferrum tepefecit acutum ? 
Quin, ex quo habitus male tutae mentis Orestes, 
Nil sane fecit, quod tu reprendere possis : 
Non Pyladen ferro violare aususve sororem est 
Electram ; tantum maledicit utrique, vocando 140 

Hanc Furiam, hunc aliud, jussit quod splendida bibs. 

Pauper Opimius argenti positi intus et auri, 
Qui Veientanum festis potare diebus 
Campana solitus trulla, vappamque profestis, 
Quondam lethargo grandi est oppressus, ut heres 145 

Jam circum loculos et claves lsetus ovansque 
Curreret. Hunc medicus multum celer atque fidelis 
Excitat hoc pacto : mensam poni jubet, atque 
Effundi saccos nummorum, accedere plures 
Ad numerandum : hominem sic erigit ; addit et illud : 1 50 
Ni tua custodis, avidus jam hsec auferet heres. 
Men vivo ? — Ut vivas igitur, vigila : hoc age : Quid vis ? — 



168 a. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Deficient inopem vense te, ni cibus atque 

Ingenua accedit stomacho fultura ruenti. 

Tu cessas? agedum, sume hoc ptisanarium oryzse. 155 

Quanti emtce ? — Parvo. — Quanti ergo ? — Octussibus. — 

Eheu ! 
Quid refert, morbo, anfurtis percamque rapinis ? 
Quisnam igitur sanus ? — Qui non stultus. — Quid ava- 

rus ? — 
Stultus et insanus. — Quid ? si quis non sit avarus, 
Continuo sanus ? — Minime. — Cur, Stoice ? — Dicam. 160 
Non est cardiacus, Craterum dixisse putato, 
Hie seger : recte est igitur surgetque ? Negabit, 
Quod latus aut renes morbo tentantur acuto. 
Non est perjurus neque sordidus ; immolet acquis 
Hie porcum Laribus : verum ambitiosus et audax ; 165 
Naviget Anticyram. Quid enim differt, barathrone 
Dones quidquid habes, an nunquam utare paratis ? 
Servius Oppidius Canusi duo prsedia, dives 
Antiquo censu, gnatis divisse duobus 

Fertur, et hsec moriens pueris dixisse vocatis 170 

Ad lectum : Postquam te talos, Aule, nucesque 
Ferre sinu laxo, donare et ludere vidi, 
■Te, Tiberi, numerate, cavis abscondere tristem ; 
Extimui, ne vos ageret vesania discors, 
Tu Nomentanum, tu ne sequerere Cicutam. 175 

Quare per Divos oratus, uterque Penates, 
Tu cave ne minuas, tu, ne majus facias id, 
Quod satis esse putat pater, et natura coercet. 
Prceterea ne vos titillet gloria, jure- 

Jurando obstringam ambo : uter JEdilis fueritve 180 

Vestrum Prcetor, is intestabilis et sacer esto. 
In cicere atque f aba bona tu perdasque lupinis, 
Latus ut in circo spatiere, et aeneus ut stes, 
Nudus agris, nudus nummis, insane, paternis ? 
Scilicet ut plausus, quosfert Agrippa, /eras tu, 185 

Astuta ingenuum vulpes imitata leonem? 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 169 

Ne quis humasse velit Ajacem, Atrida, vetas cur ? — 
Rex sum. — Nil ultra qusero plebeius. — Et <xquam 
Rem imperito ; at, si cui videor non Justus, inulto 
Dicere, quod sentit, permitto. — -Maxime regum, 190 

Di tibi dent capta classem deducere Troja. 
Ergo consulere et mox respondere licebit ? — 
Consule.— Cur Ajax, heros ab Achilla secundus, 
Putescit, toties servatis clarus Achivis ? 
Gaudeat ut populus Priami Priamusque inhumato, 195 

Per quern tot juvenes patrio caruere sepulcro ? — 
Mille ovium insanus morti dedit, inclytum Ulixen 
Et Menelaum una mecum se occidere damans. — 
Tu quum pro vitula statuis dulcem Aulide natam 
Ante aras, spargisque mola caput, improbe, salsa, 200 

Rectum animi servas ? Quorsum ? Insanus quid enini 

Ajax 
Fecit, quurn stravit ferro pecus ? Abstinuit vim 
Uxore et gnato : mala multa precatus Atridis, 
Non ille aut Teucrum aut ipsum violavit Ulixen. — 
Verum ego, ut hcerentes adverso litore naves 205 

Eriperem, prudens placavi sanguine Divos. — 
Nempe tuo, furiose. — Meo, sed non furiosus. — 
Qui species alias veris scelerisque tumultu 
Permixtas capiet, commotus habebitur ; atque 
Stultitiane erret, nihilum distabit, an ira. 210 

Ajax quum immeritos occidit, desipit, agnos ; 
Quum prudens scelus ob titulos admittis inanes, 
Stas animo ? et purum est vitio tibi, quum tumidum est, cor ? 
Si quis lectica nitidam gestare amet agnam, 
Huic vestem, ut gnatse paret ancillas, paret aurum, 215 
Rufam aut Pusillam appellet, fortique marito 
Destinet uxorem : interdicto huic omne adimat jus 
Praetor, et ad sanos abeat tutela propinquos. 
Quid ? si quis gnatam pro muta devovet agna, 
Integer est animi ? Ne dixeris. Ergo ibi parva 220 

H 



170 Q. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

Stultitia, hie summa est insania : qui sceleratus, 
Et furiosus erit ; quern cepit vitrea fama, 
Hunc circumtonuit gaudens Bellona cruentis. 

Nunc age, luxuriam et Nomentanum arripe mecum. 
Vincet enim stultos ratio insanire nepotes. 225 

Hie simul accepit patrimoni mille talenta, 
Edicit, piscator uti, pomarius, auceps, 
Unguentarius ac Tusci turba impia vici, 
Cum scurris fartor, cum Velabro orrme macellum 
Mane domum veniant. Quid turn? Venere frequentes. 230 
Verba facit leno : Quidquid mihi, quidquid et horum 
Cuique domi est, id crede tuum et vel nunc pete, vel eras. 
Accipe, quid contra juvenis respondent eequus : 
In nine Lucana dormis ocreatus, ut aprum 
Caznem ego ; tu pisces hiberno ex cequore vellis ; 235 

Segnis ego, indignus qui tantum possideam : aufer : 
Sume tibi decies : tibi tantundem ; tibi triplex. 

Filius iEsopi detractam ex aure Metellee, 
Scilicet ut decies solidum obsorberet, aceto 
Diluit insignem baccam ; qui sanior, ac si 240 

Illud idem in rapidum flumen jaceretve cloacam ? 
Quinti progenies Arri, par nobile fratrum, 
Nequitia et nugis, pravorum et amore gemellum. 
Lusoinias soliti impenso prandere coemtas. 
Quorsum abeant ? Sam ut creta, an carbone notandi ? 245 

^Edificare casas, plostello adjungere mures, 
Ludere par impar, equitare in arundine longa, 
Si quern delectet barbatum, amentia verset. 
Si puerilius his ratio esse evincet amare, 
Nee quidquam differre, utrumne in pulvere, trimus 250 

Quale prius, ludas opus, an meretricis amore 
Sollicitus plores : queero, faciasne quod olim 
Mutatus Polemon ? ponas insignia morbi, 
Fasciolas, cubital, focalia, potus ut ille 
Dicitur ex collo furtim carpsisse coronas, 255 



3.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 171 

Postquam est impransi correptus voce magistri ? 

Porrigis irato puero quum poma, recusat : 

Sume, Catelle : negat ; si non des, optat. Amator 

Exclusus qui distat, agit ubi secum, eat, an non, 

Quo rediturus erat non arcessitus, et hseret 260 

Invisis foribus ? Ne nunc, quum me vocat ultro, 

Accedam ? an potius mediter Jinire dolor es ? 

Exclusit, revocat : redeam ? Non, si obsecret. Ecce 

Servus, non paullo sapientior : O here, quce res 

Nee modum habet neque consilium, ratione modoque 265 

Tractari non vult. In amove hcec sunt mala ; bellum, 

Pax rursum. Hcec si quis tempestatis prope ritu 

Mobilia, et cceca Jluitantia sorte, labor et 

Reddere certa sibi, nihilo plus explicet, ac si 

Insanire paret certa ratione modoque 270 

Quid ? quum Picenis excerpens semina pomis 

Gaudes, si camaram percusti forte, penes te es ? 

Quid ? quum balba feris annoso verba palato, 

iEdificante casas qui sanior ? Adde cruorem 

Stultitiee, atque ignem gladio scrutare modo, inquam. 275 

Hellade percussa, Marius quum prsecipitat se, 

Cerritus fuit ? an commotas crimine mentis 

Absolves hominem, et sceleris damnabis eundem, 

Ex more imponens cognata vocabula rebus ? 

Libertinus erat, qui circum compita siccus 280 

Lautis mane senex manibus currebat, et, JJnum 
(Quid tarn magnum? addens), unum me surpite morti, 
Dis etenim facile est, orabat ; sanus utrisque 
Auribus atque oculis ; mentem, nisi litigiosus, 
Exciperet dominus, quum venderet. Hoc quoque vulgus 285 
Chrysippus ponit fecunda in gente Meneni. 
Jupiter, ingentes qui das adimisque dolores, 
Mater ait pueri menses jam quinque cubantis, 
Frigida si puerum quartana reliquerit, illo 
Mane die, quo tu indicts jejunia, nudus 290 



172 a. HORATII FLACCI [3. 

In Tiberi stabit Casus medicusve levarit 
^Egrura ex prsecipiti, mater delira necabit 
In gelida fixum ripa, febrimque reducet. 
Quone malo mentem concussa ? timore Deorum. 

Haec mihi Stertinius, sapientum octavus, amico 295 

Arma dedit, posthac ne compellarer inultus. 
Dixerit insanum qui me, totidem audiet, atque 
Respicere ignoto discet pendentia tergo. 

HORATIUS. 

Stoice, post damnum sic vendas omnia pluris : 

Qua me stultitia, quoniam non est genus unum, 300 

Insanire putas ? ego nam videor mihi sanus. 

Damasippus. 
Quid ? caput abscissum manibus quum portat Agaue 
Gnati infelicis, sibi turn furiosa videtur ? 

HoRATTUS. 

Stultum me fateor, liceat concedere veris, 

Atque etiam insanum : tantum hoc edissere, quo me 305 

iEgrotare putes animi vitio ? 

Damasippus. 

Accipe : primum 
iEdificas, hoc est, longos imitaris, ab imo 
Ad summum totus moduli bipedalis ; et idem 
Corpore majorem rides Turbonis in armis 
Spirit urn et incessum : qui ridiculus minus illo ? 310 

An quodcunque facit Maecenas, te quoque verum est, 
Tantum dissimilem et tanto certare minorem ? 
Absentis ranae pullis vituli pede pressis, 
Unus ubi effugit, matri denarrat, ut ingens 
Bellua cognatos eliserit. Ilia rogare, 315 

Quantane ? num tantum, sufflans se, magna fuisset ? — 



3, 4.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 173 

Major dimidio. — Num tanto ? — Quum magis atque 

Se magis inflaret ; Non, si te ruperis, inquit, 

Par eris. Haec a te non multum abludit imago. 

Adde poemata nunc, hoc est, oleum adde camino ; 320 

Quae si quis sanus fecit, sanus facis et tu. 

Non dico horrendam rabiem. 

Horatius. 

Jam desine. 

Damasippus. 

Cultum 
Majorem censu. 

Horatius. 

Teneas, Damasippe, tuis te. 
O major tandem parcas, insane, minori. 325 



Satira IV. 

LEVES CATILLONES EPICURES SEOT^E 

DEPvIDET. 

Horatius. 
Unde et quo Catius ? 

Catius. 
Non est mihi tempus aventi 
Ponere signa novis praeceptis, qualia vincant 
Pythagoran Anytique reum doctumque Platona. 

Horatius. 
Peccatum fateor, quum te sic tempore laevo 
Interpellarim : sed des veniam bonus, oro. 
Quod si interciderit tibi nunc aliquid, repetes mox, 
Sive est naturae hoc, sive artis, mirus utroque. 



174 Q. HORATII FLACCI [4. 

Cattus. 
Quin id erat curae, quo pacto cuncta tenerem, 
Utpote res termes, tenui sermone peractas. 

HoRATIUS. 

Ede hominis nomen ; simul et, Romanus an hospes. 10 

Catius. 
Ipsa memor praecepta canam, celabitur auctor. 

Longa quibus fafcies ovis erit, ilia memento 
Ut succi melioris et ut magis alba rotundis 
Ponere ; namque marem cohibent callosa vitellum. 

Caule suburbano, qui siccis crevit in agris, 15 

Dulcior ; irriguo nihil est elutius horto. 

Si vespertinus subito te oppresserit hospes, 
Ne gallina malum responset dura palato, 
Doctus eris vivam musto mersare Falerno ; 
Hoc teneram faciet. 

Pratensibus optima fungis 20 

Natura est ; aliis male creditur. 

Ille salubres 
^Estates peraget, qui nigris prandia moris 
Finiet, ante gravem quae legerit arbore solem. 

Aufidius forti miscebat mella Falerno, 
Mendose, quoniam vacuis committere venis 25 

Nil nisi lene decet ; leni prsecordia mulso 
Prolueris melius. 

Si dura morabitur alvus, 
Mitulus et viles pellent obstantia conchas, 
Et lapathi brevis herba, sed albo non sine Coo. 

Lubrica nascentes implent conchylia lunse ; 30 

Sed non omne mare est generosae fertile testae. 
Murice Baiano melior Lucrina peloris ; 
Ostrea Circeiis, Miseno oriuntur echini ; 
Pectinibus patulis jactat se molle Tarentum. 



4.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 175 

Nec sibi coenarum quivis temere arroget artem, 35 

Non prius exacta tenui ratione saporum. 
Nec satis est cara pisces averrere mensa, 
Ignarum quibus est jus aptius, et quibus assis 
Languidus in cubitum jam se conviva reponet. 

Umber et ihgna nutritus glande rotundas 40 

Curvet aper lances carnem vitantis inertem ; 
Nam Laurens malus est, ulvis et arundine pinguis. 
Vinea summittit capreas non semper edules. 
Fecundse leporis sapiens sectabitur armos. 

Piscibus atque avibus quae natura et foret aetas, 45 

Ante raeum nulli patuit quaesita palatum. 

Sunt quorum ingenium nova tantum crustula promit. 
Nequaquam satis in re una consumere curam ; 
Ut si quis solum hoc, mala ne sint vina, laboret, 
Quali perfundat pisces securus olivo. 50 

Massica si coelo suppones vina sereno, 
Nocturna, si quid crassi est, tenuabitur aura, 
Et decedet odor nervis inimicus ; at ilia 
Integrum perdunt lino vitiata saporem. 
Surrentina vafer qui miscet fsece Falerna 55 

Vina, columbino limum bene colligit ovo, 
Quatenus ima petit volvens aliena vitellus. 

Tostis marcentem squillis recreabis et Afra 
Potorem cochlea ; nam lactuca innatat acri 
Post vinum stomacho ; perna magis ac magis hillis 60 

Flagitat immorsus refici : quin omnia malit, 
Quaecunque immundis fervent allata popinis. 

Est operae pretium duplicis pernoscere juris 
Naturam. Simplex e dulci constat olivo, 
Quod pingui miscere mero muriaque decebit, 65 

Non alia quam qua Byzantia putuit orca. 
Hoc ubi confusum sectis inferbuit herbis, 
Corycioque croco sparsum stetit, insuper addes 
Pressa Venafranae quod bacca remisit olivae. 



176 a. HORATII FLACCI [4, 5. 

Picenis cedunt pomis Tiburtia succo ; 70 

Nam facie preestant. Venucula convenit ollis, 
Rectius Albanam fumo duraveris uvam. 
Hanc ego cum malis, ego fa^cem primus et allec, 
Primus et invenior piper album, cum sale nigro 
Incretum, puris circumposuisse catillis. 75 

Immane est vitium dare millia terna macello, 
Angustoque vagos pisces urgere catino. 

Magna movet stomacho fastidia, seu puer unctis 
Tractavit calicem manibus, dum furta ligurit, 
Sive gravis veteri craterse limus adhaesit. 80 

Vilibus in scopis, in mappis, in scobe, quantus 
Consistit sumtus ? neglectis, flagitium ingens. 
Ten lapides varios lutulenta radere palma, 
Et Tyrias dare circum illota toralia vestes, 
Oblitum, quanto curam sumtumque minorem 85 

Hsec habeant, tanto reprendi justius illis, 
Qusb nisi divitibus nequeant eontingere mensis ? 

Horatius. 
Docte Cati, per amicitiam divosque rogatus, 
Ducere me auditum, perges quocunque, memento. 
Nam quamvis memori referas mihi pectore cuncta, 90 

Non tamen interpres tantundem juveris. Adde 
Vulturn habitumque hominis ; quern tu vidisse beatus 
Non magni pendis, quia contigit ; at mihi cura 
Non mediocris inest, fontes ut adire remotos, 
Atque haurire queam vitse praecepta beatse. 95 



Satira V. 
IN CAPTATORES ET HEREDIPETAS. 

Ulysses. 
Hoc quoque, Tiresia, prseter narrata petenti 
Responde, quibus amissas reparare queam res 
Artibus atque modis. Quid rides ? 



5.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 177 

TlRESIAS. 

Jamne doloso 
Non satis est Ithacam revehi, patriosque penates 
Adspicere ? 

Ulysses. 
O nulli quidquam raentite, vides ut 5 

Nudus inopsque domum redeam, te vate, neque illic 
Aut apotheca procis intacta est, aut pecus. Atqui 
Et genus et virtus, nisi cum re, vilior alga est. 

TlRESIAS. 

Quando pauperiem, missis ambagious, horres, 

Accipe, qua ratione queas ditescere. Turdus 10 

Sive aliud privum dabitur tibi, devolet illuc, 

Res ubi magna nitet, domino sene ; dulcia poma, 

Et quoscunque feret cultus tibi fundus honores, 

Ante Larem gustet venerabilior Lare dives ; 

Qui quamvis perjurus erit, sine gente, cruentus 15 

Sanguine fraterno, fugitivus ; ne tamen illi 

Tu comes exterior, si postulet, ire recuses. 

Ulysses. 
Utne tegam spurco Damae latus ? haud itse Trojae 
Me gessi, certans semper melioribus. 

TlRESIAS. 

Ergo 
Pauper eris. 

Ulysses. 
Fortem hoc animum tolerare jubebo ; 20 

Et quondam majora tuli. Tu protinus, unde 
Divitias serisque ruam, die, augur, acervos. 
H2 



178 a. HORATII FLACCI [5. 

TlRESIAS. 

Dixi equidem et dico. Captes astutus ubique 

Testamenta senum, neu, si vafer unus et alter 

Insidiatorem prseroso fugerit hamo, 25 

Aut spem deponas, aut artem illusus omittas. 

Magna minorve foro si res certabitur olim, 

Vivet uter locuples sine gnatis, improbus, ultro 

Qui meliorem audax vocet in jus, illius esto 

Defensor : fama civem causaque priorem 30 

Sperne, domi si gnatus erit fecundave conjux. 

Quinte, puta, aut Publi (gaudent praenomine molles 

Auriculae) tibi me virtus tua fecit amicmn ; 

Jus anceps novi, causas defendere possum ; 

Eripiet quivis oculos citius mihi, quam te 35 

Contemtum cassa nuce pauperet : hcec onea cura est, 

Ne quid tu perdas, neu sis jocus. Ire domum atque 

Pelliculam curare jube : fi cognitor ipse. 

Persia atque obdura, seu rubra Canicula fmdet 

Infantes statuas, seu pingui tentus omaso 40 

Furius hibernas cana nive conspuet Alpes. 

Nonne vides, aliquis cubito stantem prope tangens 

Inquiet, ut patiens, ut amicis aptus, ut acer ? 

Plures annabunt thunni, et cetaria crescent. 

Si cui prseterea validus male films in re 45 

Praeclara sublatus aletur ; ne manifestum 

Ccelibis obsequium nudet te, leniter in spem 

Arrepe ofnciosus, ut et scribare secundus 

Heres, et, si quis casus puerum egerit Oreo, 

In vacuum venias : perraro hsec alea fallit. 50 

Qui testamentum tradet tibi cunque legendum, 

Abnuere et tabulas a te removere memento, 

Sic tamen ut limis rapias, quid prima secundo 

Cera velit versu ; solus multisne coheres, 

Veloci percurre oculo. Plerumque recoctus 55 



5.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 179 

Scriba ex Quinqueviro corvum deludet hiantem, 
Captatorque dabit risus Nasica Corano. 

Ulysses. 
Num furis ? an prudens ludis me, obscura canendo ? 

Tiresias. 
O Laertiade, quidquid dicam, aut erit aut non : 
Divinare etenim magnus mihi donat Apollo. 60 

Ulysses. 
Quid tamen ista velit sibi fabula, si licet, ede. 

Tiresias. 
Tempore quo juvenis Parthis horrendus, ab alto 
Demissum genus iEnea, tellure marique 
Magnus erit, forti nubet procera Corano 
Filia Nasicee, metuentis reddere soldum. 65 

Turn gener hoc faciet ; tabulas socero dabit atque 
Ut legat orabit. Multum Nasica negatas 
Accipiet tandem, et tacitus leget, invenietque 
Nil sibi legatum prseter plorare suisque. 
Illud ad hsec jubeo ; mulier si forte dolosa 70 

Libertusve senem delirum temperet, illis 
Accedas socius ; laudes, lauderis ut absens. 
Me sene, quod dicam, factum est. Anus improba Thebis 
Ex testamento sic est elata : cadaver 

Unctum oleo largo nudis humeris tulit heres : 75 

Scilicet elabi si posset mortua : credo, 
Quod nimium institerat viventi. Cautus adito, 
Neu desis operas neve immoderatus abundes. 
Difncilem et morosum oflendes garrulus : ultro 
Non etiam sileas. Davus sis comicus ; atque 80 

Stes capite obstipo, multum similis metuenti. 
Obsequio grassare : mone, si increbuit aura, 



180 a. HORATII flacci [5, 6. 

Cautus uti velet carum caput : extrahe turba 

Oppositis humeris : aurem substringe loquaci. 

Importunus amat laudari ? donee, Ohe jam ! 85 

Ad ccelum manibus sublatis dixerit, urge, et 

Crescentem tumidis infia sermonibus utrem. 

Quum te servitio longo curaque levarit, 

Et certum vigilans, Quartce esto partis Ulixes, 

Audieris, heres : Ergo nunc JDama sodalis 90 

JSfusquam est ? unde mihi tamforte?n tamque fidetem ? 

Sparge subinde, et, si paulum potes illacrimare. Est 

Gaudia prodentem vultum celare. Sepulcrum 

Permissum arbitrio sine sordibus exstrue : funus 

Egregie factum laudet vicinia. Si quis 95 

Forte coheredum senior male tussiet, huic tu 

Die, ex parte tua, seu fundi sive domus sit 

Emtor, gaudentem nummo te addicere. Sed me 

Imperiosa trahit Proserpina : vive valeque. 



Satira VI. 
HORATII VOTUM. 
Hoc erat in votis : modus agri non ita magnus, 
Hortus ubi, et tecto vicinus jugis aquee fons, 
Et paulum silvse super his foret. Auctius atque 
Di melius fecere : bene est : nil amplius oro, 
Maia nate, nisi ut propria heec mihi munera faxis. 5 

Si neque majorem feci ratione mala rem, 
Nee sum facturus vitio culpave minorem ; 
Si veneror stultus nihil horum, O si angulis ille 
JProximus accedat, qui nunc denormat agellum ! 
O si urnam argenti fors quce mihi mo?istret, ut illi, 10 
Thesauro invento qui mercenarius agrum 
Ilium ipsum mercatus aravit, dives amico 
Hercule ! Si, quod adest, gratum juvat, hac prece te oro, 



6. J SERMONUM. LIBER II. 181 

Pingue pecus domino facias et cetera praeter 

Ingenium ; utque soles, custos mihi maxiraus adsis. 1 5 

Ergo ubi me in montes et in arcem ex Urbe removi 
(Quid prius illustrem Satiris Musaque pedestri ?), 
Nee mala me ambitio perdit, nee plumbeus Auster, 
Auctumnusque gravis, Libitinae quaestus acerbaa. 

Matutine pater, seu Jane libentius audis, 20 

Unde homines operum primos vitaeque labores 
Instituunt (sic Dis placitum), tu carminis esto 
Principium. Romas sponsorem me rapis. — Eia, 
Ne prior officio quisquam respondeat, urge ! 
Sive Aquilo radit terras, seu bruma nivalem 25 

Interiore diem gyro trahit, ire necesse est. — 
Postmodo, quod mi obsit, clare certumque locuto, 
Luctandum in turba et facienda injuria tardis. — 
Quid tibi vis, insane ? et quam rem agis improbus ? urget 
Iratis precibus ; tu pulses omne quod obstat, 30 

Ad Mcecenatem memori si mente recurras. — 
Hoc juvat et melli est ; non mentiar. At simul atras 
Ventum est Esquilias, aliena negotia centum 
Per caput et circa saliunt latus. Ante secundam 
Roscius orabat sibi adesses ad Puteal eras. 35 

De re communi scribae magna atque nova te 
Orabant hodie meminisses, Quinte, reverti. 
Imprimat his, cura, Maecenas sign a tabellis. 
Dixeris, Experiar : Si vis, potes, addit et instat. 
Septimus octavo propior jam fugerit annus, 40 

Ex quo Maecenas me coepit habere suorum 
In numero ; dumtaxat ad hoc, quern tollere rheda 
Vellet iter faciens, et cui concredere nugas 
Hoc genus : Hora quota est ? Threx est Gallina Syro par ? 
Matutina parum cautos jam frigora mordent : 45 

Et quae rimosa bene deponuntur in aure. 
Per totum hoc tempus subjectior in diem et horam 
Invidiae noster. Ludos spectaverit una, 



182 Q. HORATII FLACCI [6. 

Luserit in campo : Fortunes Alius ! omnes. 

Frigidus a Rostris manat per compita rumor : 50 

Quicunque obvius est, me consulit : O bone, nam te 

Scire, Deos quoniam propius contingis, oportet, 

Num quid de Dacis audisti ? — Nil equidem. — Ut tu 

Semper eris derisor ! — At omnes Di exagitent me, 

Si quidquam. — Quid ? militibus promissa Triquetra 55 

Praedia Caesar, an est Itala tellure daturus ? 

Jurantem me scire nihil mirantur ut unum 

Scilicet egregii mortalem altique silenti. 

Perditur hsec inter misero lux, non sine votis : 

O rus, quando ego te adspiciam ? quandoque licebit, 60 

Nunc veterum libris, nunc somno et inertibus horis 

Ducere sollicitae jucunda oblivia vitse ? 

O quando faba Pythagorae cognata, simulque 

Uncta satis pingui ponentur oluscula lardo ? 

O noctes coenaeque Deum ! quibus ipse meique 65 

Ante larem proprium vescor, vernasque procaces 

Pasco libatis dapibus. Prout cuique libido est, 

Siccat inaequales calices conviva solutus 

Legibus insanis, seu quis capit acria fortis 

Pocula, seu modicis uvescit hetius. Ergo 70 

Sermo oritur, non de villis domibusve alienis, 

Nee, male necne Lepos saltet ; sed, quod magis ad nos 

Pertinet et nescire malum est, agitamus : utrumne 

Divitiis homines, an sint virtute beati : 

Quidve ad amicitias, usus rectumne, trahat nos : 75 

Et qu83 sit natura boni summumque quid ejus. 

Cervius haec inter vicinus garrit aniles 

Ex re fabellas. Si quis nam laudat Arelli 

Sollicitas ignarus opes, sic incipit : Olim 

Rusticus urbanum murem mus paupere fertur 80 

Accepisse cavo, veterem vetus hospes amicum ; 

Asper et attentus quaesitis, ut tamen arctum 

Solveret hospitiis animum. Quid multa ? neque ille 



6.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 183 

Sepositi ciceris nee longse invidit avenas ; 

Aridum et ore ferens acinum semesaque lardi 85 

Frusta dedit, cupiens varia fastidia coena 

Vincere tangentis male singula dente superbo ; 

Quum pater ipse domus, palea porrectus in horna, 

Esset ador loliumque, dapis meliora relinquens. 

Tandem urbanus ad hunc : Quid te juvat, inquit, amice, 90 

Praerupti nemoris patientem vivere dorso ? 

Vis tu homines urbemque feris prseponere silvis ? 

Carpe viam, mihi crede, comes ; terrestria quando 

Mortales animas vivunt sortita, neque ulla est 

Aut magno aut parvo leti fuga : quo, bone, circa, 95 

Dum licet, in rebus jucundis vive beatus ; 

Vive memor, quam sis arvi brevis. Hsec ubi dicta 

Agrestum pepulere, domo levis exsilit ; inde 

Ambo propositum peragunt iter, urbis aventes 

Moenia nocturnisubrepere. Jamque tenebat 100 

Nox medium coeli spatium, quum ponit uterque 

In locuplete domo vestigia, rubro ubi cocco 

Tincta super lectos canderet vestis eburnos, 

Multaque de magna superessent fercula coena, 

Quae procul exstructis inerant hesterna canistris. 105 

Ergo ubi purpurea porrectum in veste locavit 

Agrestem, veluti succinctus cursitat hospes, 

Continuatque dapes ; nee non verniliter ipsis 

Fungitur officiis, praelibans omne quod affert. 

Ille Cubans gaudet mutata sorte, bonisque 110 

Rebus agit laetum convivam, quum subito ingens 

Valvarurn strepitus lectis excussit utrumque. 

Currere per totum pavidi conclave, magisque 

Exanimes trepidare, simul domus alta Molossis 

Personuit canibus. Turn rusticus : Haud mihi vita 115 

Est opus hac, ait, et valeas : me silva cavusque 

Tutus ab insidiis tenui solabitur ervo. 



184 a. HORATII FLACCI [7. 



Satira VII: 

LEPIDE SE IPSE CARPIT EX PEPvSONA SERVI, 
ET OSTENDIT, LIBERUM SOLUM ESSE SA- 
PIENTEM. 

Davus. 

Jamdudum ausculto et cupiens tibi dicere servus 
Pauca reformido. 

HoRATIUS. 

Davusne ? 

Davus. 

Ita. Davus, amicum 
Mancipium domino, et frugi quod sit satis, hoc est, 
Ut vitale putes. 

Horatius. 

Age, libertate Decembri, 

Quando ita majores voluerunt, utere ; narra. 5 

Davus. 
Pars hominum vitiis gaudet constanter, et urget 
Pxopositum ; pars multa natat, modo recta capessens, 
Interdum pravis obnoxia. Ssepe notatus 
Cum tribus anellis, modo laeva Priscus inani. 
Vixit insequalis, clavum ut mutaret in horas ; 10 

jEdibus ex magnis subito se conderet, unde 
Mundior exiret vix libertinus honeste : 
Jam mceehus Romse, jam mallet doctus Athenis 
Vivere ; Vertumnis, quotquot sunt, natus iniquis. 
Scurra Volanerius, postquam illi justa cheragra 15 

Contudit articulos, qui pro se tolleret atque 
Mitteret in phimum talos, mercede diurna 



7.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 185 

Conductum pavit : quanto constantior idem 

In vitiis, tanto levius miser ac prior illo, 

Qui jam contento, jam laxo fune laborat. 20 

HoRATros. 
Non dices hodie, quorsum haec tarn putida tendant, 
Furcifer ? 

Davus. 
Ad te, inquam. 

Horatius. 

Quo pacto, pessime ? 

Davus. 

Laudas 
Fortunam et mores antiquae plebis, et idem, 
Si quis ad ilia Deus subito te agat, usque recuses ; 
Aut quia non sentis, quod clamas, rectius esse, " 25 

Aut quia non firmus rectum defendis, et haeres, 
Nequidquam cceno cupiens evellere plantam. 
Romae rus optas, absentem rusticus Urbem 
Tollis ad astra levis. Si nusquam es forte vocatus 
Ad ccenam, laudas securum olus ; ac, velut usquam 30 

Vinctus eas, ita te felicem dicis amasque, 
Quod nusquam tibi sit potandum. Jusserit ad se 
Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire 
Convivam : Nemon oleum fert ocius ? ecquis 
Audit ? cum magno blateras clamore, fugisque. 35 

Mulvius et scurrae tibi non referenda precati 
Discedunt. Etenim, fateor me, dixerit ille, 
Duci ventre levem, nasum nidore supinor, 
Imbecillus, iners ; si quid vis, adde, popino. 
Tu, quum sis quod ego, et fortassis nequior, ultro 40 

Insectere velut melior ? verbisque decoris 



186 Q. HORATII FLACCI [7. 

Obvolvas vitium ? Quid, si me stultior ipso 

Quingentis emto drachmis deprenderis ? Aufer 

Me vultu terrere ; manum stomachumque teneto. 

Tune mihi dominus, rerum imperiis hominumque 45 

Tot tantisque minor, quern ter vindicta quaterque 

Imposita haud unquam misera formidine privet ? 

Adde super dictis, quod non levius valeat : nam 

Sive vicarius est, qui servo paret, uti mos 

Vester ait, seu conservus ; tibi quid sum ego ? Nempe 50 

Tu, mihi qui imperitas, aliis servis miser ; atque 

Duceris ut nervis alienis mobile lignum. 

Quisnam igitur liber ? Sapiens, sibi qui imperiosus ; 
Quern neque pauperies neque mors neque vincula terrent ; 
Responsare cupidinibus, contemnere honores 55 

Fortis ; et in se ipso totus, teres atque rotundus, 
Externi ne quid valeat per leve morari, 
In quern manca ruit semper Fortuna. Potesne 
Ex his ut proprium quid noscere ? 

Die age. Non quis : 
TJrget enim dominus mentem non lenis, et acres 60 

Subjectat lasso stimulos, versatque negantem. 

Vel quum Pausiaca torpes, insane, tabella, 
Qui peccas minus atque ego, quum Fulvi Rutubaeque 
Aut Placideiani contento poplite miror 
Proelia, rubrica picta aut carbone ; velut si 65 

Re vera pugnent, feriant, vitentque moventes 
Arma viri ? Nequam et cessator Davus ; at ipse 
Subtilis veterum judex et callidus audis. 
Nil ego, si ducor libo fumante : tibi ingens 
Virtus atque animus caenis responsat opimis ? 70 

Obsequium ventris mihi perniciosius est : cur ? 
Tergo plector enim ; qui tu impunitior ilia, 
Quae parvo sumi nequeunt, obsonia captas ? 
Nempe inamarescunt epulse sine fine petitse, 
Illusique pedes vitiosum ferre recusant 15 



7,8.] SERMONUM.— LIBER II. 187 

Corpus. An hie peccat, sub noctem qui puer uvam 

Furtiva mutat strigili ? qui prsedia vendit, 

Nil servile, gulae parens, habet ? Adde, quod idem 

Non horam tecum esse potes, non otia recte 

Ponere ; teque ipsum vitas fugitivus et erro, 80 

Jam vino quserens, jam somno fallere curam : 

Frustra : nam comes atra premit sequiturque fugacem. 



TJnde mini lapidem ? 



Horatius. 

Davtjs. 
Quorsum est opus ? 

HORATIITS. 



Unde sagittas ? 



Davus. 
Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit. 

Horatius. 

Ocius hinc te 
Ni rapis, accedes opera agro nona Sabino. 85 



Satira VIII. 

IN NASIDIENUM RUFUM CONVIVATOREM 

VAPIDE GARFtULUM. 

Horatius. 
TJt Nasidieni juvit te coena beati ? 
Nam mihi convivam quserenti dictus heri illic 
De medio potare die. 

FUNDANIUS. 

Sic ut mihi nunquam 
In vita fuerit melius. 



188 Q. HORATII FLACCI [8. 

HORATIUS. 

Da, si grave non est, 
Quae prima iratum ventrem placaverit esca. 5 

FuNDANTUS. 

In primis Lucanus aper : leni fuit Austro 

Captus, ut aiebat coenae pater ; acria circum 

Rapula, lactucae, radices, qualia lassum 

Pervellunt stomachum, siser, allec, faecula Coa. 

His ubi sublatis puer alte cinctus acernam 10 

Gausape purpureo mensam pertersit, et alter 

Sublegit quodcunque jaceret inutile, quodque 

Posset ccenantes offendere ; ut Attica virgo 

Cum sacris Cereris, procedit fuscus Hydaspes, 

Caecuba vina ferens, Alcon Chium maris expers. 15 

Hie herus, Albanum, Maecenas, sive Falernum 

Te magis appositis delectat, habemus utrumque. 

Horatius. 
Divitias miseras ! Sed queis coanantibus una, 
Fundani, pulchre fuerit tibi, nosse laboro. 

FuNDANIUS. 

Summus ego, et prope me Viscus Thurinus, et infra, 20 

Si memini, Varius ; cum Servilio Balatrone 

Vibidius, quos Maecenas adduxerat umbras. 

Nomentanus erat super ipsum, Porcius infra, 

Ridiculus totas simul obsorbere placentas. 

Nomentanus ad hoc, qui, si quid forte lateret, 25 

Indice monstraret digito : nam cetera turba, 

Nos, inquam, coenamus aves, conchylia, pisces, 

Longe dissimilem noto celantia succum ; 

Ut vel continuo patuit, quum passeris atque 

Ingustata mihi porrexerat ilia rhombi. 30 






8.] SERMONUM. LIBER II. 189 

Post hoc me docuit, melimela rubere minorem 

Ad lunam delecta. Quid hoc intersit, ab ipso 

Audieris melius. Turn Vibidius Balatroni : 

Nos nisi damnose bibimus, moriemur inulti ; 

Et calices poscit majores. Vertere pallor 35 

Turn parochi faciem, nil sic metuentis ut acres 

Potores, vel quod maledicunt liberius, vel 

Fervida quod subtile exsurdant vina palatum. 

Invertunt Allifanis vinaria tota 

Vibidius Balatroque, secutis omnibus : imi 40 

Convivse lecti nihilum nocuere lagenis. 

AfTertur squillas inter murasna natantes 

In patina porrecta. Sub hoc herus, Hcec gravida, inquit, 

Capta est, deterior post partum came futura. 

His mixtum jus est : oleo, quod prima Venafri 45 

Pressit cella ; garo de succis piscis Iberi; 

Vino quinquenni verum citra rtiare nato, 

Dum coquitur (cocto Chium sic convenit, ut non 

Hoc magis ullum aliud) ; pipere albo, non sine aceto, 

Quod Methymncsam vitio mutaverit uvam. 50 

Erucas virides, inulas ego primus amaras 

Monstravi incoquere ; illotos Curtillus echinos, 

Ut melius muria, quam testa marina remittat. 

Interea suspensa graves aulsea ruinas 

In patinam fecere, trahentia pulveris atri 55 

Quantum non Aquilo Campanis excitat agris. 

Nos majus veriti, postquam nihil esse pericli 

Sensimus, erigimur. Rufus posito capite, ut si 

Filius immaturus obisset, flere. Quis esset 

Finis, ni sapiens sic Nomentanus amicum 60 

Tolleret ? Heu, Fortuna, quis est crudelior in nos 

Te Deus ? ut semper gaudes illudere rebus 

Humanis ! Varius mappa compescere risum 

Vix poterat. Balatro suspendens omnia naso, 

Hcec est condicio vivendi, aiebat, eoque 65 



190 Q. HORATII FLACCI SERMONUM. LIBER II. [8. 

Responsura tuo nunquam est parfama labori. 

Tene, ut ego accipiar laute, torquerier omni 

Sollicitudine districtum ? ne panis adustus, 

Ne male conditumjus apponatur ? ut omnes 

Prcecincti recte pueri comtique ministrent ? 70 

Adde Iws prceterea casus, aulcea ruant si, 

Ut modo ; si patinam pede lapsus frangat agaso. 

Sed convivatoris, uti ducis, ingenium res 

Adversce nudare solent, celare secundce. 

Nasidienus ad hsec : Tibi Di, qucecunque preceris 15 

Commoda dent ! ita vir bonus es convivaque comis. 

Et soleas poscit. Turn in lecto quoque videres 

Stridere secreta divisos aure susurros. 

HORATIUS. 

Nullos his mallem ludos spectasse ; sed ilia 
Redde, age, quae deinceps risisti. 

FUNDANIUS. 

Vibidius dum 80 

Quaerit de pueris, nura sit quoque fracta lagena, 
Quod sibi poscenti non dantur pocula, dumque 
Ridetur fictis rerum, Balatrone secundo, 
Nasidiene, redis mutatas frontis, ut arte 
Emendaturus fortunam ; deinde secuti 85 

Mazonomo pueri magno discerpta ferentes 
Membra gruis, sparsi sale multo non sine farre, 
Pinguibus et ficis pastum jecur anseris albse, r 
Et leporum avulsos, ut multo suavius, armos, 
Quam si cum lumbis quis edit. Turn pectore adusto 90 
Vidimus et merulas poni, et sine clune palumbes ; 
Suaves res, si non causas narraret earum et 
Naturas dominus, quem nos sic fugimus ulti, 
Ut nihil omnino gustaremus, velut illis 
Canidia afflasset pejor serpentibus Afris. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 



EPISTOLJ!. 



Q. H R A T I I FLACCI 
EPISTOLARUM 

LIBER PRIMUS. 



Epistola I. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 

Prima dicte mihi, summa dicende Camena, 

Spectatum satis, et donatum jam rude, quseris, 

Maecenas, iterum antiquo me includere ludo ? 

Non eadem est Betas, non mens. Veianius, armis 

Herculis ad postern fixis, latet abditus agro, 5 

Ne populum extrema toties exoret arena. 

Est mihi purgatam crebro qui personet aurem : 

Solve senescentem mature sanus equwn, ne 

Peccet ad extremum ridendus, et ilia ducat. 

Nunc itaque et versus et cetera ludicra pono ; 10 

Quid verum atque decens euro et rogo, et omnis in hoc sum ; 

Condo et compono, quee mox depromere possim. 

Ac ne forte roges, quo me duce, quo lare tuter ; 
Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, 
Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes. 1 5 

Nunc agilis no et mersor civilibus undis, 
Virtutis verse custos rigidusque satelles ; 
Nunc in Aristippi furtim prsecepta relabor, 
Et mihi res, non me rebus subjungere conor. 
Lenta dies ut opus debentibus ; ut piger annus 20 

Pupillis, quos dura premit custodia matrum ; 

I 



194 a. HORATII FLACCI [1. 

Sic mihi tarda fluunt ingrataque tempora, quae spem 

Consiliumque morantur agendi gnaviter id, quod 

JEqne pauperisms prodest, locupletibus seque, 

iEque neglectum pueris senibusque nocebit. 25 

Hestat, ut his ego me ipse regain solerque elementis : 
Non possis oculo quantum contendere Lynceus, 
Non tamen idcirco contemnas lippus inungi ; 
Nee, quia desperes invicti membra Glyconis, 
Nodosa corpus nolis prohibere cheragra. 30 

Est quadam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra. 
Fervet avaritia miseroque cupidine pectus ? 
Sunt verba et voces, quibus liunc lenire dolorem 
Possis, et magnam morbi deponere partem. 
Laudis amore tumes ? sunt certa piacula, quae te 35 

Ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello. 
Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator ? 
Nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit, 
Si modo culturse patientem commodet aurem. 

Virtus est vitium fugere, et sapientia prima 40 

Stultitia caruisse. Vides, quae maxima credis 
Esse mala, exiguum censum turpemque repulsam, 
Quanto devites animo capitisque labore. 
Impiger extremos curris mercator ad Indos, 
Per mare pauperiem fugiens, per saxa, per igncs : 45 

Ne cures ea, quae stulte miraris et optas, 
Discere et audire et meliori credere non vis ? 
Quis circum pagos et circum compita pugnax 
Magna coronari contemnat Olympia, cui spes, 
Cui sit condicio dulcis sine pulvere palmae ? 50 

Vilius argentum est auro, virtutibus aurum. 
O cives, cives, qucerenda pecunia primum est, 
Virtus post nummos. Hsdc Janus summus ab imo 
Prodocet ; haee recinunt juvenes dictata senesque, 
La3VO suspensi loculos tabulamque lacerto. 55 

Est animus tibi, sunt mores, est lingua fidesque ; 



I.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 195 

Sed quadringentis sex septem millia desint : 
Plebs eris. At pueri ludentes, Rex eris, aiunt, 
Si recte fades. Hie murus aeneus esto, 
Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa. 60 

Roscia, die sodes, melior lex, an puerorum est 
Naenia, quae regnum recte facientibus offert, 
Et maribus Curiis et decantata Camillis ? 
Isne tibi melius suadet, qui, rem facias ; rem, 
Si possis, recte ; si non, quocunque modo rem, 65 

Ut propius spectes lacrimosa poemata Pupi : 
An qui, fortunae te responsare superbae 
Liberum et erectum, praesens hortatur et aptat ? 
Quod si me populus Romanus forte roget, cur 
Non, ut porticibus, sic judiciis fruar isdem, 70 

Nee sequar aut fugiam, quae diligit ipse vel odit ; 
Olim quod vulpes aegroto cauta leoni 
Respondit, referam : Quia me vestigia terrent 
Omnia te adversum spectantia, nulla retrorsum. 74 

Bellua multorum est capitum. Nam quid sequar ? aut quern ? 
Pars hominum gestit conducere publica ; sunt qui 
Crustis et pomis viduas venentur avaras, 
Excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant ; 
Multis occulto crescit res fenore. Verum 
Esto aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri : 80 

Iidem eadem possunt horam durare probantes ? 
Nullus in orbe sinus Baiis prcelucet amarnis 
Si dixit dives, lacus et mare sentit amorem 
Festinantis heri ; cui si vitiosa libido 

Fecerit auspicium : Cras ferramenta Teanum 85 

Tolletis, fabri. Lectus genialis in aula est : 
Nil ait esse prius, melius nil coelibe vita ; 
Si non est, jurat bene solis esse maritis. 
Quo teneam vultus mutantem Protea nodo ? 
Quid pauper ? ride : mutat coenacula, lectos, 90 

Balnea, tonsores ; conducto navigio aeque 
Nauseat ac locuples, quern ducit priva triremis. 



196 a. HORATII FLACCI [l, 2. 

Si curatus inaequali tonsore capillos 
Occurro, rides : si forte subucula pexae 

Trita subest tunicas, vel si toga dissidet impar, 95 

Rides. Quid ? mea quum pugnat sententia secum ; 
Quod petiit, spernit ; repetit quod nuper omisit ; 
-^Estuat et vitae disconvenit ordine toto ; 
Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis : 
Insanire putas solennia me ? neque rides ? 100 

Nee medici credis nee curatoris egere 
A preetore dati, rerum tutela mearum 
Quum sis, et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem 
De te pendentis, te respicientis amici ? 

Ad summam, sapiens uno minor est Jove, dives, 105 

Liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum ; 
Prascipue sanus, nisi quum pituita molesta est. 



Epistola II. 
AD LOLLIUM. 

Trojani belli scriptorem, maxime Lolli, 

Dum tu declamas Romse, Praeneste relegi ; 

Qui, quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non, 

Planius ac melius Chrysippo et Crantore dicit. 

Cur ita crediderim, nisi quid te detinet, audi. 5 

Fabula, qua Paridis propter narratur amorem 
Graecia Barbariae lento collisa duello, 
Stultorum regum et populorum continet aestus. 
Antenor censet belli praecidere causam : 
Quod Paris, ut salvus regnet vivatque beatus, 1 

Cogi posse negat. Nestor componere lites 
Inter Peliden festinat et inter Atriden : 
Hunc amor, ira quidem communiter urit utrumque. 
Quidquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi. 
Seditione, dolis, scelere, atque libidine et ira 15 

Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra. 



2.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 197 

Rursum, quid virtus et quid sapientia possit, 
Utile proposuit nobis exemplar Ulixen ; 
Qui, domitor Trojae, multorum providus urbes 
Et mores hominum inspexit, latumque per aequor, 20 

Dum sibi, dum sociis reditum parat, aspera multa 
Pertulit, adversis rerum immersabilis undis. 
Sirenum voces et Circae pocula nosti ; 
Quae si cum sociis stultus cupidusque bibisset, 
Sub domina meretrice fuisset turpis et excors, 25 

Vixisset canis immundus, vel arnica luto sus. 
Nos numerus sumus, et fruges consumere nati, 
Sponsi Penelopes, nebulones Alcinoique, 
In cute curanda plus aequo operata juventus ; 
Cui pulchrum fuit in medios dormire dies, et 30 

Ad strepitum citharae cessatum ducere curam. 

Ut jugulent homines, surgunt de nocte latrones : 
Ut te ipsum serves, non expergisceris ? atqui 
Si noles sanus, curres hydropicus ; et ni 
Posces ante diem librum cum lumine, si non 35 

Intendes animum studiis et rebus honestis, 
Invidia vel amore vigil torquebere. Nam cur, 
Quae laedunt oculum, festinas demere ; si quid 
Est animum, differs curandi tempus in annum ? 
Dimidium facti, qui ccepit, habet ; sapere aude, 40 

Incipe. Qui recte vivendi prorogat horam, 
Rusticus exspectat, dum defluat amnis ; at ille 
Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum. 

Quaeritur argentum, puerisque beata creandis 
Uxor, et incultae pacantur vomere silvae : 45 

Quod satis est cui contigit, hie nihil amplius optet. 
Non domus et fundus, non aeris acervus et auri 
./Egroto domini deduxit corpore febres, 
Non animo curas. Valeat possessor oportet, 
Si comportatis rebus bene cogitat uti. 50 

Qui cupit aut metuit, juvat ilium sic domus et res, 



198 Q. HORATII FLACCI [2,3. 

Ut lippum pictse tabulae, fomenta podagrum, 
Auriculas citharae collecta sorde dolentes. 
Sincerum est nisi vas, quodcunque infundis, acescit. 

Sperne voluptates ; nocet emta dolore voluptas. 55 

Semper avarus eget ; certum voto pete finem. 
Invidus alterius macrescit rebus opimis ; 
Invidia Siculi non invenere tyranni 
Majus tormentum. Qui non moderabitur irse, 
Infectum volet esse, dolor quod suaserit aniens, 60 

Dum poenas odio per vim festinat inulto. 
Ira furor brevis est ; animum rege ; qui, nisi paret, 
Imperat ; nunc frenis, hunc tu compesce catena. 
Fingit equum tenera docilem cervice magister 
Ire, viam qua monstret eques. Venaticus, ex quo 65 

Tempore cervinam pellem latravit in aula, 
Militat in silvis catulus. Nunc adbibe puro 
Pectore verba, puer, nunc te melioribus offer. 
Quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit odorem 
Testa diu. Quod si cessas aut strenuus anteis, 70 

Nee tardum opperior nee prsecedentibus insto. 



Epistola III. 
AD JULIUM FLORUM. 

Juli Flore, quibus terrarum militet oris 

Claudius Augusti privignus, scire laboro. 

Thracane vos, Hebrusque nivali compede vinctus, 

An freta vicinas inter currentia turres, 

An pingues Asise campi collesque morantur ? 5 

Quid studiosa cohors operum struit ? Hoc quoque euro. 

Quis sibi res gestas Augusti scribere sumit ? 

Bella quis et paces longum diffundit in sevum ? 

Quid Titius, Romana brevi venturus in ora, 

Pindarici fontis qui non expalluit haustus, 10 

Fastidire lacus et rivos ausus apertos ? 



3, 4.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 199 

Ut valet ? ut meminit nostri ? fidibusne Latinis 

Tliebanos aptare modos studet, auspice Musa ? 

An tragica dessevit et ampullatur in arte ? 

Quid niihi Celsus agit ? monitus multumque monendus, 15 

Privatas ut quserat opes, et tangere vitet 

Scripta, Palatinus qusecunque recepit Apollo ; 

Ne, si forte suas repetitum venerit olim 

Grex avium plumas, moveat cornicula risum 

Furtivis nudata coloribus. Ipse quid audes ? 20 

Quae circumvolitas agilis thyma ? non tibi parvum 

Ingenium, non incultum est et turpiter hirtum. 

Seu linguam causis acuis, seu civica jura 

Respondere paras, seu condis amabile carmen : 

Prima feres ederae victricis prsemia. Quod si 25 

Frigida curarum fomenta relinquere posses, 

Quo te coelestis sapientia duceret, ires. 

PIoc opus, hoc studium parvi properemus et ampli, 

Si patriae volumus, si nobis vivere cari. 

Debes hoc etiam rescribere, si tibi curse, 30 

Quantae conveniat, Munatius ; an male sarta 

Gratia nequidquam coit et rescinditur ? At, vos 

Seu calidus sanguis seu rerum inscitia vexat 

Indomita cervice feros, ubicunque locorum 

Vivitis, indigni fraternum rumpere foedus, 35 

Pascitur in vestrum reditum votiva juvenca. 



Epistola IV. 
AD ALBIUM TIBULLUM. 
Albi, nostrorum sermonum candide judex, 
Quid nunc te dicam facere in regione Pedana ? 
Scribere quod Cassi Parmensis opuscula vincat, 
An taciturn silvas inter reptare salubres, 
Curantem quidquid dignum sapiente bonoque est ? 
Non tu corpus eras sine pectore. Di tibi formam ; 



200 a. HORATII FLACCI [4, 5. 

Di tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruendi. 

Quid voveat dulci nutricula majus alumno, 

Qui sapere et fari possit quae sentiat, et cui 

Gratia, fama, valetudo contingat abunde, 1 

Et mundus victus, non deficiente crumena ? 

Inter spem curamque, timores inter et iras, 

Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum : 

Grata superveniet, quae non sperabitur, hora. 

Me pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute vises, 15 

Quum ridere voles Epicuri de grege porcum. 



Epistola V. 
AD TORQUATUM. 

Si potes Archiacis conviva recumbere lectis, 

Nee modica coenare times olus omne patella, 

Supremo te sole domi, Torquate, manebo. 

Vina bibes iterum Tauro diffusa, palustres 

Inter Minturnas Sinuessanumque Petrinum. 5 

Sin melius quid habes, arcesse, vel imperium fer. 

Jamdudum splendet focus, et tibi munda supellex. 

Mitte leves spes, et certamina divitiarum, 

Et Moschi causam. Cras nato Csesare festus 

Dat veniam somnumque dies ; impune licebit 10 

JEstivam sermone benigno tendere noctem. 

Quo mihi fortunam, si non conceditur uti ? 

Parous ob heredis curam nimiumque severus 

Assidet insano. Potare et spargere flores 

Incipiam, patiarque vel inconsultus haberi. 15 

Quid non ebrietas designat ? operta recludit, 

Spes jubet esse ratas, ad prcelia trudit inertem, 

Sollicitis animis onus eximit, addocet artes. 

Fecundi calices quern non fecere disertum ? 

Contracta quern non in paupertate solutum ? 20 

Hax ego procurare et idoneus imperor, et non 



5, 6.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 201 

Invitus, ne turpe toral, ne sordida mappa 

Corruget nares, ne non et cantharus et lanx 

Ostendat tibi te, ne fidos inter amicos 

Sit, qui dicta foras eliminet, ut coeat par 25 

Jungaturque pari. Butram tibi Septiciumque, 

Et nisi ccena prior potiorque puella Sabinum 

Detinet, assumam ; locus est et pluribus umbris ; 

Sed nimis arcta premunt olidse convivia caprae. 

Tu, quotus esse velis, rescribe ; et rebus omissis 30 

Atria servantem postico falle clientem. 



Epistola VI. 
AD NUMICIUM. 
Nil admirari prope res est una, Numici, 
Solaque, quae possit facere et servare beatum. 
Hunc solem, et stellas, et decedentia certis 
Tempora momentis, sunt qui formidine nulla 
Imbuti spectent. Quid censes munera terrse ? 5 

Quid maris extremos Arabas ditantis et Indos ? 
Ludicra quid, plausus, et amici dona Quiritis ? 
Quo spectanda modo, quo sensu credis et ore ? 
Qui timet his adversa, fere miratur eodem, 
Quo cupiens pacto ; pavor est utrobique molestus, 1 

Improvisa simul species exterret utrumque. 
Gaudeat an doleat, "cupiat metuatne, quid ad rem, 
Si, quidquid vidit melius pejusve sua spe, 
Defixis oculis, animoque et corpore torpet ? 

Insani sapiens nomen ferat, sequus iniqui, 15 

Ultra quam satis est virtutem si petat ipsam 
I nunc, argentum et marmor vetus asraque et artes 
Suspice, cum gemmis Tyrios mirare colores ; 
Gaude, quod spectant oculi te mille loquentem ; 
Gnavus mane forum, et vespertinus pete tectum, 20 

Ne plus frumenti dotalibus emetat agris 
1 2 



202 a. HORATIl FLACCI [6. 

Mutus, et (indignum, quod sit pejoribus ortus) 

Hie tibi sit potius, quam tu mirabilis illi. 

Quidquid sub terra est, in apricum proferet aetas ; 

Defodiet condetque nitentia. Quum bene notum 25 

Porticus Agrippse et via te conspexerit Appi, 

Ire tamen restat, Numa quo devenit et Ancus. 

Si latus aut renes morbo tentantur acuto, 
Quaere fugam morbi. Vis recte vivere ? quisnon ? 
Si virtus boc una potest dare, fortis omissis 30 

Hoc age deliciis. Virtutem verba putas, et 
Lucum ligna ? cave ne portus occupet alter, 
Ne Cibyratica, ne Bithyna negotia perdas ; 
Mille talenta rotundentur, totidem altera, porro et 
Tertia succedant, et quae pars quadret acervum. 35 

Scilicet uxorem cum dote, fidemque, et amicos, 
Et genus et forraam regina Pecunia donat, 
Ac bene nummatum decorat Suadela Venusque. 
Mancipiis locuples eget ssris Cappadocum rex : 
Ne fueris hie tu. Chlamydes Lucullus, ut aiunt, 40 

Si posset centum scenes praebere rogatus, 
Qui possum tot ? ait ; tamen et quceram, et quot liabebo 
Mittam. Post paulo scribit, sibi millia quinque 
Esse domi chlamydum ; partem, vel tolleret omnes. 
Exilis domus est, ubi non et multa supersunt, 45 

Et dominum fallunt, et prosunt furibus. Ergo 
Si res sola potest facere et servare beatum, 
Hoc primus repetas opus, hoc postremus omittas. 

Si fortunatum species et gratia praestat, 
Mercemur servum, qui dictet nomina, laevum 50 

Qui fodicet latus, et cogat trans pondera dextram 
Porrigere. Hie multum in Fabia valet, ille Velina ; 
Cui libet hie fasces dabit, eripietque curule 
Cui volet importunus ebur ; Frater, Pater, adde ; 
Ut cuique est setas, ita quemque facetus adopta. 55 

Si, bene qui coenat, bene vivit, lucet, eamus 



6, 7.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 203 

Quo ducit gula ; piscemur, venemur, ut olim 

Gargilius, qui mane plagas, venabula, servos 

DifFertum transire forum popalumque jubebat, 

Unus ut e multis populo spectante referret 60 

Emtum mulus aprum. Crudi tumidique lavemur, 

Quid deceat, quid non, obliti, Ceerite cera 

Digni, remigium vitiosum Ithacensis Ulixei, 

Cui potior patria fuit interdicta voluptas. 

Si, Mimnermus uti censet, sine amore jocisque 65 

Nil est jucundum, vivas in amore jocisque. 

Vive, vale ! Si quid novisti rectius istis, 
Candidus imperti ; si non, his utere mecum. 



Epistola VII. 
AD IVLECENATEM. 

Quinque dies tibi pollicitus me rure futurum, 

Sextilem totum mendax desideror. Atqui 

Si me vivere vis, recteque videre valentem, 

Quam mihi das segro, dabis SBgrotare timenti, 

Maecenas, veniam ; dum ficus prima calorque 5 

Designatorem decorat lictoribus atris, 

Dum pueris omnis pater et matercula pallet, 

Officiosaque sedulitas et opella forensis 

Adducit febres et testamenta resignat. 

Quod si bruma nives Albanis illinet agris, 10 

Ad mare descendet vates tuus, et sibi parcet, 

Contractusque leget ; te, dulcis amice, reviset 

Cum Zephyris, si concedes, et hirundine prima. 

Non, quo more piris vesci Calaber jubet hospes, 
Tu me fecisti locupletem. — Vescere sodes. — 15 

Jam satis est. — At tu quantumvis tolle. — Benigne. — 
Non invisa feres pueris munuscula parvis. — 
Tarn teneor dono, quam si dimittar onustus. — 
Ut libet ; hcec porcis hodie comedenda relinquis. 



204 a. HORATII FLACCI [7. 

Prodigus et stultus donat, quae spernit et odit : 20 

Heec seges ingratos tulit, et feret omnibus annis. 

Vir bonus et sapiens dignis ait esse paratus, 

Nee tamen ignorat, quid distent aera lupinis. 

Dignum praestabo me etiam pro laude merentis. 

Quod si me noles usquam discedere, reddes 25 

Forte latus, nigros angusta fronte capillos, 

Reddes dulce loqui, reddes ridere decorum, et 

Inter vina fugam Cinarag moerere protervae. 

Forte per angustam tenuis vulpecula rimam 
Repserat in cumeram frumenti, pastaque rursus 30 

Ire foras pleno tendebat corpore frustra. 
Cui mustela procul, Si vis, ait, effugere istinc, 
Macra cavum repetes arctum, quern macra subisti. 
Hac ego si compellor imagine, cuncta resigno ; 
Nee somnum plebis laudo, satur altilium, nee 35 

Otia divitiis Arabum liberrima muto. 
Saepe verecundum laudasti ; Rexque Paterque 
Audisti coram, nee verbo parcius absens. 
Inspice, si possum donata reponere laetus. 
Haud male Telemachus, proles patientis Ulixei : 40 

Non est aptus equis Ithace locus, ut neque plants 
Porrectus spatiis, nee multce prodigus herbce : 
Atride, magis apta tibi tua dona relinquam. 
Parvum parva decent : mihi jam non regia Roma, 
Sed vacuum Tibur placet, aut imbelle Tarentum. 4.5 

Strenuus et fortis, causisque Philippus agendis 
Clarus, ab officiis octavam circiter horam 
Dum redit, atque Foro nimium distare Carinas 
Jam grandis natu queritur, conspexit, ut aiunt, 
Adrasum quendam vacua tonsoris in umbra, 50 

Cultello proprios purgantem leniter ungues. 
Demetri (puer hie non lseve jussa Philippi 
Accipiebat), abi, qucere et refer, unde domo, quis, 
Cujus fortunes, quo sit patre quove patrono. 



7.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 205 

It, redit, enarrat : Vulteium nomine Menam, 55 

Prasconem, tenui censu, sine criraine, notum ; 

Et properare Iocq et cessare, et quserere et uti, 

Gaudentem parvisque sodalibus, et lare certo, 

Et ludis, et, post decisa negotia, Campo . 

Scitari libet ex ipso, qucecunque refers : die 60 

Ad caznam veniat. Non sane credere Mena ; 

Mirari secum tacitus. Quid multa ? Benigne, 

E-espondet. — Neget ille mihi ? — Negat improbus, et te 

Negligit aut horret. — Vulteium mane Philippus 

Vilia vendentem tunicato scruta popello 65 

Occupat, et salvere jubet prior. Ille Philippo 

Excusare laborem et mercenaria vincla, 

Quod non mane domum venisset ; denique, quod non 

Providisset eum. — Sic ignovisse putato 

Me tibi, si coznas hodie mecum. — Ut libet. — Ergo 70 

Post nonam venies ; nunc i, rem streyiuus auge. 

Ut ventum ad cosnam est, dicenda tacenda locutus, 

Tandem dormitum dimittitur. Hie, ubi ssepe 

Occultum visus decurrere piscis ad hamum, 

Mane cliens et jam certus conviva, jubetur 75 

Rura suburbana indictis comes ire Latinis. 

Impositus mannis arvum coelumque Sabinum 

Non cessat laudare. Videt ridetque Philippus, 

Et sibi dum requiem, dum risus undique queerit, 

Dum septem donat sestertia, mutua septem 80 

Promittit, persuadet, uti mercetur agellum. 

Mercatur. Ne te longis ambagibus ultra 

Quam satis est morer, ex nitido fit rusticus, atque 

Sulcos et vineta crepat mera, prseparat ulmos, 

Immoritur studiis, et amore senescit habendi. 85 

Verum ubi oves furto, morbo periere capellse, 

Spem mentita seges, bos est enectus arando : 

OfFensus damnis, media de nocte caballum 

Arripit, iratusque Philippi tendit ad sedes. 



206 a. HORATII FLACCI [7, 8, 9. 

Quern simul adspexit scabrum intonsumque Philippus, 90 
Durus, ait, Vultei, nimis attentusque videris 
Esse mihi. — Pol, me miserum, patrone, vocares, 
Si velles, inquit, verum mihi ponere nomen. 
Quod te per Genium dextramque Deosque Penates 
Obsecro et obtestor, vitcz me redde priori. 95 

Qui semel adspexit, quantum dimissa petitis 
Praestent, mature redeat repetatque relicta. 
Metiri se quemque suo modulo ac pede verum est. 



Epistola VIII. 
AD CELSUM ALBINOVANUM. 

Celso gaudere et bene rem gerere Albinovano 

Musa rogata refer, comiti scribaeque Neronis. 

Si quaeret quid agam, die, multa et pulchra minantem, 

Vivere nee recte nee suaviter ; haud quia grando 

Contuderit vites, oleamve momorderit aestus, 5 

Nee quia longinquis armentum segrotet in agris ; 

Sed quia mente minus validus quam corpore toto 

Nil audire velim, nil discere, quod levet aegrum ; 

Fidis offendar medicis, irascar amicis, 

Cur me funesto properent arcere veterno ; 1 

Quse nocuere sequar, fugiam quss profore credam, 

Romae Tibur amem ventosus, Tibure Romam. 

Post hsec, ut valeat, quo pacto rem gerat et se, 

Ut placeat Juveni, percontare, utque cohorti. 

Si dicet, Recte : primum gaudere, subinde 15 

Praeceptum auriculis hoc instillare memento : 

Ut tu fortunam, sic nos te, Celse, feremus. 



Epistola IX. 
AD CLAUDIUM NERONEM. 

Septimius, Claudi, nimirum intelligit unus, 
Quanti me facias ; nam quum rogat et prece cogit, 
Scilicet ut tibi se laudare et tradere coner, 



9, 10.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 207 

Dignum mente domoque legentis honesta Neronis, 

Munere quum fungi propioris censet amici, 5 

Quid possim videt ac novit me valdius ipso. 

Multa quidem dixi, cur excusatus abirem : 

Sed timui, mea ne finxisse minora putarer, 

Dissimulator opis propriae, mini commodus uni. 

Sic ego, majoris fugiens opprobria culpae, 10 

Frontis ad urbanae descendi praemia. Quod si 

Depositum laudas ob amici jussa pudorem, 

Scribe tui gregis hunc, et fortem crede bonumque. 



Epistola X. 
AD FUSCUM ARISTIUM. 

Urbis amatorem Fuscum salvere jubemus 
Ruris amatores, hac in re scilicet una 
Multum dissimiles, at cetera paene gemelli, 
Fraternis animis, quidquid negat alter, et alter ; 
Annuimus pariter vetuli notique columbi. 5 

Tu nidum servas, ego laudo ruris amoeni 
Rivos, et musco circumlita saxa, nemusque. 
Quid quaeris ? vivo et regno, simul ista reliqui, 
Qua? vos ad coelum fertis rumore secundo ; 
Utque sacerdotis fugitivus, liba recuso ; 1 

Pane egeo jam mellitis potiore placentis. 
Yivere naturae si convenienter oportejt, 
Ponendaeque domo quaerenda est area primum, 
Novistine locum potiorem rure beato ? 

Est ubi plus tepeant hiemes ? ubi gratior aura 15 

Leniat et rabiem Canis, et momenta Leonis, 
Quum semel accepit solem furibundus acutum ? 
Est ubi divellat somnos minus invida cura ? 
Deterius Libycis olet aut nitet herba lapillis ? 
Purior in vicis aqua tendit rumpere plumbum, 20 

Quam quae per pronum trepidat cum murmure riviim I 



208 Q. HORATII FLACCI [10,11. 

Nempe inter varias nutritur silva columnas, 
Laudaturque domus, longos quae prospicit agros. 
Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret, 
Et mala perrumpet furtim fastidia victrix. 25 

Non, qui Sidonio contendere callidus ostro 
Nescit Aquinatem potantia vellera fucum, 
Certius accipiet damnum propiusve medullis, 
Quam qui non poterit vero distinguere falsum. 
Quern res plus nimio delectavere secundse, 30 

Mutatae quatient. Si quid mirabere, pones 
Invitus. Fuge magna ; licet sub paupere tecto 
lieges et regum vita praecurrere amicos. 

Cervus equum pugna melior communibus herbis 
Pellebat, donee minor in certamine longo 35 

Imploravit opes hominis, frenumque recepit. 
Sed postquam victor violens discessit ab hoste, 
Non equitem dorso, non frenum depulit ore. 
Sic, qui pauperiem veritus potiore metallis 
Libertate caret, dominum vehet improbus, atque 40 

Serviet seternum, quia parvo nesciet uti. 
Cui non conveniet sua res, ut calceus olim, 
Si pede major erit, subvertet ; si minor, uret. 

Laetus sorte tua vives sapienter, Aristi ; 
Nee me dimittes incastigatum, ubi plura 45 

Cogere, quam satis est, ac non cessare videbor. 
Imperat, aut servit, collecta pecunia cuique, 
Tortum digna sequi potius quam ducere funem. 

Hsec tibi dictabam post fanum putre Yacunse, 
Excepto, quod non simul esses, cetera laetus. 50 



Epistola XI. 
AD BULLATIUM. 

Quid tibi visa Chios, Bullati, notaque Lesbos ? 
Quid concinna Samos ? quid Croesi regia Sardis ? 
Smyrna quid, et Colophon ? majora minorave fama ? 



11,12.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 209 

Cunctane prse Campo et Tiberino fhimine sordent ? 

An venit in votum Attalicis ex urbibus una ? 5 

An Lebedum laudas odio maris atque viarum ? 

Scis, Lebedus quid sit ; G-abiis desertior atque 

Fidenis vicus : tamen illic vivere vellem, 

Oblitusque meorum, obliviscendus et illis, 

Neptunum procul e terra spectare furentem. 10 

Sed neque, qui Capua Romam petit, imbre lutoque 

Adspersus, volet in caupona vivere ; nee, qui 

Frigus collegit, furnos et balnea laudat, 

Ut fortunatam plene prsestantia vitam. 

Nee, si te validus jactaverit Auster in alto, 15 

Idcirco navem trans iEgeeum mare vendas. 

Incolumi Rhodos et Mytilene pulchra facit, quod 
Psenula solstitio, campestre nivalibus auris, 
Per brumam Tiberis, Sextili mense caminus. 
Dum licet, ac vultum servat Fortuna benignum, 20 

Romse laudetur Samos et Chios et Rhodos absens. 
Tu, quamcunque Deus tibi fortunaverit horam, 
Grata sume manu, neu duleia differ in annum ; 
Ut, quocunque loco fueris, vixisse libenter 
Te dicas. Nam si ratio et prudentia curas, 25 

Non locus, effusi late maris arbiter, aufert : 
Coslum, non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt. 
Strenua nos excercet inertia ; navibus atque 
Quadrigis petimus bene vivere. Quod petis, hie est, 
Est Ulubris, animus si te non deficit asquus. 30 



Epistola XII. 
AD ICCIUM. 

Fructibus Agrippse Siculis, quos colligis, Icci, 
Si recte frueris, non est ut copia major 
Ab Jove donari possit tibi. Tolle querelas ; 
Pauper enim non est, cui rerum suppetit usus. 



210 Q. HORATII FLACCI [12,13. 

Si ventri bene, si lateri est pedibusque tuis, nil 5 

DivitiaB poterunt regales addere majus. 

Si forte in medio positorum abstemius herbis 

Vivis et urtica, sic vives protinus, ut te 

Confestim liquidus Fortunse rivus inauret ; 

Vel quia naturam mutare pecunia nescit, 10 

Vel quia cuncta putas una yirtute minora. 

Miramur, si Democriti pecus edit agellos 
Cultaque, dum peregre est animus sine corpore velox ; 
Quum tu inter scabiem tantam et contagia lucri 
Nil parvum sapias, et adliuc sublimia cures ; 15 

Qufe mare compescant causse, quid temperet annum, 
Stellae sponte sua, jusssene vagentur et errent, 
Quid premat obscurum Lunas, quid proferat orbem, 
Quid velit et possit rerum concordia discors, 
Empedocles, an Stertinium deli ret acumen. 20 

Verum, seu pisces, seu porrum et csepe trucidas, 
Utere Pompeio Grospho, et, si quid petet, ultro 
Defer : nil Grosphus nisi verum orabit et sequum. 
Vilis amicorum est annona, bonis ubi quid deest. 

Ne tamen ignores, quo sit Romana loco res : 25 

Cantaber AgrippaB, Claudi virtute Neronis 
Armenius cecidit ; jus imperiumque Phrahates 
CaBsaris aceepit genibus minor ; aurea fruges 
Italiae pleno defundit Copia cornu. 



Epistola XIII. 
AD VINIUM ASELLAM. 

Ut proficiscentem docui te ssepe diuque, 
Augusto reddes signata volumina, Vini, 
Si validus, si lsstus erit, si denique poscet ; 
Ne studio nostri pecces, odiumque libellis 
Sedulus importes, opera vehemente minister. 
Si te forte mere gravis uret sarcina chartse, 



13,14.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 211 

Abjicito potius, quam quo perferre juberis 

Clitellas ferus impingas, Asinseque paternum 

Cognomen vertas in risum, et fabula fias. 

Viribus uteris per clivos, flumina, lamas : 1 

Victor propositi simul ac perveneris illue, 

Sic positum servabis onus, ne forte sub ala 

Fasciculum portes librorum, ut rusticus agnum, 

Ut vinosa glomus furtivse Pyrrhia lanss, 

Ut cum pileolo soleas conviva tribulis. 1.5 

Neu vulgo narres te sudavisse ferendo 

Carmina, quae possint oculos auresque morari 

Cassaris ; oratus multa prece, nitere porro. 

Vade, vale, cave ne titubes, mandataque frangas. 



Epistola XIV. 
AD VILLICUM SUUM. 
Villice silvarum et mihi me reddentis agelli, 
Quem tu fastidis, habitatum quinque focis, et 
Quinque bonos solitum Variam dimittere patres ; 
Certemus, spinas animone ego fortius an tu 
Evellas agro, et melior sit Horatius an res. 5 

Me quam vis Lamise pietas et cura moratur, 
Fratrem mcerentis, rapto de fratre dolentis 
Insolabiliter, tamen istuc mens animusque 
Fert, et amat spatiis obstantia rumpere claustra. 
Rure ego viventem, tu dicis in urbe beatum : 10 

Cui placet alterius, sua nimirum est odio sors. 
Stultus uterque locum immeritum causatur inique ; 
In culpa est animus, qui se non effugit unquam. 
Tu mediastinus tacita prece rura petebas, 
Nunc urbem et ludos et balnea villicus optas. 15 

Me constare mihi scis, et discedere tristem, 
Quandocunque trahunt invisa negotia Romam. 
Non eadem miramur ; eo disconvenit inter 



212 a. HORATII FLACCI [14,15. 

Meque et te ; nam, quae deserta et inhospita tesqua 
Credis, amoena vocat mecum qui sentit, et odit 20 

Quse tu pulchra putas.— 

Nunc, age, quid nostrum concentum dividat, audi. 
Quern tenues decuere togae nitidique capilli, 
Quem bibulum liquidi media de luce Falerni, 
Ccena brevis juvat, et prope rivum somnus in herba ; 25 
Nee lusisse pudet, sed non incidere ludum. 
Non istic obliquo oculo mea commoda quisquam 
Limat ; non odio obscuro morsuque venenat : 
Rident vicini glebas et saxa moventem. 
Cum servis urbana diaria rodere mavis ? 30 

Horum tu in numerum voto ruis. Invidet usum 
Lignorum et pecoris tibi calo argutus, et horti. 
Optat ephippia bos, piger optat arare caballus. 
Quam scit uterque, libens, censebo, exerceat artem. 



. Epistola XV. 
AD NUMONIUM VALAM. 

Quse sit hiems Veliae, quod ccelum,Vala, Salerni, 
Quorum hominum regio, et qualis via (nam mihi Baias 
Musa supervacuas Antonius, et tamen illis 
Me facit invisum, gelida quum perluor unda 
Per medium frigus. Sane myrteta relinqui, 5 

Dictaque cessantem nervis elidere morbum 
Sulfura contemni vicus gemit, invidus segris, 
Qui caput et stomacbum supponere fontibus audent 
Clusinis, Gabiosque petunt et frigida rura. 
Mutandus locus est, et deversoria nota 10 

Praeteragendus equus. Quo tendis ? non mihi Cumas 
Est iter aut Baias, lseva stomachosus habena 
Dicet eques ; sed equi frenato est auris in ore) ; 
Major utrum populum frumenti copia pascat ; 
Collectosne bibant irnbres, puteosne perennes 15 



15, 16.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 213 

Jugis aquae (nam vina nihil moror illius orse. 

Rure meo possum quid vis perferre patique : 

Ad mare quum veni, generosum et lene requiro, 

Quod curas abigat, quod cum spe divite manet 

In venas animumque meum, quod verba ministret). 20 

Tractus uter plures lepores, uter educet apros, 

Utra magis pisces et echinos sequora celent, 

Pinguis ut inde domum possim Pheeaxque reverti, 

Scribere te nobis, tibi nos accredere par est. 

Msenius, ut rebus maternis atque paternis 25 

Fortiter absumtis urbanus coepit haberi, 
Scurra vagus, non qui certum prsesepe teneret, 
Impransus non qui civem dignosceret hoste, 
Quselibet in quemvis opprobria fingere ssevus, 
Pernicies et tempestas barathrumque macelli, 30 

Quidquid quaesierat, ventri donabat avaro. 
Hie, ubi nequitise fautoribus et timidis nil 
Aut paulum abstulerat, patinas caenabat omasi, 
Vilis et agninae, tribus ursis quod satis esset. 
Nimirurn hie ego sum : nam tuta et parvula laudo, 35 

Quum res deficiunt, satis inter vilia fortis ; 
Verum, ubi quid melius contingit et unctius, idem 
Vos sapere et solos aio bene vivere, quorum 
Conspicitur nitidis fundata pecunia villis. 



Epistola XVI. 
AD QUINCTIUM. 
Ne perconteris, fundus meus, optime Quincti, 
Arvo pascat herum, an baccis opulentet olivas, 
Pomisne, an pratis, an amicta vitibus ulmo, 
Scribetur tibi forma loquaciter, et situs agri. 

Continui montes ni dissocientur opaca 
Valle ; sed ut veniens dextrum latus adspiciat Sol, 
Lsevum decedens curru fugiente vaporet. 



214 a. HORATII FLACCI [16. 

Temperiem laudes. Quid, si rubicunda benigni 

Coma vepres et pruna ferant ? si quercus et ilex 

Multa fruge pecus, multa dominum juvet umbra ? 10 

Dicas adductura propius frondere Tarentum. 

Fons etiam rivo dare nomen idoneus, ut nee 

Frigidior Thracam nee purior ambiat Hebrus, 

Infirmo capiti fruit utilis, utilis alvo. 

Hse latebrsB dulces, etiam, si credis, amoense, 15 

Incolumem tibi me prsestant Septembribus horis. . 

Tu recte vivis, si curas esse quod audis. 
Jactamus jampridem omnis te Roma beatum ; 
Sed vereor, ne cui de te plus, quam tibi credas, 
Neve putes alium sapiente bonoque beatum ; 20 

Neu, si te populus sanum recteque valentem 
Dictitet, occultam febrem sub tempus edendi 
Dissimules, donee manibus tremor incidat unctis. 
Stultorum incurata pudor malus ulceracelat. 
Si quis bella tibi terra pugnata marique 25 

Dicat, et his verbis vacuas permulceat aures : 
Tene magis salvum populus velit, an populum tu, 
Servet in ambiguo, qui cousulit et tibi et urbi, 
Jupiter ; Augusti laudes agnoscere possis. 
Quum pateris sapiens emendatusque vocari, 30 

Respondesne tuo, die sodes, nomine 1—Nempe 
Vir bonus et prudens did detector ego ac tu. 
Qui dedit hoc hodie, eras, si volet, auferet ; ut si 
Detulerit fasces indigno, detrahet idem. 
Pone, meum est, inquit ; pono, tristisque recedo. 35 

Idem si clamet furem, neget esse pudicum, 
Contendat laqueo collum pressisse paternum ; 
Mordear opprobriis falsis, mutemque colores ? 
Falsus honor juvat et mendax infamia terret 
Quern, nisi mendosum et medicandum ? Vir bonus est 
quis ? — 40 

Qui consulta patrum, qui leges juraque servat, 



10.] EPISTOLARUM. XIBER I. 215 

Quo multce magnceque secantur judice lites, 

Quo res sponsore, et quo caiisce teste tenentur. — 

Sed videt hunc omnis domus et vicinia tota 

Introrsus turpem, speciosum pelle decora. 45 

Nee furtum feci, necfugi, si mihi dicat 
Servus : Habes pretium, loris non ureris, aio. — 
Non hominem occidi. — Non pasces in cruce corvos. — 
Sum bonus etfrugi. — Hermit negitatque Sabellus. 
Cautus enim metuit foveam lupus, accipiterque 50 

Suspectos laqueos, et opertum miluus haraum. 
Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore ; 
Tu nihil admittes in te formidine poense. 
Sit spes fallendi, miscebis sacra profanis. 
Nam de mille fabse modiis quum surripis unum, 55 

Damnum est, non facinus mihi pacto lenius isto. 
Vir bonus, omne forum quern spectat et omne tribunal, 
Quandocunque Deos vel porco vel bove placat, 
Jane pater, clare, clare quum dixit, Apollo, 
Labra movet metuens audiri : Pulchra Laverna, 60 

Da mihi fallere, dajusto sanctoque videri ; 
Noctem peccatis, et fraudibus objice nubem. 

Qui melior servo, qui liberior sit avarus, 
In triviis fixum quum se demittit ob assem, 
Non video. Nam qui cupiet, metuet quoque ; porro, 65 
Qui metuens vivet, liber mihi non erit unquam. 
Perdidit arma, locum virtutis deseruit, qui 
Semper in augenda festinat et obruitur re. 
Vendere quum possis captivum, occidere noli ; 
Serviet utiliter ; sine pascat durus aretque ; 70 

Naviget ac mediis hiemet mercator in undis ; 
Annonse prosit ; portet frumenta penusque. 

Vir bonus et sapiens audebit dicere : Pentheu, 
Rector Thebarum, quid me perferre patique 
Jndignum coges ? — Adimam bona. — Nempe pecus, rem, 15 
JLectos, argentum ? tollas licet. — In manicis et 



216 a. HORATII PLACCI [16, 17. 

Compedibus scevo te sub custode tenebo. — 

Ipse Deus, simul atque volam, me solvet. — Opinor, 

Hoc sentit : Moriar ; mors ultima linea rerum est. 



Epistola XVII. 
AD SC^EVAM. 
Quamvis, Scseva, satis per te tibi consulis, et scis 
Quo tandem pacto deceat majoribus uti, 
Disce, docendus adhuc quae censet amiculus ; ut si 
Caxus iter monstrare velit : tamen aspice, si quid 
Et nos, quod cures proprium fecisse, loquamur. 5 

Si te grata quies et primam somnus in horam 
Delectat, si te pulvis strepitusque rotarum, 
Si laedit caupona, Ferentinum ire jubebo : 
Nam neque divitibus contingunt gaudia solis, 
Nee vixit male, qui natus moriensque fefellit. 10 

Si prodesse tuis pauloque benignius ipsum 
Te tractare voles, accedes siccus ad unctum. 

Si pranderet olus patienter, regibus uti, 
Nollet Aristippus. — Si sciret regibus uti 
Fastidiret olus, qui me notat. — Utrius horum 15 

Verba probes et facta, doce ; vel junior audi, 
Cur sit Aristippi potior sententia. Namque 
Mordacem Cynicum sic eludebat, ut aiunt : 
Scurror ego ipse mihi, populo tu : rectius hoc et 
Splendidius multo est. Equus ut me portet, alat rex, 20 
Officiumfacio : tu poscis vilia rerum, 
Dante minor, qua?)ivis fers te nullius egentem. 

Omnis Aristippum decuit color et status et res, 
Tentantem majora, fere pra^sentibus sequum. 
Contra, quern duplici panno patientia velat, 25 

Mirabor, vitee via si conversa decebit. 
Alter purpureum non exspectabit amictum, 
Quidlibet indutus celeberrima per loca vadet, 



17, 18.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER L 217 

Personamque feret non inconcinnus utramque : 

Alter Mileti text am cane pejus et angui 30 

Vitabit chlamydem ; morietur frigore, si non 

Rettuleris pannum : refer, et sine vivat ineptus. 

Res gerere et captos ostendere civibus hostes 
Attingit solium Jovis et coelestia tentat : 
Principibus placuisse viris non ultima laus est. 35 

Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum. 
Sedit, qui timuit ne non succederet : esto. 
Quid ? qui pervenit, fecitne viriliter ? Atqui 
Hie est aut nusquam, quod quaerimus. Hie onus horret, 
Ut parvis animis et parvo corpore majus ; 40 

Hie subit et perfert. Aut virtus nomen inane est, 
Aut decus et pretium recte petit experiens vir. 

Coram rege suo de paupertate tacentes 
Plus poscente ferent. Distat, sumasne pudenter, 
An rapias : atqui rerum caput hoc erat, hie fons. 45 

Indotata mihi soror est, paupercula mater, 
Hit fundus nee vendibilis nee pascere jirmus, 
Qui dicit, clamat : Victum date. Succinit alter : 
Et mihi dividuo findetur munere quadra. 
Sed tacitus pasci si posset corvus, haberet 50 

Plus dapis et rixae multo minus invidiasque. 



Epistola XVIII. 
AD LOLLIUM. 

Si bene te novi, metues, liberrime Lolli, 
Scurrantis speciem praebere, professus amicum. 
Est huic diversum vitio vitium prope majus, 
Asperitas agrestis et inconcinna gravisque, 
Quae se commendat tonsa cute, dentibus atris, 
Dum vult libertas dici mera, veraque virtus. 
Virtus est medium vitiorum, et utrinque reductum. 
Alter in obsequium plus aequo pronus, et imi 

K 



218 a. HOEATII FLACC1 [18. 

Derisor lecti, sic nutum divitis horret, 

Sic iterat voces, et verba cadentia tollit, 10 

Ut puerum ssevo credas dictata magistro 

Reddere, vel partes mimura tractare secundas : 

Alter rixatur de lana ssepe caprina, et 

Propugnat nugis armatus : Scilicet, ut non 

Sit ?nihi prima fides, et vere quod placet ut non 15 

Acriter elatrem ? Pretium cetas altera sordet. 

Ambigitur quid enim ? Castor sciat an Dolichos plus ; 

Brundisium Miiiuci melius via ducat, an Appi. 

Gloria quem supra vires et vestit et ungit, 
Quem tenet argenti skis importuna famesque, 20 

Quem paupertatis pudor et fuga, dives amicus, 
Saepe decern vitiis instructior, odit et horret : 
Aut, si non odit, regit ; ac, veluti pia mater, 
Plus quam se sapere et virtutibus esse priorem 
Vult, et ait prope vera : Mece {contendere noli) 25 

Stultitiarn patiuntur opes ; tibi parvula res est : 
Arcta decet sanum comitem toga ; desine mecum 
Certare. Eutrapelus, cuicunque nocere volebat, 
Vestimenta dabat pretiosa : beatus enim jam 
Cum pulehris tunicis sumet nova consilia et spes. 30 

Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis illius unquam, 
Commissumque teges, et vino tortus et ira. 
Nee tua laudabis studia, aut aliena reprendes ; 
Nee, quum venari volet ille, poemata panges. 
Gratia sic fratrum geminorum, xlmphionis atque 35 

Zethi, dissiluit, donee suspecta severo 
Conticuit lyra. Fraternis cessisse putatur 
Moribus Amphion : tu cede potentis amici 
Lenibus imperiis ; quotiesque educet in agros 
jEtolis onerata plagis jumenta canesque, 40 

Surge, et inhumane senium depone Camena^, 
Cosnes ut pariter pulmenta laboribus emta ; 
Romanis solenne viris opus, utile famse, 



18.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER I. 219 

Vitaeque et membris ; prsesertim quum valeas, et 

Vel cursu superare canem vel viribus aprum 45 

Possis : adde, virilia quod speciosius arma 

Non est qui tractet (scis, quo clamore coronee 

Proelia sustineas campestria) ; denique ssevam 

Militiam puer et Cantabrica bella tulisti 

Sub duce, qui templis Parthorum signa refigit 50 

Nunc, et si quid abest, Italis adjudicat armis. 

Ac (ne te retrahas, et inexcusabilis absis), 

Quamvis nil extra numerum fecisse modumque 

Curas, interdum nugaris rure paterno : 

Partitur lintres exercitus ; Actia pugiia 55 

Te duce per pueros hostili more refertur ; 

Adversarius est frater ; lacus Hadria ; donee 

Alterutrum velox Victoria fronde coronet. 

Consentire suis studiis qui crediderit te, 

Fautor utro^ue tuum laudabit pollice ludurn. 60 

Protinus ut moneara (si quid monitoris eges tu) 
Quid, de quoque viro, et cui dicas, ssepe videto. 
Percontatorem fugito, nam garrulus idem est ; 
Nee retinent patulse commissa fideliter aures ; 
Et semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum. ► 65 

Qualem commendes, etiam atque etiam adspice ; ne mox 
Incutiant aliena tibi peccata pudorem. 
Fallimur, et quondam non dignum tradimus ; ergo 
Quern sua culpa premet, deceptus omitte tueri ; 
At penitus notum, si tentent crimina, serves, 70 

Tuterisque tuo fidentem prsesidio : qui 
Dente Theonino quum circumroditur, ecquid 
Ad te post paulo ventura pericula sentis ? 
Nam tua res agitur, paries quum proximus ardet, 
Et neglect a solent incendia sumere vires. 75 

Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici, 
Expertus metuit. Tu, dum tua navis in alto est, 
Hoc age, ne mutata retrorsum te ferat aura. 



220 Q. HOEATII FLACCI [18, 19. 

Oderunt hilarem tristes, tristemque jocosi> 

Sedatum celeres, agilem gnavumque remissi, 80 

Potores bibuli media de nocte Falerni 

Oderunt porrecta negantem pocula, quamvis 

Nocturnos jures te. formidare vapores. 

Deme supercilio nubem : plerumque modestus 

Occupat obscuri speciem^ tacitumus acerbi. 85 

Inter cuncta leges et percontabere doctos, 
Qua ratione queas traducere leniter aevum, 
Ne te semper inops agitet vexetque eupido, 
Ne pavor, et rerum mediocriter utilium spes ; 
Virtutem doctrina paret, naturane donet ; 90 

Quid minuat curas, quid te tibi reddat amieum ; 
Quid pure tranquillet, honos, an dulce lucellum, 
An secretum iter, et fallentis semita vitse:. 

Me quoties reficit gelidus Digentia rivus,, 
Quern Mandela bibit, rugosus frigore pagus, « 95 

Quid sentire putas ? quid credis, amice, precari ? 
Sit mihi, quod nunc est ; etiam minus : et mihi vivam 
Quod swperest cevi, si quid swperesse volunt Di : 
Sit bona librorum et provisce frugis in annum 
Copia; neu fluitem dubics spe pendulus horce. 100 

Sed satis est orare Jovem, quce donat et aufert : 
Det vitam, det opes ; cequum mi animum ipse parabo. 



Epistola XIX. 
AD M^ECENATEM. 
Prisco si credis, Maecenas docte, Cratino, 
Nulla placere diu nee vivere carmina possunt, 
Quae scribuntur aquae potoribus. Ut male sanos 
Adscripsit Liber Satyris Faunisque poetas, 
Vina fere dulces oluerunt mane Camense. 
Laudibus arguitur vini vinosus Homerus ; 
Ennius ipse pater nunquam nisi potus ad arm a 
Prosiluit dicenda. Forum putealque Libonis 



19.] EPISTOLARUM.- — LIBER I. 221 

Mandabo siccis, adimam cantare severis. 

Hoc simul edixi, non cessavere poetse 1 

Nocturno certare mero, putere diurno. 

Quid ? si quis vultu torvo ferus, et pede nudo, 
Exiguaque toga, simuletque ex ore Catonem, 
Virtutemne reprsesentet moresque Catonis ? 
Rupit Iarbitam Timagenis aemula lingua, 15 

Dum studet urbanus, tenditque disertus haberi. 
Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile : quod si 
Pallerem casu, biberent eXsangue cumin urn. 
O imitatores, servum pecus, ut mihi ssepe 
Bilem, ssspe jocum vestri movere tumultus ! 20 

Libera per vacuum posui vestigia princeps ; 
Non aliena meo pressi pede. Qui sibi fidit, 
Dux regit examen. Parios ego primus iambos 
Ostendi Latio, numeros animosque secutus 
Archilochi, non res et agentia verba Lycamben. 25 

Ac, ne me foliis ideo brevioribus ornes, 
Quod timui mutare modos et carminis artem : 
Temperat Archilochi musam pede mascula Sappho, 
Temperat Alcseus ; sed rebus et ordine dispar, 
Nee socerum quserit, quern versibus oblinat atris, 30 

Nee sponsae laqueum famoso carmine nectit. 
Hunc ego, non alio dictum prius ore, Latinus 
Vulgavi fidicen : juvat immemorata ferentem 
Ingenuis oculisque legi manib usque teneri. 

Scire velis, mea cur ingratus opuscula lector 35 

Laudet ametque domi, premat extra limen iniquus ? 
Non ego ventosse plebis suffragia venor 
Impensis ccenarum et trita? munere vestis ; 
Non ego, nobilium scriptorum auditor et ultor, 
Grammaticas ambire tribus et pulpita dignor : 40 

Hinc illse lacrimae ! Spissis indigna theatris 
Scripta pudet recitare, et nugis addere pondus, 
Si dixi : Rides, ait, et Jovis aicribus ista 
Servas ; fidis enim manare poetica mella 



222 a. HORATII FLACCI EPISTOLARUM. LIB. I. [19,20. 

Te solum, tibi pulcher. Ad haec ego naribus uti 45 

Formido ; et, luctantis acuto ne secer ungui, 
Displicet iste locus, clamo, et diludia posco. 
Ludus enim genuit trepidum certamen et iram, 
Ira truces inimicitias et funebre bellum. 



Epistola XX. 
AD LIBRUM SUUM. 

Vertumnum Janumque, liber, spectare videris ; 

Scilicet ut prostes Sosiorum pumice mundus. 

Odisti claves, et grata sigilla pudico ; 

Paucis ostendi gemis, et communia laudas ; 

Non ita nutritus ! Fuge, quo descendere gestis : 5 

Non erit emisso reditus tibi. Quid miser egi ? 

Quid volui ? dices, ubi quis te lseserit ; et scis 

In breve te cogi, plenus quum languet amator. 

Quod si non odio peccantis desipit augur, 

Carus eris Romse, donee te deserat aetas. 10 

Contrectatus ubi manibus sordescere vulgi 

Cceperis, aut tineas pasces taciturnus inertes, 

Aut fugies Uticam, aut vinctus mitteris Ilerdam. 

Ridebit monitor non exauditus ; ut ille, 

Qui male parentem in rupes protrusit asellum 15 

Iratus : quis enim invitum servare laboret ? 

Hoc quoque te manet, ut pueros elementa docentem 

Occupet extremis in vicis balba senectus. 

Quum tibi sol tepidus plures admoverit aures, 

Me libertino natum patre, et in tenui re 20 

Majores pennas nido extendisse loqueris ; 

Ut, quantum generi demas, virtutibus addas. 

Me primis Urbis belli placuisse domique ; 

Corporis exigui, prsecanum, solibus aptum, 

Irasci celerem, tamen ut placabilis essem. 25 

Forte meum si quis te percontabitur a3vum, 

Me quater undenos sciat implevisse Decembres, 

Collegam Lepidum quo duxit Lollins anno. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 
EPISTOLARUM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 



Epistola I. 
AD AUGUSTUM. 

Qitum tot sustineas et tanta negotia solus, 

Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes, 

Legibus emendes, in publica commoda peccem, 

Si longo sermone morer tua tempora, Caesar. 

Pv-omulus, et Liber pater, et cum Castore Pollux, 5 

Post ingentia facta Deorum in templa recepti, 

Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, aspera bella 

Componunt, agros assignant, oppida condunt, 

Ploravere suis non respondere favorem 

Speratum meritis. Diram qui contudit liydram, 10 

Notaque fatali portenta labore subegit, 

Comperit invidiam supremo fine domari. 

Urit enim fulgore suo, qui prsegravat artes 

Infra se positas ; exstinctus amabitur idem. 

Praesenti tibi maturos largimur honores, 15 

Jurandasque tuum per numen ponimus aras, 

Nil oriturum alias, nil ortum tale fatentes. 

Sed tuus hie populus, sapiens et Justus in uno, 
Te nostris ducibus, te Graiis anteferendo, 
Cetera nequaquam simili ratione modoque 20 

iEstimat, et, nisi qu33 terris semota suisque 
Temporibus defuncta videt, fastidit et odit ; 



224 a. HORATII FLACCI [1. 

Sic fautor veterum, ut tabulas peccare vetantes, 

Quas bis quinque viri sanxerunt, foedera regum 

Vel Gabiis vel cum rigidis eequata Sabinis, 25 

Pontificum libros, annosa volumina vatum, 

Dictitet Albano Musas in monte locutas. 

Si, quia Graiorum sunt antiquissima queequc 
Scripta vel optima, Romani pensantur eadem 
Scriptores trutina, non est quod multa loquamur : 30 

Nil intra est oleam, nil extra est in nuce duri. 
Venimus ad summum fortunse : pingimus at que 
Psallimus, et luctamur Achivis doctius unctis. 

Si meliora dies, ut vina, poemata reddit, 
Scire velim, chartis pretium quotus arroget annus. 35 

Scriptor, abhinc annos centum qui decidit, inter 
Perfectos veteresque referri debet ? an inter 
Viles atque novos ? excludat jurgia finis. — 
Est vetus atque probus, centum qui perjicit annos. — - 
Quid ? qui deperiit minor uno mense vel anno, 40 

Inter quos referendus erit ? veteresne poetas ? 
An quos et prsesens et postera respuat setas ? — 
Iste quidem veteres inter ponetur honeste, 
Qui vel mense brevi vel toto est junior anno. — 
Utor permisso, caudseque pilos ut equinse, 45 

Paulatim vello, et demo unum, demo et item unum, 
Dum cadat elusus ratione mentis acervi, 
Qui redit in fastos, et virtutem aestimat annis, 
Miraturque nihil, nisi quod Libitina sacravit. 

Ennius, et sapiens et fortis, et alter Homerus, 50 

Ut critici dicunt, leviter curare videtur, 
Quo promissa cadant et somnia Pythagorea. 
Naevius in manibus non est, et men ti bus hieret 
Psene recens ? adeo sanctum est vetus omne pocma. 
Ambigitur quoties uter utro sit prior, aufert 55 

Pacuvius docti famam senis, Attius alti ; 
Dicitur Afrani toga convenisse Menandro ; 



1.] EPISTOLARUM.— LIBER II. 225 

Plautus ad exemplar Siculi properare Epicharmi ; 
Vincere Caecilius gravitate, Terentius arte. 
Hos ediscit, et hos arcto stipata theatro 60 

Spectat Roma potens ; habet hos numeratque poetas 
Ad nostrum tempus Livi scriptoris ab aevo. 

Interdum vulgus rectum videt ; est ubi peccat. 
Si veteres ita miratur laudatque poetas, 
Ut nihil anteferat, nihil illis comparet, errat : 65 

Si quaedam nimis antique, si pleraque dure 
Dicere cedit eos, ignave multa fatetur, 
Et sapit, et mecum facit, et Jove judicat aequo. 

Non equidem insector delendave carmina Livi 
Esse reor, memini quae plagosum mihi parvo 70 

Orbilium dictare ; sed emendata videri 
Pulchraque et exactis minimum distantia miror. 
Inter quae verbum emicuit si forte decorum, 
Si versus paulo concinnior unus et alter, 
Injuste totum ducit venditque poema. 75 

Indignor quidquam reprehendi, non quia crasse 
Compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper ; 
Nee veniam antiquis, sed honorem et praemia posci. 
Recte necne crocum floresque perambulet Attae 
Fabula si dubitem, clament periisse pudorem 80 

Cuncti paene patres, ea quum reprehendere coner, 
Quae gravis JEsopus, quae doctus Roscius egit : 
Vel quia nil rectum, nisi quod placuit sibi, ducunt ; 
Vel quia turpe putant parere minoribus, et, quae 
Imberbes didicere, senes perdenda fateri. 85 

Jam'Saliare Numae carmen qui laudat, et illud, 
Quod mecum ignorat, solus vult scire videri, 
Ingeniis non ille fa vet plauditque sepultis, 
Nostra sed impugnat, nos nostraque lividus odit. 
Quod si tam Graiis novitas invisa fuisset, 90 

Quam nobis, quid nunc esset vetus ? aut quid haberet, 
Quod legeret tereretque viritim publicus usus ? 
K2 



226 a. HORATII FLACCI [1. 

Ut primum positis nugari Grsecia bellis 
Coepit, et in vitium fortuna labier Eequa, 
Nunc athletarum studiis, nunc arsit equorum, 95 

Marmoris aut eboris fabros aut seris amavit, 
Suspendit picta vultum mentemque tabella, 
Nunc tibicinibus, nunc est gavisa tragoedis ; 
Sub nutrice puella velut si luderet infans, 
Quod cupide petiit, mature plena reliquit. 100 

Quid placet aut odio est, quod non mutabile credas ? 
Hoc paces habuere bonae ventique secundi. 

E-omsB dulce diu fuit et solenne, reclusa 
Mane domo vigilare, clienti promere jura, 
Cautos nominibus rectis expendere nummos, 105 

Majores audire, minori dicere, per quae 
Crescere res posset, minui damnosa libido. 
Mutavit mentem populus levis, et calet uno 
Scribendi studio : pueri patresque severi 
Fronde comas vincti coenant, et carmina dictant. 110 

Ipse ego, qui nullos me afrirmo scribere versus, 
Invenior Parthis mendacior ; et, prius orto 
Sole vigil, calamum et cliartas et scrinia posco. 
Navim agere ignarus navis timet ; abrotonum eegro 
Non audet, nisi qui didicit, dare ; quod medicorum est, 115 
Promittunt medici ; tractant fabrilia fabri : 
Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim. 

Hie error tamen, et levis heec insania quantas 
Virtutes habeat, sic collige : vatis avarus 
Non temere est animus ; versus amat, hoc studet unum ; 120 
Detrimenta, fugas servorum, incendia ridet ; 
Non fraudem socio, puerove incogitat ullam 
Pupillo ; vivit siliquis et pane secundo ; 
Militias quamquam piger et malus, utilis urbi ; 
Si das hoc, parvis quoque rebus magna juvari. 125 

Os tenerum pueri balbumque poeta iigurat, 
Torquet ab obsccenis jam nunc sermonibus aurem, 



if] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER II. 227 

Mox etiam pectus prseceptis format amicis, 

Asperitatis et invidiam corrector et irse ; 

Recte facta refert, orientia tempora notis 130 

Instruit exemplis, inopem solatur et segrum. 

Castis cum pueris ignara puella mariti 

Disceret unde preces, vatem ni Musa dedisset ? 

Poscit opem chorus, et prsesentia numina sentit, 

Coelestes implorat aquas docta prece blandus, 135 

Avertit morbos, metuenda pericula pellit, 

Impetrat et pacem, et locupletem frugibus annum. 

Carmine Di superi placantur, carmine manes. 

Agricolae prisci, fortes, parvoque beati, 
Condita post frumenta, levantes tempore festo 140 

Corpus, et ipsum animum spe finis dura ferentem, 
Cum sociis operum, pueris, et conjuge flda, 
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant, 
Floribus et vino Genium, memorem brevis ssvi. 
Fescennina per hunc inventa licentia morem 145 

Versibus alternis opprobria rustica fudit, 
Libertasque recurrentes accepta per annos 
Lusit amabiliter, donee jam saevus apertam 
In rabiem verti coepit jocus, et per honestas 
Ire domos impune minax. Doluere cruento 150 

Dente lacessiti ; fuit intactis quoque cura 
Conditione super communi ; quin etiam lex 
Pcenaque lata, malo quse nollet carmine quemquam 
Describi ; vertere modum, formidine fustis 
Ad bene dicendum delectandumque redacti. 155 

Grsecia capta ferum victorem cepit, et artes 
Intulit agresti Latio : sic horridus ille 
Defluxit numerus Saturnius ; et grave virus 
Munditire pepulere : sed in longum tamen sevum 
Manserunt hodieque manent vestigia ruris. 160 

Serus enim Gratis admovit acumina chartis, 
Et post Punica bella quietus quserere coepit, 



228 a. HORATII FLACCI [l. 

Quid Sophocles et Thespis et ^Eschylus utile ferrent. 

Tentavit quoque rem, si digne vertere posset ; 

Et placuit sibi, natura sublimis et acer ; 165 

Nam spirat tragicum satis, et feliciter audet ; 

Sed turpem putat inscite metuitque lituram. 

Creditur, ex medio quia res arcessit, habere 
Sudoris minimum, sed habet Comoedia tanto 
Plus oneris, quanto venias minus. Adspice, Plautus 170 
Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi, 
Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut insidiosi ; 
Quantus sit Dossennus edacibus in parasitis, 
Quam non adstricto percurrat pulpita socco. 
Gestit enim nummum in loculos demittere, post hoc 175 
Securus, cadat, an recto stet fabula talo. 
Quem tulit ad scenam ventoso Gloria curru, 
Exanimat lentus spectator, sedulus inflat. 
Sic leve, sic parvum est, animum quod laudis avarum 
Subruit aut reficit. Valeat res ludicra, si me 180 

Palma negata macrum, donata reducit opimum. 

Saspe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretque poetam, 
Quod numero plures, virtute et honore minores, 
Indocti stolidique, et depugnare parati, 
Si discordet eques, media inter carmina poscunt 185 

Aut ursum aut pugiles ; his nam plebecula gaudet. 
Verum equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas 
Omnis ad incertos oculos et gaudia vana. 
Quatuor aut plures aulaea premuntur in horas, 
Dum fugiunt equitum turmse peditumque catervae ; 190 

Mox trahitur manibus regum fortuna retortis, 
Esseda festinant, pilenta, petorrita, naves ; 
Captivum portatur ebur, captiva Corinthus. 

Si foret in terris, rideret Democritus, seu 
Diversum confusa genus panthera camelo, 195 

Sive elephas albus vulgi converteret ora : 
Spectaret populum ludis attentius ipsis, 



1.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER II. 229 

Ut sibi prsebentem mirno spectacula plura ; 

Scriptores autem narrare putaret asello 

Fabellam surdo. Nam quae pervincere voces 200 

Evaluere sonum, referunt quern nostra theatra ? 

Garganum mugire putes nemus, aut mare Tuscum, 

Tanto cum strepitu ludi spectantur, et artes, 

Divitiaeque peregrinae, quibus oblitus actor 

Quum stetit in scena, concurrit dextera laevae. 205 

Dixit adhuc aliquid ? — Nil sane. — Quid placet ergo ? — 

Lana Tarentino violas imitata veneno. 

Ac ne forte putes, me, quae facere ipse recusem, 
Quum recte tractent alii, laudare maligne ; 
Ille per extentum funem mihi posse videtur 210 

Ire poeta, meum qui pectus inaniter angit, 
Irritat, mulcet, falsis terroribus implet, 
Ut magus, et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. 
Verum age, et his, qui se lectori credere malunt, 
Quam spectatoris fastidia ferre superbi, 215 

Curam redde brevem, si munus Apolline dignum 
Vis complere libris, et vatibus addere calcar, 
Ut studio majore petant Helicona virentem. 

Multa quidem nobis facimus mala ssepe poetae 
(Ut vineta egomet caedam mea), quum tibi librum 220 

Sollicito damus aut fesso ; quum laedimur, iinum 
Si quis amicorum est ausus reprendere versum ; 
Quum loca jam recitata revolvimus irrevocati ; 
Quum lamentamur, non apparere labores 
Nostros, et tenui deducta poemata filo ; 225 

Quum speramus eo rem venturam, ut simul atque 
Carmina rescieris nos fingere, commodus ultro 
Arcessas, et egere vetes, et scribere cogas. 
Sed tamen est operas pretium cognoscere, quales 
iEdituos habeat belli spectata domique 230 

Virtus, indigno non committenda poetae. 

Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille 



230 a. HORATII FLACCI [l. 

Chaerilus, incultus qui versibus et male natis 

Rettulit acceptos, regale numisma, Philippos. 

Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt 235 

Atramenta, fere scriptores carmine foedo 

Splendida facta linunt. Idem rex ille, poema 

Qui tarn ridiculum tarn care prodigus emit, 

Edicto vetuit, ne quis se, prseter Apellem, 

Pingeret, aut alius Lysippo duceret sera 240 

Fortis Alexandri vultum simulantia. Quod si 

Judicium subtile videndis artibus illud 

Ad libros et ad haec Musarum dona vocares, 

Boeotum in crasso jurares aere natum. 

At neque dedecorant tua de se judicia, atque 245 

Munera, quse multa dantis cum laude tulerunt 
Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variusque poetae ; 
Nee magis expressi vultus per aenea signa, 
Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum 
Clarorum apparent. Nee sermones ego mallem 250 

Repentes per humum, quam res componere gestas ; 
Terrarumque situs et numina dicere, et arces 
Montibus impositas, et barbara regna, tuisque 
Auspiciis totum confecta duella per orbem, 
Claustraque custodem pacis cohibentia Janum, 255 

Et formidatam Parthis te principe Romam ; 
Si, quantum cuperem, possem quoque. Sed ueque parvum 
Carmen majestas recipit tua, nee meus audet 
Rem tentare pudor, quam vires ferre recusent. 
Sedulitas autem, stulte quem diligit, urget, 260 

Prsecipue quum se numeris commendat et arte : 
Discit enim citius memimtque libentius illud, 
Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur. 
Nil moror officium, quod me gravat, ac neque ficto 
In pejus vultu proponi cereus usquam, 265 

Nee prave factis decorari versibus opto, 
Ne rubeam pingui donatus munere, et una 



1,2.] EPISTOLARUM. LIBER II. 231 

Cum scriptore meo, capsa porrectus aperta, 
Deferar in vicum vendentem thus et odores 
Et piper et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis. 270 



Epistola II. 
AD JULIUM FLORUM. 
Flore, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, 
Si quis forte velit puerum tibi vendere, natum 
Tibure vel Gabiis, et tecum sic agat : Hie et 
Candidas, et talos a vertice pulcher ad imos, 
Fiet eritque tuus nummorum millibus octo, 5 

Verna ministeriis ad nutus aptus heriles, 
Litertdis Grcecis imbutus, idoneus arti 
Cuilibet ; argilla quidvis imitaberis uda ; 
Quin etiam eanet indoctum, sed didce bibenti. 
Multa fidem p?-omissa levant, ubi plenius cequo 10 

Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, merces. 
Res urget me nulla ; meo sum pauper in cere : 
Nemo Jwc mangonum faceret tibi : non temere a me 
Quivis ferret idem : semel hie cessavit, et, ut jit, 
In scalis latuit metuens pendentis Imbence. 15 

Des nummos, excepta nihil te sifuga Icedit. 
Ille ferat pretium, poensB securus, opinor. 
Prudens emisti vitiosum ; dicta tibi est lex : 
Insequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniqua ? 

Dixi me pigrum proficiscenti tibi, dixi 20 

Talibus officiis prope mancum ; ne mea saevus 
Jurgares ad te quod epistola nulla rediret. 
Quid turn profeci, mecum facientia jura 
Si tamen attentas ? Quereris super hoc etiam, quod 
Exspectata tibi non mittam carmina mendax. 25 

Luculli miles collecta viatica multis 
iErumnis, lassus dum noctu stertit, ad assem 
Perdiderat : post hoc vehemens lupus, et sibi et hosti 



232 a. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Iratus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer, 

Presidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt, 30 

Summe munito et multarum divite rerum. 

Clarus ob id factum donis ornatur honestis ; 

Accipit et bis dena super sestertia nummum. 

Forte sub hoc tempus castellum evertere praetor 

Nescio quod cupiens hortari coapit eundem 35 

Verbis, quae timido quoque possent addere mentem : 

I, bone, quo virtus, tua te vocat, I pede fausto, 

Grandia laturus meritorum prcemia ! Quid stas ? 

Post haec ille catus, quantumvis rusticus, Ibit, 

Ibit eo quo vis, qui zoiiam perdidit, inquit. 40 

ILomae nutriri mihi contigit atque doceri, 
Iratus Graiis quantum nocuisset Achilles : 
Adjecere bonae paulo plus artis Athenae ; 
Scilicet ut possem curvo dignoscere rectum, 
Atque inter silvas Academi quaerere verum. 45 

Dura sed emovere loco me tempora grato, 
Civilisque rudem belli tulit aestus in arraa, 
Caesaris Augusti non responsura lacertis. 
Unde simul primum me dimisere Philippi, 
Decisis humilem pennis, inopemque paterni 50 

Et laris et fundi, paupertas impulit audax 
Ut versus facerem : sed, quod non desit, habentem 
Quae poterunt unquam satis expurgare cicutae, 
Ni melius dormire putem quam scribere versus ? 

Singula de nobis anni praedantur euntes ; 55 

Eripuere jocos, Venerem, convivia, ludum ; 
Tendunt extorquere poemata : quid faciam vis ? 
Denique non ornnes eadem mirantur amantque : 
Carmine tu gaudes, hie delectatur iambis, 
Ille Bioneis sermonibus et sale nigro. 60 

Tres mihi convivae prope dissentire videntur, 
Poscentes vario multum diversa palato. 
Quid dem ? quid non dem ? Renuis tu, quod jubet alter ; 
Quod petis, id sane est invisum acidumque duobus. 



2.] EPISTOLARUM.— LIBER II. &33 

Prseter cetera, me Romeene poemata censes 65 

Scribere posse, inter tot curas totqUe labores ? 
Hie sponsum vocat, hie auditum scripta relictis 
Omnibus officiis ; cubat hie in colle Quirini, 
Hie extremo in Aventino, visendus uterque : 
Intervalla vides humane commoda. — Verum 70 

Puree sunt platece, nihil tit meditantibus obstet.— 
Festinat calidus mulis gerulisque redemtor, 
Torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum, 
Tristia robustis luctantur funera plaustris, 
Hac rabiosa fugit canis, hac lutulenta ruit sus : 75 

I nunc, et versus tecum meditare canoros. 
Scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus, et fugit urbes, 
Rite cliens Bacchi, somno gaudentis et umbra : 
Tu me inter strepitus nocturnos atque diurnos 
Vis canere, et contacta sequi vestigia vatum ? 80 

Ingenium, sibi quod vacuas desimisit Athenas, 
Et studiis annos septem dedit, insenuitque 
Libris et curis, statua taciturnius exit 
Plerumque, et risu populum quatit : hie ego rerum 
Fluctibus in mediis, et tempestatibus urbis, 85 

Verba lyrse motura sonum connectere digner ? 

Auctor erat Romss consulto rhetor, ut alter 
Alterius sermonc meros audiret honores ; 
Gracchus ut hie illi foret, huic ut Mucius ille. 
Qui minus argutos vexat furor iste poetas ? 90 

Carmina compono, hie elegos ; mirabile visu 
Caelatumque novem Musis opus ! Adspice primum, 
Quanto cum fastu, quanto molimine circum- 
Spectemus vacuam Romanis vatibus aedem ! 
Mox etiam, si forte vacas, sequere, et procul audi, 95 

Quid ferat et quare sibi nectat uterque coronam. 
Csedimur, et totidem plagis consumimus hostem, 
Lento Samnites ad lumina prima duello. 
Discedo Alcseus puncto illius ; ille meo quis ? 



234 a. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Quis, nisi Callimachus ? si plus adposcere visus, 100 

Fit Mimnermus, et optivo cognomine crescit. 

Multa fero, ut placem genus irritabile vatura, 

Quum scribo, et supplex populi suffragia capto : 

Idem, finitis studiis et mente recepta, 

Obturem patulas impune legentibus aures. 105 

Ridentur mala qui eomponunt carmina : verum 

Gaudent scribentes, et se venerantur, et ultro, 

Si taceas, laudant quidquid scripsere, beati. 

At qui legitimum cupiet fecisse poema, 
Cum tabulis animum censoris sumet lionesti ; 110 

Audebit quaecunque parum splendoris habebunt, 
Et sine pondere erunt, et honore indigna ferentur, 
Verba movere loco, quamvis invita recedant, 
Et versentur adhuc intra penetralia Vestae. 
Obscurata diu populo bonus eruet, atque 115 

Proferet in lucem speciosa vocabula rerum, 
Qu83, priscis memorata Catonibus atque Cethegis, 
Nunc situs informis premit et deserta vetustas : 
Adsciscet nova, quae genitor produxerit usus. 
Vehemens et liquidus, puroque simillimus amni, 120 

Fundet opes, Latiumque beabit divite lingua ; 
Luxuriantia compescet, nimis aspera sano 
Levabit cultu, virtute carentia toilet, 
Ludentis speciem dabit, et torquebitur, ut qui 
Nunc Satyrum nunc agrestem Cyclopa movetur. 125 

Praetulerim scriptor delirus inersque videri, 
Dum mea delectent mala me, vel denique fallant, 
Quam sapere et ringi. Fuit haud ignobilis Argis, 
Qui se credebat miros audire tragoedos, 
In vacuo lastus sessor plausorque theatro ; 130 

Cetera qui vitas servaret munia recto 
More, bonus sane vicinus, amabilis hospes, 
Comis in uxorem, posset qui ignoscere servis, 
Et signo laeso non insanire lagenae ; 



2.] EPISTOLARUM.- LIBER II. 235 

Posset qui rupem et puteum vitare patentera. 135 

Hie ubi cognatorum opibus curisque refectus 

Expulit elleboro morbum bilemque meraco, 

Et redit ad sese : Pol, me occidistis, amici, 

Non servastis, ait, cui sic extorta voluptas, 

Et demtus pretium mentis gratissimus error. 140 

Nimirum sapere est abjectis utile nugis, 
Et tempestivum pueris concedere ludum, 
Ac non verba sequi fidibus modulanda Latinis. 
Sed veree numerosque modosque ediscere vitse. 
Quocirca mecum loquor hsec, tacitusque recordor : 145 

Si tibi nulla sitim finiret copia lymphae, 
Narrares medicis : quod, quanto plura parasti, 
Tanto plura cupis, nulline faterier audes ? 
Si vulnus tibi monstrata radice vel herba 
Non fieret levius, fugeres radice vel herba 1 50 

Proficiente nihil curarier. Audieras, cui 
Rem Di donarent, illi decedere pravam 
Stultitiam ; et, quum sis nihilo sapientior, ex quo 
Plenior es, tamen uteris monitoribus isdem ? 
At si divitiae prudentem reddere possent, 155 

Si cupidum timidumque minus te, nempe ruberes, 
Viveret in terris te si quis avarior uno. 

Si proprium est, quod quis libra mercatur et aere, 
Quaedam, si credis consultis, mancipat usus : 
Qui te pascit ager, tuus est ; et villicus Orbi, 160 

Quum segetes occat tibi mox frumenta daturas, 
Te dominum sentit. Das nummos, accipis uvam, 
Pullos, ova, cadum temeti : nempe modo isto 
Paulatim mercaris agrum, fortasse trecentis, 
Aut etiam supra, nummorum millibus emtum. 165 

Quid refert, vivas numerato nuper an olim ? 
Emtor Aricini quondam Veientis et arvi 
Emtum coenat olus, quamvis aliter putat ; emtis 
Sub noctem gelidam lignis calefactat aenum ; 



236 a. HORATII FLACCI [2. 

Sed vocat usque suum, qua populus adsita certis 170 

Limitibus vicina refugit jurgia ; tanquam 
Sit proprium quidquam, puncto quod mbbilis horse, 
Nunc prece, nunc pretio, nunc vi, nunc morte suprema, 
Permutet dominos et cedat in altera jura. 

Sic, quia perpetuus nulli datur usus, et heres 175 

Heredem alterius velut unda supervenit undam, 
Quid vici prosunt aut horrea ? Quidve Calabris 
Saltibus adjecti Lucani, si metit Orcus 
Grandia cum parvis, non exorabilis auro ? 
Gemmas, marmor, ebur, Tyrrhena sigilla, tabellas, 180 

Argentum, vestes Geetulo murice tinctas, 
Sunt qui non habeant, est qui non curat habere. 
Cur alter fratrum cessare et ludere et ungi 
Pra3ferat Herodis palmetis pinguibus ; alter, 
Dives et importunus, ad umbram lucis ab ortu 185 

Silvestrem flammis et ferro mitiget agrum, 
Scit Genius, natale comes qui temperat astrum, 
Naturaa Deus humanaa, mortalis in unum- 
Quodque caput, vultu mutabilis, albus et ater. 

Utar, et ex modico, quantum res poscet, acervo 190 

Tollam ; nee metuam, quid de me judicet heres, 
Quod non plura datis invenerit : et tamen idem 
Scire volam, quantum simplex hilarisque nepoti 
Discrepet, et quantum discordet parous avaro. 
Distat enim, spargas tua prodigus, an neque sumtum 195 
Invitus facias neque j)lura parare labores, 
Ac potius, puer ut festis quinquatribus olim, 
Exiguo gratoque fruaris tempore raptim. 
Pauperies immunda procul procul absit : ego, Utrum 
Nave ferar magna an parva, ferar unus et idem. 200 

Non agimur tumidis velis aquilone secundo ; 
Non tamen adversis aetatem ducimus austris ; 
Viribus, ingenio, specie, virtute, loco, re, 
Extremi primorum, extremis usque priores. 



2.] . EPISTOLARUM. LIBER II. 237 

Non es avarus : abi. Quid ? cetera jam simul isto 205 
Cum vitio fugere ? caret tibi pectus inani 
Ambitione ? caret mortis formidine et ira ? 
Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas, 
Nocturnos lemures portentaque Thessala rides ? 
Natales grate numeras ? ignoscis amicis ? 210 

Lenior et melior fis accedente senecta ? 
Quid te exemta levat spinis de pluribus una ? 
Vivere si recte nescis, decede peritis. 
Lusisti satis, edisti satis atque bibisti ; 
Tempus abire tibi est ; ne potum largius sequo 215 

Rideat et pulset lasciva decentius setas. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 
EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 



Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam 

Jungere si velit, et varias inducere plumas 

Undique collatis raembris, ut turpiter atrura 

Desinat in piscem mulier formosa superne, 

Spectatum admissi risum teneatis, amici ? 5 

Credite, Pisones, isti tabulae fore librum 

Persirailem, cujus, velut segri somnia, vanse 

Fingentur species ; ut nee pes, nee caput uni 

Reddatur formae. — Pictoribus atque poetis 

Quidlibet audendi semper fuit cequa potestas. — 10 

Scimus, et hanc veniam petimusque damusque vicissim : 

Sed non ut placidis coeant immitia : non ut 

Serpentes avibus geminentur, tigribus agni. 

Inceptis gravibus plerumque et magna professis 
Purpureus, late qui splendeat, unus et alter 15 

Assuitur pannus ; quum lucus et ara Dianae, 
Et properantis aquae per amoenos ambitus agros, 
Aut flumen Rhenum, aut pluvius describitur arcus. 
Sed nunc non erat his locus. Et fortasse cupressum 
Scis simulare : quid hoc, si fractis enatat exspes 20 

Navibus, 83re dato qui pingitur ? Amphora ccepit 
Institui ; currente rota cur urceus exit ? 
Denique sit quidvis, simplex duntaxat et unum. 

Maxima pars vatum, pater et juvenes patre digni, 
Decipimur specie recti : brevis esse laboro, 25 

Obscurus fio ; sectantem lenia nervi 

L 



242 a. HORATII FLACCI 

Deficiunt animique ; professus grandia turget ; 

Serpit humi tutus nimium timidusque procellae ; 

Qui variare cupit rem prodigialiter unam, 

Delphinum silvis appingit, fluctibus aprum. 30 

In vitium ducit culpse fuga, si caret arte. 

iEmilium circa ludum faber unus et ungues 
Exprimet, et molles imitabitur ssre capillos ; 
Infelix operis summa, quia ponere totum 
Nesciet. Hunc ego me, si quid componere curem, 35 

Non magis esse velim, quam naso vivere pravo, 
Spectandum nigris oculis nigroque capillo. 

Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, sequam 
Viribus, et versate diu, quid ferre recusent, 
Quid valeant humeri. Cui lecta potenter erit res, 40 

Nee facundia deseret hunc, nee lucidus ordo. 

Ordinis hsec virtus erit et Venus, aut ego fallor, 
Ut jam nunc dicat jam nunc debentia dici, 
Pleraque differat et prsesens in tempus omittat. 

In verbis etiam tenuis cautusque serendis, 45 

Hoc amet, hoc spernat promissi carminis auctor. 
Dixeris egregie, notum si callida verbum 
Heddiderit junctura novum. Si forte necesse est 
Indiciis monstrare recentibus abdita rerum, 
Fingere cinctutis non exaudita Cethegis 50 

Continget, dabiturque licentia sumta pudenter. 
Et nova factaque nuper habebunt verba fidem, si 
Grseco fonte cadant, parce detorta. Quid autem 
Csecilio Plautoque dabit Romanus, ademtum 
Virgilio Varioque ? Ego cur, acquirere pauca 55 

Si possum, invideor, quum lingua Catonis et Eimi 
Sermonem patrium ditaverit, et nova rerum 
Nomina protulerit ? Licuit, semperque licebit, 
Signatum praesente nota procudere nomen. 
Ut silvse, foliis pronos mutantis in annos, 60 

Prima cadunt ; ita verborum vetus interit eetas, 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 243 

Et juvenum ritu florent modo nata vigentque. 

Debemur morti nos nostraque ; sive, recepto 

Terra Neptuno, classes aquilonibus arcet 

Regis opus ; sterilisve diu palus aptaque remis 65 

Vicinas urbes alit, et grave sentit aratrum ; 

Seu cursum mutavit iniquum frugibus amnis, 

Doctus iter melius. Mortalia facta peribunt : 

Nedum sermonum stet honos et gratia vivax. 

Multa renascentur, quae jam cecidere, cadentque 70 

Quae nunc sunt in honore vocabula, si volet usus, 

Quem penes arbitrium est et jus et norma loquendi. 

Res gestae regumque ducumque et tristia bella 
Quo scribi possent numero, monstravit Homerus. 
Versibus impariter junctis querimonia primum, 75 

Post etiam inclusa est voti sententia compos. 
Quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit auctor, 
Grammatici certant, et adhuc sub judice lis est. 
Archilochum proprio rabies armavit iambo : 
Hunc socci cepere pedem grandesque cothurni, 80 

Alternis aptum sermonibus, et populares 
Vincentem strepitus, et natum rebus agendis. 
Musa dedit fidibus Divos, puerosque Deorum, 
Et pugilem victorem, et equum certamine primum, 
Et juvenum curas, et libera vina referre. 85 

Descriptas servare vices operumque colores, 
Cur ego, si nequeo ignoroque, poeta salutor ? 
Cur nescire, pudens prave, quam discere malo ? 
Versibus exponi tragicis res comica non vult : 
Indignatur item privatis, ac prope socco 90 

Dignis carminibus narrari ccena Thyestae. 
Singula quaeque locum teneant sortita decenter. 
Interdum tamen et vocem Comcedia tollit, 
Iratusque Chremes tumido delitigat ore ; 
Et tragicus plerumque dolet sermone pedestri. 95 

Telephus et Peleus, quum pauper et exsul, uterque 



244 a. HORATII FLACCI 

Projicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba, 
Si cor spectantis curat tetigisse querela. 

Non satis est pulchra esse poemata ; dulcia sunto, 
Et quocunque volent, animum auditoris agunto. 100 

Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus afflent 
Humani vultus. Si vis me flere, dolendum est 
Primum ipsi tibi ; tunc tua me infortunia lsedent, 
Telephe vel Peleu : male si mandata loqueris, 
Aut dormitabo aut ridebo. Tristia moestum 105 

Vultum verba decent, iratum plena minarum, 
Ludentem lasciva, severum seria dictu. 
Format enim natura prius nos intus ad omnem 
Fortunarum habitum ; juvat, aut impellit ad iram, 
Aut ad humum mcerore gravi deducit et angit ; 110 

Post effert animi motus interprete lingua. 
Si dicentis erunt fortunis absona dicta, 
Romani tollent equites peditesque cachinnum. 

Intererit multum, divusne loquatur an heros, 
Maturusne senex an adhuc florente juventa 115 

Fervidus, et matrona potens an sedula nutrix, 
Mercatorne vagus cultorne virentis agelli, 
Colchus an Assyrius, Thebis nutritus an Argis. 

Aut famam sequere, aut sibi convenientia finge, 
Scriptor. Honoratum si forte reponis Achillem, 120 

Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer, 
Jura neget sibi nata, nihil non arroget armis. 
Sit Medea ferox invictaque, flebilis Trio, 
Perfidus Ixion, Io vaga, tristis Orestes. 

Si quid inexpertum scenae committis, et audes 125 

Personam formare novam, servetur ad imum 
Qualis ab incepto processerit, aut sibi constet. 
Difficile est proprie communia dicere : tuque 
Rectius Iliacum carmen diducis in actus, 
Quam si proferres ignota indictaque primus. 130 

Publica materies privati juris erit, si 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 245 

Nec circa vilem patulumque moraberis orbem, 

Nee verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus 

Interpres, nec desilies imitator in arctum, 

Unde pedem proferre pudor vetet aut operis lex. 135 

Nec sic incipies, ut scriptor cyclicus olim : 
Fortunam Priami cantabo et nobile helium. 
Quid dignum tanto feret hie promissor hiatu ? 
Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. 
Quanto rectius hie, qui nil molitur inepte : 140 

Die mihi, Musa, virum, captce post tempera Trojce 
Qui mores hominum multorum vidit et urbes. 
Non fumum ex fulgore, sed ex fumo dare lucem 
Cogitat, ut speciosa dehinc miracula promat, 
Antiphaten, Scyllamque, et cum Cyclope Charybdin ; 145 
Nec reditum Diomedis ab interitu Meleagri, 
Nec gemino bellum Trojanum orditur ab ovo. 
Semper ad eventum festinat, et in medias res, 
Non secus ac notas, auditorem rapit, et, quas 
Desperat tractata nitescere posse, relinquit ; 150 

Atque ita mentitur, sic veris falsa remiscet, 
Primo ne medium, medio ne discrepet imum. 

Tu, quid ego et populus mecum desideret, audi : 
Si fautoris eges aulsea manentis, et usque 
Sessuri, donee cantor, Vos plaudite, dicat, 155 

JEtatis cuj usque notandi sunt tibi mores, 
Mobilibusque decor naturis dandus et annis. 
Reddere qui voces jam scit puer, et pede certo 
Signat humum, gestit paribus colludere, et iram 
Colligit ac ponit temere, et mutatur in horas. 160 

Imberbus juvenis, tandem custode remoto, 
Gaudet equis canibusque et aprici gramine campi ; 
Cereus in vitium flecti, monitoribus asper, 
Utilium tardus pro visor, prodigus seris, 

Sublimis, cupidusque, et amata relinquere pernix. 165 

Conversis studiis a^tas animusque virilis 



246 a. HORATII FLACCI 

Quserit opes et amicitias, inservit honori, 

Commisisse cavet, quod mox mutare laboret. 

Multa senem circumveniunt incommoda, vel quod 

QuEerit, et inventis miser abstinet, ac timet uti, 1 70 

Vel quod res omnes timide gelideque ministrat, 

Dilator, spe longus, iners, avidusque futuri, 

Difficilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti 

Se puero, castigator censorque minorum. 

Multa ferunt anni venientes commoda secum, 175 

Multa recedentes adimunt. Ne forte seniles 

Mandentur juveni partes, pueroque viriles, 

Semper in adjunctis asvoque morabimur aptis. 

Aut agitur res in scenis, aut acta refertur. 
Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem, 180 

Quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus, et quss 
Ipse sibi tradit spectator : non tamen intus 
Digna geri promes in scenam ; multaque tolles 
Ex oculis, quae mox narret facundia prsesens. 
Ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet, 185 

Aut humana palam coquat exta nefarius Atreus, 
Aut in avem Progne vertatur, Cadmus in anguem. 
Quodcunque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odi. 

Neve minor neu sit quinto productior actu 
Fabula, quae posci vult et spectata reponi : 190 

Nee Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus 
Incident ; nee quarta loqui persona laboret. 

Actoris partes Chorus officiumque virile 
Defendat, neu quid medios intercinat actus, 
Quod non proposito conducat et hsereat apte. 195 

Ille bonis faveatque et consilietur amice, 
Et regat iratos, et amet pacare tumentes ; 
Ille dapes laudet menses brevis, ille salubrem 
Justitiam, legesque, et apertis otia portis, 
Ille tegat commissa, Deosque precetur et oret, 200 

Ut redeat miseris, abeat Fortuna superbis. 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 247 

Tibia non, ut nunc, orichalco vincta, tubaeque 
/Emula, sed tenuis simplexque foramine pauco 
Adspirare et adesse Choris erat utilis, atque 
Nondum spissa nimis complere sedilia flatu ; 205 

Quo sane populus numerabilis, utpote parvus, 
Et frugi castusque verecundusque coibat. 
Postquam coapit agros extendere victor, et urbem 
Latior amplecti murus, vinoque diurno 
Placari Genius festis impune diebus, 210 

Accessit numerisque modisque licentia major ; 
Indoctus quid enim saperet liberque iaborum 
Rusticus, urbano confusus, turpis honesto ? 
Sic priscse motumque et luxuriem addidit arti 
Tibicen, traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem ; 215 

Sic etiam fidibus voces crevere severis, 
Et tulit eloquium insolitum facundia prseceps ; 
Utiliumque sagax rerum, et divina futuri, 
Sortilegis non discrepuit sententia Delphis. 

Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum, 220 

Mox etiam agrestes Satyros nudavit, et asper 
Incolumi gravitate jocum tentavit, eo quod 
Illecebris erat et grata novitate morandus 
Spectator, functusque sacris, et potus, et exlex. 
Verum ita risores, ita commendare dicaces 225 

Conveniet Satyros, ita vertere seria ludo, 
Ne, quicunque Deus, quicunque adhibebitur heros, 
Regali conspectus in auro nuper et ostro, 
Migret in obscuras humili sermone tabernas, 
Aut, dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet. 230 

EfFutire leves indigna Tragoedia versus, 
Ut festis matrona moveri jussa diebus, 
Intererit Satyris paulum pudibunda protervis. 
Non ego inornata et dominantia nomina solum 
Verbaque, Pisones, Satyrorum scriptor amabo ; 235 

Nee sic enitar tragico differre colori, 



248 a. HORATII FLACCl 

Ut nihil intersit, Davusne loquatur et audax 

Pythias, emuncto lucrata Simone talentum, 

An custos famulusque Dei Silenus alumni. 

Ex noto fictum carmen sequar, ut sibi quivis 240 

Speret idem ; sudet multum, frustraque laboret 

Ausus idem. Tantum series juncturaque pollet, 

Tantum de medio sumtis accedit honoris. 

Silvis educti caveant, me judice, Fauni, 

Ne, velut innati triviis ac psene forenses, 245 

Aut nimium teneris juvenentur versibus unquarn, 

Aut immunda crepent ignominiosaque dicta. 

OfTenduntur enim, quibus est equus, et pater, et res ; 

Nee, si quid fricti ciceris probat et nucis emtor, 

iEquis accipiunt animis donantve corona. 250 

Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur Iambus, 
Pes citus ; unde etiam Trimetris accrescere jussit 
Nomen iambeis, quum senos redderet ictus 
Primus ad extremum similis sibi. Non ita pridem 
Tardior ut paulo graviorque veniret ad aures, 255 

Spondeos stabiles in jura paterna recepit 
Commodus et patiens ; non ut de sede secunda 
Cederet aut quarta socialiter. Hie et in Atti 
Nobilibus Trimetris apparet rarus, et Enni. 
In scenam missus magno cum pondere versus, 2G0 

Aut operse celeris nimium curaque carentis, 
Aut ignoratss premit artis crimine turpi. 
Non quivis videt immodulata poemata judex ; 
Et data Romanis venia est indigna poetis. 
Jdcircone vager, scribamque licenter? Ut omnes 265 
Visuros peccata putem mea : tutus et intra 
Spem venise cautus ? vitavi denique culpam, 
Non laudem merui. Vos exemplaria Grseca 
Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna. 
At vestri proavi Plautinos et numeros et 270 

Laudavere sales : nimium patienter utrumque, 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 249 

Ne dicam stulte, mirati, si modo ego et vos 
Scimus inurbanum lepido seponere dicto, 
Legitimumque sonum digitis callemus et aure. 

Ignotum tragicse genus invenisse Camenae 275 

Dicitur et plaustris vexisse poemata Thespis, 
Qui canerent agerentque peruncti frecibus ora. 
Post hunc personam pallseque repertor honestae 
iEschylus et modicis instravit pulpita tignis, 
Et docuit magnumque loqui nitique cothurno. 280 

Successit vetus his Como3dia J non sine multa 
Laude ; sed in vitium libertas excidit, et vim 
Dignam lege regi. Lex est accepta, Chorusque 
Turpiter obticuit, sublato jure nocendi. 

Nil intentatum nostri liquere poetae : 285 

Nee minimum meruere decus, vestigia Graeca 
Ausi deserere, et celebrare domestica facta, 
Vel qui prsetextas, vel qui docuere togatas. 
Nee virtute foret clarisve potentius armis, 
Quam lingua, Latium, si nbn offenderet unum- 290 

Quemque poetarum lim« labor et mora. Vos, O 
Pompilius sanguis, carmen reprehendite, quod non 
Multa dies et multa litura coercuit, atque 
Prsesectum decies non castigavit ad unguem. 

Ingenium misera quia fortunatius arte 295 

Credit, et excludit sanos Helicone poetas 
Democritus, bona pars non ungues ponere curat, 
Non barbam, secreta petit loca, balnea vitat. 
Nanciscetur enim pretium nomenque poetse, 
Si tribus Anticyris caput insanabile nunquam 300 

Tonsori Licino commiserit. O ego laevus, 
Qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam ! 
Non alius faceret meliora poemata. Verum 
Nil tanti est. Ergo fungar vice cotis, acutum 
Reddere qua? ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi : 305 

Munus et officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo ; 
L 2 



250 a. HORATII FLACCI 

Unde parentur opes, quid alat formetque poetam ; 

Quid deceat, quid non ; quo virtus, quo ferat error. 

Scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons : 

Rem tibi Socraticse poterunt ostendere chartae, 310 

Verbaque provisam rem non invita sequentur. 

Qui didicit, patriae quid debeat, et quid amicis, 

Quo sit amore parens, quo frater amandus et hospes, 

Quod sit conscripti, quod judicis omcium, quae 

Partes in bellum missi ducis, ille profecto 315 

Reddere personae scit convenientia cuique. 

Respicere exemplar vitas morumque jubebo 

Doctum imitatorem, et veras hinc ducere voces. 

Interdum speciosa locis morataque recte 

Fabula, nullius veneris, sine pondere et arte, 320 

Valdius oblectat populum meliusque moratur, 

Quam versus inopes rerum nugaeque canorae. 

Graiis ingenium, Graiis dedit ore rotundo 

Musa loqui, praeter laudem nullius avaris. 

Romani pueri longis rationibus assem 325 

Discunt in partes centum diducere. — Dicas, 

Filius Albini, si de quincunce remota est 

Uncia, quid superat ? — Poteras dixisse. — Triens. — Eu ! 

Rem poteris servare tuam. Redit uncia, quid fit ? — 

Semis. — An, hsec animos aerugo et cura peculi 330 

Quum semel imbuerit, speramus carmina fingi 

Posse linenda cedro, et levi servanda cupresso ? 

Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poetse, 
Aut simul et jucunda et idonea dicere vitae. 
Quidquid praecipies, esto brevis, ut cito dicta 335 

Percipiant animi dociles, teneantque fideles. 
Omne supervacuum pleno de pectore manat. 
JFicta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris : 
Ne, quodcunque volet, poscat sibi fabula credi ; 
Neu pransae Lamiae vivum puerum extrahat alvo. 340 

Centuriae seniorum agitant expertia frugis, 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 251 

Celsi prsetereunt austera poemata Ramnes : 

Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci, 

Lectorem delectando pariterque monendo. 

Hie meret sera liber Sosiis, hie et mare transit, 345 

Et longum noto scriptori prorogat 33vum. 

Sunt delicta tamen, quibus ignovisse velimus : 
Nam neque chorda sonum reddit, quern vult manus et mens, 
Poscentique gravem perssepe remittit acutum ; 
Nee semper feriet quodcunque minabitur arcus. 350 

Verum ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego paucis 
Offendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit, 
Aut humana parum cavit natura. Quid ergo est ? 
Ut scriptor si peccat idem librarius usque, 
Quamvis est monitus, venia caret ; ut eitharcedus 355 

Pvidetur, chorda qui semper oberrat eadem ; 
Sic mihi, qui multum cessat, fit Chcerilus ille, 
Quern bis terve bonum cum risu miror ; et idem 
Indignor, quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus. 
Verum operi longo fas est obrepcre somnura. 360 

Ut pictura, poesis : erit, quae, si propius stes, 
Te capiet magis, et quoedam, si longius abstes ; 
Heec amat obscurum, volet hsec sub luce videri, 
Judicis argutum quas non formidat acumen : 
Haec placuit semel, hsec decies repetita placebit. 365 

O major juvenum, quamvis et voce paterna 
Fingeris ad rectum, et per te sapis, hoc tibi dictum 
Tolle memor : certis medium et tolerabile rebus 
Recte concedi. Consultus juris et actor 
Causarum mediocris abest virtute diserti 370 

Messalse, nee scit quantum Cascellius Aulus ; 
Sed tamen in pretio est : mediocribus esse poetis 
Non homines, non Di, non concessere columnse. 
Ut gratas inter mensas symphonia discors 
Et crassum unguentum et Sardo cum melle papaver 375 
OfFendunt, poterat duci quia ccena sine istis ; 



252 Cl. HORATII FLACCI 

Sic animis natum inventumque poema juvandis, 

Si paulum a sumrao decessit, vergit ad imum. 

Ludere qui nescit, campestribus abstinet armis, 

Indoctusque pilss discive trochive quiescit, 380 

Ne spissse risum tollant impune coronse : 

Qui nescit, versus tamen audet iingere ! — Quidni ? 

Liber et ingenuus, prcesertim census equestrem 

Summam nummomm, vitioque remotus ab omni. — 

Tu nihil invita dices faciesve Minerva ; 385 

Id tibi judicium est, ea mens : si quid tamen olim 

Scripseris, in Maeci descendat judicis aures, 

Et patris, et nostras, nonumque prematur in annum, 

Membranis intus positis. Delere licebit, 

Quod non edideris : nescit vox missa reverti. 390 

Silvestres homines sacer interpresque Deorum 
Csedibus et victu foedo deterruit Orpheus ; 
Dictus ob hoc lenire tigres rabidosque leones : 
Dictus et Amphion, Thebanss conditor urbis, 
Saxa movere sono testudinis, et prece blanda 395 

Ducere quo vellet. Fuit hsec sapientia quondam, 
Publica privatis secernere, sacra profanis, 
Concubitu prohibere vago, dare jura maritis, 
Oppida moliri, leges incidere ligno. 

Sic honor et nomen divinis vatibus atque 400 

Carminibus venit. Post hos insignis Homerus, 
Tyrtseusque mares animos in Martia bella 
Versibus exacuit. DictsB per carmina sortes, 
Et vitse mon strata via est, et gratia regum 
Pieriis tentata modis, ludusque repertus, 405 

Et longorum operum finis : ne forte pudori 
Sit tibi Musa lyrse sollers, et cantor Apollo. 

Natura fieret laudabile carmen, an arte, 
Qusesitum est : ego nee studium sine divite vena, 
Nee rude quid possit video ingenium ; alterius sic 410 

Altera poscit opem res, et conjurat amice. 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 253 

Qui studet optatam cursu contingere raetam, 

Multa tulit fecitque puer, sudavit et alsit, 

Abstinuit Venere et vino. Qui Pythia cantat 

Tibicen, didicit prius, extimuitque magistrum. 415 

Nee satis est dixisse : Ego mira poemata pango : 

Occupet extremum scabies ; tnihi turpe relinqui est, 

Et, quod non didici, sane nescire fateri. 

Ut prseco, ad merces turbam qui cogit emendas, 

Assentatores jubet ad lucrum ire poeta 420 

Dives agris, dives positis in fenore numrais. 

Si vero est, unctum qui recte ponere possit, 

Et spondere levi pro paupere, et eripere atris 

Litibus inplicitum, mirabor si seiet inter- 

Noscere mendacem verumque beatus amicum. 425 

Tu seu donaris, seu quid donare voles cui, 

Nolito ad versus tibi factos ducere plenum 

Lsetitise ; clamabit enim, Pidchre ! bene ! recte ! 

Pallescet super his ; etiam stillabit amicis 

Ex oculis rorem, saliet, tundet pede terram, 430 

Ut, quae conductee plorant in funere, dicunt 

Et faciunt prope plura dolentibus ex animo, sic 

Derisor vero plus laudatore movetur. 

Reges dicuntur multis urguere culullis, 

Et torquere mero, quern perspexisse laborant, 435 

An sit amicitia dignus : si carmina condes, 

Nunquam te fallant animi sub vulpe latentes. 

Quinctilio si quid recitares, Corrige sodes 

Hoc, aiebat, et hoc. Melius te posse negares, 

Bis terque expertum frustra, delere jubebat, 440 

Et male tornatos incudi reddere versus. 

Si defendere delictum, quam vertere, malles, 

Nullum ultra verbum aut operam insumebat inanem ; 

Quin sine rivali teque et tua solus amares. 

Vir bonus et prudens versus reprehendet inertes, 445 

Culpabit duros, incomtis allinet atrum 



254 a. HORATII FLACCI EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 

Transverse* calamo signum, ambitiosa recidet 

Ornamenta, parum claris lucem dare coget, 

Arguet ambigue dictum, rrmtanda notabit, 

Fiet Aristarchus ; non dicet : Cur ego amicum 450 

Offendam in nugis ? Hse nugse seria ducent 

In mala derisum semel exceptumque sinistre. 

Ut mala quern scabies aut morbus regius urget, 

Aut fanaticus error, et iracunda Diana, 

Vesanum tetigisse timent fugiuntque poetam, 455 

Qui sapiunt ; agitant pueri, incautique sequuntur. 

Hie dum sublimis versus ructatur, et errat, 

Si veluti merulis intentus decidit auceps 

In puteum foveamve, licet, Succurrite, longum 

Clamet, io cives ! ne sit, qui tollere curet. 460 

Si curet quis opem ferre, et demittere funem, 

Qui scis, an prudens hue se projecerit, atque 

Servari nolit ? dicam, Siculique poe'tse 

Narrabo interitum. Deus immortalis haberi 

Dum cupit Empedocles, ardentem frigidus iEtnam 465 

Insiluit. Sit jus liceatque perire poetis. 

Invitum qui servat, idem facit occidenti. 

Nee semel hoc fecit ; nee, si retractus erit, jam 

Fiet homo, et ponet famosae mortis amorem. 

Nee satis apparet, cur versus factitet ; utrum 470 

Minxerit in patrios cineres, an triste bidental 

Moverit incestus : certe furit, ac velut ursus 

Objectos cavese valuit si frangere clathros, 

Indoctum doctumque fugat recitator acerbus : 

Quern vero arripuit, tenet, occiditque legendo, 475 

Non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris, hirudo. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. 



ODES. 

The word Ode (from the Greek udrj) was not introduced into the Latin 
tongue until the third or fourth century of our era, and was then first used 
to denote any pieces of a lyric nature. The grammarians, perceiving 
that Horace had more than once used the word carmen to designate this 
kind of poetry, ventured to place it at the head of his odes, and their ex- 
ample has been followed by almost all succeeding editors. "We have no 
very strong reason, however, to suppose that the poet himself ever in- 
tended this as a general title for his lyric productions. (Compare Les 
Poe'sies D' Horace, par Sanation, vol. i., p. 6.) 



Ode I. Addressed to Maecenas, and intended probably by Horace as a 
dedication to him of part of his odes. It is generally thought that the 
poet collected together and presented on this occasion the first three 
books of his lyric pieces. From the complexion, however, of the last ode 
of the second book, it would appear that the third book was separately 
given to the world, and at a later period. 

The subject of the present ode is bi'iefly this : The objects of human 
desire and pursuit are various. One man delights in the victor's prize at 
the public games, another in attaining to high political preferment, a third 
in the pursuits of agriculture, &c. My chief aim is the successful culti- 
vation of lyric verse, in which if I shall obtain your applause, O Mascenas, 
my lot will be a happy one indeed. 

1-2. 1. Mcecenas atavis, &c. " Maecenas, descended from regal ances- 
tors." Caius Cilnius Maecenas, who shared with Agrippa the favor and 
confidence of Augustus, and distinguished himself by his patronage of 
literary men, belonged to the Cilnian family, and was descended from 
Elbius Volterrenus, one of the Lucumones, or ruling chieftains of Etruria. 
He is even said to have numbered Porsena among his more remote an- 
cestors. Compare Life, p. liii. — 2. O et prcesidium, &c. "O both my 
patron and sweet glory." The expression dulce decus meum refers to the 
feeling of gratification entertained by the poet in having so illustrious a 
patron and friend. — The synalcepha is neglected in the commencement 
of this line, as it always is in the case of O, Heu, Ah, &c, since the voice 
is sustained and the hiatus prevented by the strong feeling which these 
interjections are made to express. 

3. Sunt quos curriculo, &c. " There are some, whom it delights to 
have collected the Olympic dust in the chariot-course," i. e., to have con- 
tended for the prize at the Olympic games. The Olympic, the chief of 
the Grecian games, are here put tear' k&xnv for any games. The Olym- 



258 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE I. 

pic games were celebrated at Olympia in Elis, on the banks of the Al- 
pheus, after an interval of four years, from the eleventh to the fifteenth of 
the month Hecatombaeon, which corresponds nearly to our July. They 
were celebrated in honor of Jove, and the crown which formed the prize 
was of wild olive {oleaster, kotlvoc). The other great games were the 
Pythian, the prize, a crown of bay ; the Nemean, a crown of fresh parsley ; 
and the Isthmian, first a crown of pine, then of withered parsley, and 
then again of pine. 

4. Metaque fervidis, Sec. " And whom the goal, skillfully avoided by 
the glowing wheels." The principal part of the charioteer's skill was 
displayed in coming as near as possible to the metce, or goals. In the 
Roman circus, a low wall was erected which divided the Spatium, or 
race-ground, into two unequal parts. At each of its extremities, and rest- 
ing on hollow basements, were placed three pillars formed like cones; 
these cones were properly called metce; but the whole was often collect- 
ively termed in the singular meta. The chariots, after starting from the 
carceres, or bankers, where their station had been determined by lot, ran 
seven times around the low wall, or spina, as Cassiodorus calls it. The 
chief object, therefore, of the rival charioteers, was to get so near to the 
spina as to graze (evitare) the meta in turning. This, of course, would give 
the shortest space to ran, and, if effected each heat, would ensure the 
victory. In the Greek hippodromes, the starting place and goal were 
each marked by a square pillar, and half way between these was a third. 

5-6. 5. Palmaque nobilis. " And the ennobling palm." Besides the 
crown, a palm-branch was presented to the conqueror at the Grecian 
games, as a general token of victory : this he carried in his hand. (Com- 
pare Pausanias, viii., 48.) — 6. Terrarum dominos. "The rulers of the 
world," referring simply to the gods, and not, as some explain the phrase, 
to the Roman people. 

7-10. 7. Hunc. Understand juvat. Hunc in this line, ilium in the 
9th, and gaudentem in the 11th, denote, respectively, the ambitious aspi- 
rant after popular favors, the eager speculator in grain, and the content- 
ed farmer. — 8. Certat tergeminis, &c. " Vie with each other in raising 
him to the highest offices in the state." Honoribus is here the dative, by 
a Graecism, for ad honores. The epithet tergeminis is equivalent merely 
to amplissimis, and not, as some think, to the three offices of Curule iEdile, 
Praetor, and Consul. Observe, moreover, the poetic idiom in certat tollere, 
where the prose form of expression would be certat ut tollat, or certat ad 
tollendum. — 9. Ilium. Understand juvat. — 10. Libycis. One of the prin- 
cipal granaries of Rome was the fertile region adjacent to the Syrtis Minor, 
and called Byzacium or Emporia?. It formed part of Africa Propria. 
Horace uses the epithet Libycis for Africis, in imitation of the Greek 
writers, with whom Libya (At,fivn) was a general appellation for the en- 
tire continent of Africa. Other grain countries, on which Rome also re- 
lied for a supply, were Egypt and Sicily. — Areis. The ancient threshing- 
floor was a raised place in the field, open on all sides to the wind. 

11-15. 11. Gaudentem. "While a third who delights." — Sarculo. 
" With the hoe." Sarculum is for sarriculum, from sarrio. — 12. Attalicis 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE I. 259 

conditionibus. "By offers of all the wealth of Attalus." Alluding to Atta- 
lus III., the last king of Pergamus, famed for his riches, which he bequeath- 
ed, together with his kingdom, to the Roman people. — 13. Trabe Cypria. 
The epithet " Cyprian" seems to allude here not so much to the commerce 
of the island, extensive as it was, as to the excellent quality of its naval 
timber. The poet, it will be perceived, uses the expressions Cypria, 
Myrtoum, Icariis, Africum, Massici, &c. kclt' k£,oxhv, for any ship, any 
sea, any waves, &c. — 14. Myrtoum. The Myrtoan Sea was a part of the 
iEgean, extending from the promontory of Carystus, at the southeastern 
extremity of Euboea, to the promontory of Malea in Laconia, and there- 
fore lying off Attica, Argolis, and the eastern coast of Laconia. It reach- 
ed eastward as far as the Cyclades. The name was derived from the 
small island of Myrtos near Eubcea. — Pavidus nauta. " B ecoming a timid 
mariner." — 15. Icariis fiuctibus . The Icarian Sea was part of the iEgean, 
between and also to the south of Icaria and Samos. It derived its name, 
as the ancient mythologists pretend, from Icarus, the son of Daedalus, who, 
according to them, fell into it and was drowned, when accompanying his 
father in his flight from the island of Crete. — Africum. The wind Africus 
denotes, in strictness, the " west-southwest." In translating the text, it 
will be sufficient to render it by " southwest." It dei'ived its name from 
the circumstance of its coming in the direction of Africa Propria. 

16-19. 16. Mercator. The Mercatores, among the Romans, were those 
who, remaining only a short time in any place, visited many countries, 
and were almost constantly occupied with the exportation or importation 
of merchandise. The Negotiatores, on the other hand, generally con- 
tinued for some length of time in a place, whether at Rome or in the 
provinces. — Metuens. "As long as he dreads." Equivalent to dum 
tnetuit. — Otium et oppidi, &c. "Praises a retired life, and the rural 
gcenery around his native place." Orelli, less correctly, joins in construc- 
tion oppidi sui otium et rura. Acidalius [ad Veil. Paterc.) conjectures 
tuta for rura, which Bentley adopts. But the received reading is every 
way superior. — 18. Pauperiem. " Contracted means." Horace and the 
best Latin writers understand by pauperies and paupertas, not absolute 
poverty, which is properly expressed by egestas, but a state in which we 
are deprived indeed of the comforts, and yet possess, in some degree, the 
necessaries of life. — 19. Massici. Of the Roman wines, the best growths 
are styled indiscriminately Massicum and Falernum (vinum). The Massic 
wine derived its name from the vineyards of Mons Massicus, now Monte 
Massico, near the ancient Sinuessa. Consult Excursus VIII. 

20-21. 20. Partem solido, &c. Upon the increase of riches, the Romans 
deferred the ccsna, which used to be their mid-day meal, to the ninth hour 
(or three o'clock afternoon) in summer, and the tenth hour in winter, taking 
only a slight repast (prandium) at noon. Nearly the whole of the natural 
day was therefore devoted to affairs of business, or serious employment, 
and was called, in consequence, dies solidus. Hence the voluptuary, who 
begins to quaff the old Massic before the accustomed hour, is said "to 
take away a part from the solid day," or from the period devoted to more 
active pursuits, and expend it on his pleasures. This is what the poet, 
on another occasion (Ode 2, 6, 7) calls "breaking the lingering day with 
wine," diem morantem frangere mero. Wolf, less correctly, understands 



260 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE I. 

by the words of the text, the taking of an afternoon sleep. — Membra 
stratus. Consult Zumpt, § 458. — 21. Arbuto. The arbutus (or arbutum) 
is the arbute, or wild strawberry-tree, corresponding to the no/xapog of the 
Greeks, the unedo of Pliny, and the Arbutus unedo of Linnaeus, class 10. 
The fruit itself is called ndfiafjov, jue/naiKvXov, or fjufiaiKVAov (Atkenceus, 
2, 35), and in Latin arbutum. It resembles our strawberry very closely, 
except that it is larger, and has no seeds on the outside of the pulp like 
that fruit. 

22-28. 22. Aqua lene caput sacra. " The gently -murmuring source 
of some sacred stream." The fountain-heads of streams were supposed 
to be the residence of the river-deity, and hence were always held sacred. 
Fountains generally were sacred to the nymphs and rural divinities. 
Compare Jacob, Queest. Epic, p. 13, seq. — 23. Et lituo tuba, &c. "And 
the sound of the trumpet intermingled with the notes of the clarion." 
The tuba was straight, and used for infantry ; the lituus was bent a little 
at the end, like the augur's staff, and was used for the cavalry : it had the 
harsher sound. — 25. Detestata. " Held in detestation." Taken passively. 
Compare abominatus, in Epod. xvi., 8. — Manet. " Passes the night." 
Equivalent to pernoctat. Compare Sat., ii., 3, 234. — Sub Jove frigido. 
"Beneath the cold sky." Jupiter is here taken figuratively for the higher 
regions of the air. Compare the Greek phrase vrrb Aide. — Catulis. The 
dative by a Graecism for a catulis. Scheller and others erroneously un- 
derstand this of the young of the deer. — 28. Teretes. "Well-wrought."' 
The epithet teres here conveys the idea of something smooth and round, 
and therefore refers properly to the cords or strands of the net, as being 
smooth, and round, and tapering, and forming, therefore, a well-wrought 
net. Orelli adopts the same general idea, rendering teretes by festge- 
dreht, " strong-twisted," i. e., ex funiculis complicatis et contortis con- 
nexa. — Marsus. For Marsicus. The mountainous country of the Marsi, 
in Italy, abounded with wild boars of the fiercest kind. 

29-34. 29. Me doctarum, &c. Croft conjectured Te in place of me, an 
emendation first made known by Hare, and subsequently approved of by 
Bentley, Sanadon, Markland, Fea, Wolf, and others. The main argu- 
ment in its favor is the antithesis which it produces. But the common 
reading is well explained and defended by Orelli. — Edera. " Ivy-crowns." 
The species of ivy here alluded to is the Edera nigra, sacred to Bacchus, 
and hence styled Atovvuia by the Greeks. It is the Edera poetica of 
Bauhin. Servius says that poets were crowned with ivy, because the 
poetic " furor" resembled that of the Bacchanalians. — Doctarum pramia 
frontium. Poets are called docti, " learned," in accordance with Grecian 
usage : aoidoi oo$oi- — 30. Dis miscent superis. " Raise to the converse 
of the gods above." Literally, "mingle with the gods above," i. e., raise 
to a level with them ; raise to the high heavens. Compare the explana- 
tion of Doring, " Corona ederacea ductus deorum admittor concilio." — 33. 
Euterpe cohibet, &c. Euterpe and Polyhymnia, two of the muses, are here 
very appropriately introduced. Euterpe plays on the tibia, Polyhymnia ac- 
companies her voice with the lyre ; hence both are naturally invoked by 
the lyric poet. — 34. Lesboum refugit, &c. " Refuses to touch the Lesbian 
lyre." The lyre is called "Lesbian" in allusion to Sappho and Alcseus, 
both natives of Lesbos, and both famed for their lyric productions. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE II. 261 

■ Ode II. Octavianus assumed his new title of Augustas on the 17th of 
January (xvi. Cat. Febr.), A.U.C. 727. On the following night Rome 
was visited by a severe tempest, and an inundation of the Tiber. The 
present ode was written in allusion to that event. The poet, regarding 
the visitation as a mark of divine displeasure, proceeds to inquire on what 
deity they are to call for succor. "Who is to free the Romans from the 
pollution occasioned by their civil strife ? Is it Apollo, god of prophecy ? 
Or Venus, parent of Rome ? Or Mars, founder of the Roman line ? Or 
Mercury, messenger of the skies ? — It is the last, the avenger of Caesar, the 
deity who shrouds his godhead beneath the person of Augustus. He alone, 
if heaven spare him to the earth, can restore to us the favor of Jove, and na- 
tional prosperity. — Many of the old commentators refer the subject of this 
ode to the prodigies that occurred on the death of Julius Caesar, and some 
modern scholars have adopted the same idea ; but this is decidedly inferior. 

1-4. 1. Terris. A Grsecism for in terras. — Nivis. It was not the snow 
itself that formed the prodigy, but the heavy fall of it, and the violence of 
the accompanying storm. Snow may be an unusual visitant at the present 
day in central Italy, but it does not appear to have been so in the time of 
Horace. Consult the remarks of Arnold on this subject, Hist, of Rome, 
vol. i., p. 499, seqq. — Dires grandinis. Every thing sent by the wrath of 
the gods (dei ira) was termed dirum. — 2. Pater. "The Father of gods 
and men." Jupiter. Tlarrjp uvdpibv te Setiv re. — Rubente dextera. " With 
his red right hand." Red with the reflected glare of the thunderbolt : an 
idea very probably borrowed from some ancient painting. — 3. Sacras arces. 
" The sacred summits (of the temples)." The lightning struck the Capitol 
containing the temples of Jupiter, Minerva, and Juno. It is unusual to 
find jaculari with the accusative of the thing that is struck. Compare, 
however, Od., iii., 12, 11, "Jaculari cervos." — 4. Urbem. " The city," i. e., 
Rome. Compare Quintilian (8, 2), " Urbem Romam accipimiis." 

5-10. 5. Gentes. Understand timentes. "He has terrified the nations, 
fearing lest," &c. Analogous to the Greek idiom, kfyoftvoe [itj. — 6. &<e- 
culum Pyrrlice. Alluding to the deluge of Deucalion in Thessaly, when, 
according to the legend, Deucalion and his spouse Pyrrha were the only 
mortals that were saved. — Nova monstra. " Strange prodigies," i. e., 
wonders before unseen. — 7. Proteus. A sea-deity, son of Oceanus and 
Tethys, gifted with prophecy and the power of assuming any fonn at 
pleasure. His fabled employment was to keep " the flocks" of Neptune, 
i. e., the phocce, or seals. — 8. Visere. A Graecism for ad visendum. — 10. Pa- 
lumbis. The common reading is columbis, but the true one is palumbis. 
The " palumbae," or " wood-pigeons," construct their nests on the branch- 
es and in the hollows of trees ; the columba, or " doves," are kept in dove- 
cots. It is idle to say, in opposition to this, that columbm is the generic 
name. 

13-16. 13. Flavum Tiberim. " The yellow Tiber." A recent travel- 
ler remarks, with regard to this epithet of the Tiber : " Yellow is an ex- 
ceedingly undescriptive translation of that tawny color, that mixture of 
red, brown, gray, and yellow, which should answer to jlavus here ; but I 
may not deviate from the established phrase, nor do I know a better." 
(Rome in the Nineteenth Century, vol. i., p. 84.) — Retortis. "Being hurl- 



262 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE II. 

ed back." — 1 4. Litore Etrusco. The violence of the stonn forced the waves 
of the Tiber from the upper or Tuscan shore, and caused an inundation on 
the lower bank, or left side of the river, where Rome was situated. Some 
make litore Etrusco refer to the sea-coast, and suppose that the violence 
of the storm drove back the waters of the Tiber from the mouth of the 
river, and that this retrocession caused the inundation spoken of. Our 
explanation, however, suits the context better, and especially the "sinis- 
tra labitur ripa," in line 18, seq. — 15. Manumenta regis. " The venerated 
memorial of King Numa." Observe the force of the plural in monumenta, 
which we have ventured to express by an epithet. The allusion is to the 
palace of Numa, which, according to Plutarch, stood in the immediate 
vicinity of the Temple of Vesta, and was distinct from his other residence 
on the Gluirinal Hill. {Pint., Vit. Num., c. 14.) — 16. Vestce. "What made 
the omen a peculiarly alarming one was, that the sacred fire was kept in 
this temple, on the preservation of which the safety of the empire was 
supposed in a great measure to depend. If a vestal virgin allowed the 
sacred fire to be extinguished, she was scourged by the Pontifex Maxi- 
mus. Such an accident was always esteemed most unlucky, and expiated 
by offering extraordinary sacrifices. The fire was lighted up again, not 
from another fire, but from the rays of the sun, in which manner it was 
renewed every year on the first of March, that day being anciently the be- 
ginning of the year. 

17-19. 17. IUcb dum se, &c. " While the god of the stream, lending 
too ready an ear to his spouse, proudly shows himself an avenger to the 
too complaining Ilia." "We have followed Orelli in joining nimium with 
querenti. It may also be taken with ultorem, " an intemperate avenger," 
but the collocation of the words seems to be more in favor of the former, as 
Orelli coi'rectly remarks. The allusion is to Hia or Rea Silvia, the mother 
of Romulus and Remus, and the ancestress of Julius Caesar, whose assas- 
sination she is here represented as making the subject of too prolonged a 
complaint, since the expiatory sufferings of Rome had already been suffi- 
ciently severe. Ancient authorities differ in relation to her fate. Ennius, 
cited by Porphyrion in his scholia on this ode, makes her to have been 
cast into the Tiber, previously to which she had become the bride of the 
Anio. Horace, on the contrary, speaks of her as having married the god 
of the Tiber, which he here designates as uxorius amnis. Servius {ad 
JEn., 1, 274) alludes to this version of the fable, as adopted by Horace 
and others. Acron also, in his scholia on the present passage, speaks of 
Hia as having married the god of the Tiber. According to the account 
which he gives, Ilia was buried on the banks of the Anio, and the river, 
having overflowed its borders, earned her remains down to the Tiber; 
hence she was said to have espoused the deity of the last-mentioned 
stream. It may not be improper to add here a remark of Niebuhr's in 
relation to the name of this female. " The reading Rhea," observes the 
historian, "is a corruption introduced by the editors, who very unseason- 
ably bethought themselves of the goddess : rea seems only to have signi- 
fied 'the culprit,' or 'the guilty woman:' it reminds us of rea femina, 
which often occurs, particularly in Boccacio." {Niebuhr's Roman His- 
tory, vol. i., p. 176, Cambr. transl.) — 19. Jove non probante. Jupiter did 
dot approve that the Tiber should undertake to avenge the death of Caesar, 
a task which he had reserved for Augustus. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE II. 263 

22-27. 22. Graves Persce. " The formidable Parthians." Compai'e, 
as regards the force of gravis, the similar employment of (3apvc in Greek. 
Thus Alexander is called fiapiic; Hepaaicn. [Theocrit., xvii., 19.) — Persce. 
Horace frequently uses the terms Medi and Persa to denote the Parthians. 
The Median preceded the Persian power, which, after the interval of the 
Grecian dominion, was succeeded by the Parthian empire. The epithet 
graves alludes to the defeat of Crassus, and the check of Marc Antony. — 
Perirent. For perituri fuissent. [Zumpt, § 525.) — 23. Vitio parentum 
rara juventus. "Posterity thinned through the guilt of their fathers." 
Alluding to the sanguinary conflicts of the civil contest. — 25. Vocet. For 
invocet. — Ruentis imperi rebus. " To the affairs of the falling empire." 
Rebus by a Graecism for ad res. — 26. Prece qua. " By what supplications." 
■ — 27. Virgines sanctce. Alluding to the vestal virgins. — Minus audientem 
carmina. "Less favorably hearing their solemn prayers." Carmen is 
frequently used to denote any set form of words either in prose or verse. 
The reference here is to prayers and supplications, repeated day after day, 
and constituting so many set forms of the Roman ritual. As Julius Caesar 
was Pontifex Maximus at the time of his death, he was also, by virtue of 
his office, priest of Vesta ; it being particularly incumbent on the Pontifex 
Maximus to exercise a superintending control over the rites of that god- 
dess. Hence the anger of the goddess toward the Romans on account of 
Caesar's death. 

29-39. 29. Partes scelus expiandi. " The task of expiating our guilt." 
Scelus refers to the crimes and excesses of the civil conflict. They who 
were polluted by the stain of human blood were excluded from all partici- 
pation in the sacred rites until proper atonement had been made. This 
atonement in the present case is to consist, not in punishing the slayers of 
Caesar, which had already been done, but in placing the state once more 
on the firm basis of peace and concord. As this seemed too great a task 
for a mere mortal, the aid of the gods is solicited. (Gesner, ad loc.) — 31. 
Nube candentes, &c. " Having thy bright shoulders shrouded with a cloud." 
The gods, when they were pleased to manifest themselves to mortal eye, 
were generally, in poetic imagery, clothed with clouds, in order to hide 
from mortal gaze the excessive splendor of their presence. — Augur Apollo. 
"Apollo, god of prophecy." — 33. Erycina ridens. "Smiling goddess of 
Eryx." Venus, so called from her temple on Mount Eryx in Sicily. — 34. 
Quam Jocus circum, &c. " Around whom hover Mirth and Love." — 36. 
Respicis. "Thou again beholdest with a favoring eye." When the gods 
turned their eyes toward their worshippers, it was a sign of favor; when 
they averted them, of displeasure. — Auctor. "Founder of the Roman 
line." Addressed to Mars as the reputed father of Romulus and Remus. 
— 39. Marsi. The MSS. have Mauri, for which Faber conjectured Marsi, 
and this last has been adopted by Dacier, Bentley, Cunningham, Sana- 
don, and others. The people of Mauretania were never remarkable for 
their valor, and their cavalry, besides, were always decidedly superior to 
their infantry. The Marsi, on the other hand, were reputed to have been 
one of the most valiant nations of Italy. The modern German editors have 
generally retained Mauri, and give peditis the meaning of " dismounted," 
making the allusion to be to the defeat of Juba at Thapsus. This, how- 
ever, is extremely unsatisfactory. — Cruentum. This epithet beautifully 
describes the foe, as transfixed by the weapon of the Marsian, and "web 
tering in his blood." 



264 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE III. 

41-51. 41. Sive mutata, &c. " Or if, winged son of the benign Maia, 
having changed thy form, thou, assumest that of a youthful hero on the 
earth." Mercury, the offspring of Jupiter and Maia, is here addressed. 
The epithet " winged" has reference to the peculiar mode in which Mer- 
cury or Hermes was represented in ancient works of art, namely, with 
wings attached to his petasas, or travelling hat, and also to his staff and 
sandals. — Juvenem. Referring to Augustus. He was now, indeed, thirty- 
six years of age ; but the term juvenis applies to all in the bloom and 
likewise prime of life ; in other words, it comprehended the whole period 
from eighteen to forty or forty-five. — 43. Patiens vocari, &c. "Suffering 
thyself to be called the avenger of Caesar." An imitation of the Greek 
idiom, for te vocari Ccesaris ultorem. — 46. Lcetus. "Propitious." — 47. Ini- 
quum. " Offended at." — 48. Odor aura. " Too early a blast." Supply 
recto. More freely, " an untimely blast." The poet prays that the de- 
parture of Augustus for the skies may not be accelerated by the crimes 
and vices of his people. — 49. Magnos triumphos. Augustus, in the month 
of August, A.U.C. 725, triumphed for three days in succession: on the first 
day over the Pannonians, Dalmatians, Iapydae, and their neighbors, to- 
gether with some Gallic and Germanic tribes; on the second day, for the 
victory at Actium ; on the third, for the reduction of "Egypt. The successes 
over the Gauls and Germans had been obtained for him by his lieutenant, 
C. Carinas. — 50. Pater atque Princeps. Augustus is frequently styled on 
medals, Pater Patrice, a title which the succeeding emperors adopted from 
him. — 51. Medos. "The eastern nations." Alluding particularly to the 
Parthians. Compare note on line 22 of this Ode. — Equitare inultos. " To 
transgress their limits with impunity." To make unpunished inroads into 
the Roman territory. The main strength of the Parthians lay in their 
cavalry. Hence the peculiar propriety of equitare. 



Ode III. Addressed to the ship which was about to convey Virgil to 
the shores of Greece. The poet prays that the voyage may be a safe and 
propitious one : alarmed, however, at the same time, by the idea of the 
dangers which threaten his friend, he declaims against the inventor of 
navigation, and the daring boldness of mankind in general. — According to 
Heyne (Virgilii vita per annos digesta), this ode would appear to have 
been written A.U.C. 735, when, as Donatus states, the bard of Mantua 
had determined to retire to Greece and Asia, and employ there the space 
of three years in correcting and completing the iEneid. (Donat., Virg. 
vit. § 51.) " Anno vero quinquagesimo secundo," observes Donatus, "ut 
ultimam manum JEneidi imponeret, statuit in Grceciam et Asiam scce- 
dere, triennioqne continuo omnem operant limationi dare, tit reliqua vita 
tantum philosophies vacaret. Sed cum ingressus iter Athenis occurrissei 
Augusto, ab Oriente Romam revertenti, una cum Ccesare redire statuit. 
Ac cum Megara, vicinum Athenis oppidum, visendi gratia peteret, languo- 
rem nactus est : quern non intermissa navigatio auxik; ita ut gravior in- 
dies, tandem Brundisium adventarit, ubi diebus paucis obiit, X. Kal. Oc- 
tobr. C. Sentio, Q. Lucretio Coss. 

1-4. 1. Sic te Diva,potens Cypri, &c. "O Ship, that owest to the 
shores of Attica, Virgil intrusted by us to thy care, give him up in safety 
(to his destined haven), and preserve the one half of my soul, so may the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE III. 265 

goddess who rules over Cyprus, so may the brothers of Helen, bright lu- 
minaries, and the father of the winds direct thy course, all others bjing 
confined except Iapyx." Observe that sic, in such constructions as the 
present, becomes a conditional form of wishing : " if you do as I wish you 
to do, so (i. e., in that event) may such or such a result happen unlo you." 
Here, however, in order to render it more forcible, the conditional sic is 
placed first, which cannot, of course, be imitated in translating. — D'va 
potens Cypri. Venus. From her power over the sea, she was invoked 
by the Cnidians, as 'EvirTioia, the dispenser of favorable voyages. (Pa>t- 
san, } i., 14.) — 2. Fratres Helena. Castor aud Pollux. It was the partic- 
ular office of " the brothers of Helen" to bring aid to mariners in time of 
danger. They were identified by the ancients with those luminous ap- 
pearances, resembling balls of fire, which are seen on the masts and yards 
of vessels before and after storms. — 3. Ventorum paler. JSolus. The isl- 
and iu which he was fabled to have reigned was Strongyle, the modern 
Stromboli. — 4. Obstrictis aliis. An allusion to the Homeric fable of 
Ulysses and his bag of adverse winds. — Iapyga. The west-northwest. 
It received its name from Iapygia, in Lower Italy, which country lay 
partjy in the line of its direction. It was the most favorable wind for spil- 
ing from Brundisium toward the southern parts of Greece, the vessel hav- 
ing, in the course of her voyage to Attica, to double the promontories of 
Tsenarus and Malea. — Animee dimidium mece. A fond and frequent ex- 
pression to denote intimate friendship. Thus the old scholiast remarks, 
*bi?.iu eotI ilia tpvxfj ev dvocv aupaaiv. 

9-15. 9. Illi robur et ces triplex, Ice. "That mortal had the strength 
of triple brass around his breast." Robur et ces triplex is here put for ro- 
bur <eris triplicis, and the allusion may perhaps be t© the ancient coats cf 
mail, that were formed of iron rings twisted within one another like chains, 
or else to those which were covered with plates of iron, triplici ordine, in 
the form of scales. — 12. Africum. The west-southwest wind, answering 
to the An/> of the Greeks. — 13. Aquilonibus. The term Aquilo denotes, hi 
strictness, the wind which blows from the quarter directly opposite to 
that denominated Africus. A strict translation of both terms, however, 
would diminish, in the present instance, the poetic beauty of the passage. 
The whole may be rendered as follows : " The headlong fury of the souths 
west wind, contending with the northeastern blasts." — 14. Tristes Hya- 
das. "The rainy Hyades." The Hyades were seven of the fourteen 
daughters of Atlas, their remaining sisters being called Pleiades. These 
virgins bewailed so immoderately the death of their brother Hyas, who 
was devoured by a lion, that Jupiter, out of compassion, changed them into 
stars, and placed them in the head of Taurus, where they still retain their 
grief, their rising and setting being attended with heavy raius. Hence the 
epithet tristes ("weeping," "rainy") applied to them by the poet, — 15. 
Hadrice. Some commentators insist that Hadrice is here used for the sea 
in general, because, as the Adi-iatic faces the southeast, the remark of Hor- 
ace cannot be true of the south. In the age of the poet, however, the 
term Hadria was used in a very extensive sense. The sea which it des- 
ignated was considered as extending to the southern coast of Italy and 
the western shores of Greece. 

17-19. 17. Quern mortis timuit gradum. "What path of death did 
M 



266 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE IV. 

he fear," i. e., what kind of death. Equivalent to quam viam ad Orcum. 
— 18. Rectis ocidis. " With steady gaze," i. e., with feaidess eye. Most 
editions read siccis oculis, which Bentley altered, on conjecture, to rectis. 
Others prefer fixis oculis. — 19. Et infam.es scopulos Acroceraunia. "And 
the Acroceraunia, ill-famed cliffs." The Cerauuia were a chain of mount- 
ains along the coast of Northern Epirus, forming part of the boundary be- 
tween it and Illyricum. That portion of the chain which extended beyond 
Oricum formed a bold promontory, and was termed Acroceraunia (A/cpo- 
icepavvia), from its summit (a/cpa) being often struck by lightning {nepav- 
voc). This coast wasjmuch dreaded by the mariners of antiquity, because 
the mountains were supposed to attract storms ; and Augustus narrowly 
escaped shipwreck here when returning from Actium. The Acrocerau- 
nia are now called Monte Chimera. 

22-39. 22. Dissociabili. " Forbidding all intercourse." Taken in an 
active sense. — 24. Transsiliunt. "Bound contemptuously over." — 26. 
Audax omnia perpeti. A Greek construction : fipaove Tcdvra rTJ^vai. 
" Boldly daring to encounter every hardship." — 25. Per vetiium et nefas. 
"Through what is forbidden by all laws both human and divine." The 
common text has vetitum nefas, which makes a disagreeable pleonasm. 
The reading which we have adopted occurs in two MSS., and is decidedly 
preferable. — 27. Atrox lapeti genus. "The resolute son of Iapetus." 
Prometheus. We have adopted atrox, the conjecture of Bothe. The 
common reading is audax, but the repetition of this epithet appears ex- 
tremely unpoetical. As regards the force of atrox here, compare Od., ii., 
1, 24 : " Prater atrocem animum Catonis." — 28. Fraude mala. "By an 
unhappy fraud." The stealing of the fire from heaven is called " an un- 
happy fraud," in allusion to Pandora and her box of evils, with which Ju- 
piter punished mankind on account of the theft of Prometheus. — 29. Post 
ignem cetheria domo subductum. "After the fire was drawn down by 
stealth from its mansion in the skies." — 33. Corripuit gradum. " Accel- 
erated its pace." We have here the remnant of an old tradition respect- 
ing the longer duration of life in primeval times. — -34. Expertus {est). 
" Essayed." — 36. Perrupit Acheronta Herculeus labor. " The toiling Her- 
cules burst the barriers of the lower world." Alluding to the descent of 
Hercules to the shades. Acheron is hei-e put figuratively for Orcus. The 
expression Herculeus labor is a Graecisrn, and in imitation of the Homeric 
form Bin 'HpaK^netn. {Od., xi., 600.) So, also, KuGropoc f3ia {Pind., 
Pyth,, xi., 93) ; TvJeoc (3ta {^Esch., S. C. Th,, 77), &c— 39. Caelum. Al- 
luding to the battle of the giants with the gods. 



Ode IV. The ode commences with a description of the return of spring. 
After alluding to the pleasurable feelings attendant upon that delightful 
season of the year, the poet urges his friend Sextius, by a favorite Epicu- 
rean argument, to cherish the fleeting hour, since the night of the grave 
would soon close around him, and bring all enjoyment to an end. 

The transition in this ode, at the 13th line, has been censured by some 
as too abrupt. It only wears this appearance, however, to those who are 
unacquainted with ancient customs aud the associated feelings of the Ro- 
mans. " To one who did not know," observes Mr. Dunlop, " that the mor- 
tuary festivals almost immediately succeeded those of Eauuus, the lines 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE IV. 267 

in question might appear disjointed and incongruous. But to a Roman, 
who at once could trace the association in the mind of the poet, the sud- 
den transition from gayety to gloom would seem but an echo of the senti- 
ment which he himself annually experienced." 

1-4. 1. Solvitur acris hiems, &c. " Severe winter is melting away 
beneath the pleasing change of spring and the western breeze." Liter- 
ally, "is getting loosened or relaxed." — Veris. The spring commenced, 
according to Varro (R. R., i., 28), on the seventh day before the Ides of 
February (7 Feb.), on which day, according to Columella, the wind Favo- 
nius began to blow. — Favoni. The wind Favonius received its name ei- 
ther from its being favorable to vegetation (favens gejiiturce), or from its 
fostering the grain sown in the earth (favens sata). — 2. Trahuntque sic- 
cas machines carinas. " And the rollers are drawing down the dry hulls 
(to the shore)," i. e., the dry hulls are getting drawn down on rollers. As 
the ancients seldom prosecuted any voyages in winter, their ships during 
that season were generally drawn up on land, and stood on the shore sup- 
ported by props. When the season for navigation returned, they were 
drawn to the water by means of ropes and levers, with rollers placed be- 
low. — 3. Igni. "In his station by the fire-side." — 4. Canis pruinis. 
" With the hoar-frost." 

5-7. 5. Cytherea. " The goddess of Cythera." Venus : so called from 
the island of Cythera, now Cerigo, near the promontory of Malea, in the 
vicinity of which island she was fabled to have first landed. — Choros du- 
cit. "Leads up the dances." — Imminente luna. " Under the full light of 
the moon." The moon is here described as being directly overhead, and, 
by a beautiful poetic image, threatening, as it were, to fall. — 6. Junctceqne 
Nymphis Gratia decentes. " And the comely Graces joined hand in hand 
with the Nymphs." We have rendered decentes here by the epithet 
"comely." In truth, however, there is no single term in our language 
which gives the full meaning of the Latin expression. The idea intended 
to be conveyed by it is analogous to that implied in the to Ka\ov of the 
Greeks, i. e., omne quod pulchrum et decorum est. We may therefore 
best convey the meaning of Gralice decentes by a paraphrase : " the Graces, 
arbitresses of all that is lovely and becoming." — 7. Dum graves Cyclo- 
pum, &c. "While glowing Vulcan kindles up the laborious forges.of the 
Cyclopes." The epithet ardens is here equivalent to fiammis reliLcens, 
and beautifully describes the person of the god as glowing amid the light 
which streams from his forge. Horace is thought to have imitated in this 
passage some Greek poet of Sicily, who, in depicting the approach of 
spring, lays the scene in his native island, with Mount iEtna smoking in 
the distant horizon. The interior of the mountain is the fabled scene of 
Vulcan's labors ; and here he is busily employed in forging thunderbolts 
for the monarch of the skies to hurl during the storms of spring, which are 
of frequent occurrence in that climate. — Cyclopum. The Cyclopes were 
the sons of Coelus and Terra, and of the Titan race. In the later legend, 
here followed, they are represented as the assistants of Vulcan. 

9-12. 9. Nitidum. " Shining with unguents." — Caput impedire. At 
the banquets and festive meetings of the ancients, the guests were crown- 
ed with garlands of flowers, herbs, or leaves, tied and adorned with rib- 



» 



268 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE V. 

bonis, or with the inner rind of the linden-tree. These crowns, it was 
thought, prevented intoxication. — Myrto. The myrtle was sacred to Ve- 
nus. — 10. Sohitce. "Freed from the fetters of winter." — 11. Fauno. 
Faunus, the guardian of the fields and flocks, had two annual festivals 
called Faunalia, one on the Ides (13th) of February, and the other on the 
Nones (5th) of December. Both were marked by great hilarity and joy. 
— 12. Seu poscat agna, &c. " Either with a lamb, if he demand one, or 
with a kid, if he prefer that offering." Many editions read agnam and 
hcsdum ; but most of the MSS., and all the best editions, exhibit the lec- 
tion which we have given. 

13-16. 13. Pallida Mors, &c. "Pale Death, advancing with impartial 
footstep, knocks for admittance at the cottages of the poor and the lofty 
dwellings of the rich." Horace xises the term rex as equivalent to beatus 
or dives. As regards the apparent want of connection between this por- 
tion of the ode and that which immediately precedes, compare what has 
been said in the introductory remarks. — 15. Inchoare. " Day after day to 
renew." — 16. Jam te premet nox, &c. The passage may be paraphrased 
as follows : " Soon will the night of the grave descend upon thee, and the 
manes of fable crowd around, and the shadowy home of Pluto become also 
thine own." The zeugma in the verb premo, by which it is made to as- 
sume a new meaning in each clause of the sentence, is worthy of notice. 
By the manes of fable are meant the shades of the departed, often made 
the theme of the wildest fictions of poetry. Observe that fabula? is not 
the genitive here, but the nominative plural, and equivalent to fabulosi. 
Compare Callimachus, Epigr., xiv., 3 : rt de U?uOvrtov ; M£0of : and Per- 
sius, Sat., v., 152 : " Cinis et manes etfabulajies." 

17-18. 17. Simul. For Simul ac. — 18. Talis. This may either be the 
adjective, or else the ablative plural of talus. If the former, the meaning 
of the passage will be, "Thou shalt neither cast lots for the sovereignty 
of such wine as we have here, nor," &c. ; whereas if talis be regarded as 
a noun, the interpretation will be, " Thou shalt neither cast lots with the 
dice for the sovereignty of wine, nor," &c. This latter mode of rendering 
the passage is the more usual one, but the other is certainly more anima- 
ted and poetical, and more in accordance, too, with the very early and 
curioire belief of the Greeks and Romans in relation to a future state. 
They believed that the souls of the departed, with the exception of those 
who had offended against the majesty of the gods, were occupied in the 
lower world with the unreal performance of the same actions which had 
formed their chief object of pursuit in the regions of day. Thus, the friend 
of Horace will still quaff his wine in the shades, but the cup and its con- 
sents will be, like their possessor, a shadow and a dream : it will not be 
tuch wine as he drank upon the earth. — As regards the expression, " sov- 
ereignty of wine," it means nothing more than the office of arbiter bibendi, 
or "toast-master." (Compare Ode ii., 7, 25.) 



Ode V. Pyrrha, having secured the affections of a new admirer, is ad- 
dressed by the poet, who had himself experienced her inconstancy and 
faithlessness. He compares her youthful lover to one whom a sudden 
and dangerous tempest threatens to surprise on the deep — himself to the 
mariner just rescued from the perils of shipwreck. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., ODE VI. 269 

1-5. 1. Multa in rosa. " Crowned with many a rose." An imitation 
of the Greek idiom, kv aretpuvoLC elvai LBnirip., Here. Fur., 677). — 2. Ur- 
get. Understand te. " Prefers unto thee his impassioned suit." Urget 
would seem to imply an affected coyness and reserve on the part of Pyrrha, 
in order to elicit more powerfully the feelings of him who addresses her. — 
5. Simplex munditiis. "With simple elegance." Milton translates this, 
" Plain in thy neatness." — Fidem mutatosque deos. " Thy broken faith, 
and the altered gods." The gods, who once seemed to smile upon his 
suit, are now, under the epithet of mutati (" altered"), represented as 
frowning upon it, adverse to his prayer. 

7-12. 7. Nigris ventis. " With darkening blasts," i. e., blasts darken- 
ing the heavens with storm-clouds. The epithet nigri, here applied to 
the winds, is equivalent to " ccelum nigrum reddentes." — 8. Emirabitur 
insoleus. " Unaccustomed to the sight, shall be lost in wonder at." Ob- 
serve that emirabitur is a aTrat; heyoftevov for the Golden Age of Latinity, 
but is well defended here by MSS. The verb occurs subsequently in Ap- 
puleius {Met., p. 274) and Luctat, >us Placidus (Enarr.fab., p. 251, Munck.). 
It means " to wonder greatly at," " to be lost in wonder at," and to indi- 
cate this feeling by the gestures. To the same class belong elaudare, 
emonere, emutare, everberare, &c. — 9. Aurea. "All golden," i. e., possess- 
ing a heart swayed by the purest affection toward him. — 10. Vacuam. 
"Free from all attachment to another." — 11. Nescius aurce fallacis. 
Pyrrha is likened in point of fickleness to the wind. — 12. Nites. An idea 
borrowed from the appearance presented by the sea when reposing in a 
calm, its treacherous waters sparkling beneath the rays of the sun. 

13. Me tabula sacer, &c. Mariners rescued from the dangers of ship- 
wreck were accustomed to suspend some votive tablet or picture, together 
with their moist vestments, in the temple of the god by whose interposi- 
tion they believed themselves to have been saved. In these paintings, the 
storm, and the circumstances attending their escape, were carefully de- 
lineated. In the age of Horace, Neptane received these votive offerings ; 
in that of Juvenal, Isis. Ruined mariners frequently carried such pictures 
about with them, in order to excite the compassion of those whom they 
chanced to meet, describing at the same time, in songs, the particulars of 
their story. (Compare the Epistle to the Pisos, v. 20.) Horace, in like 
manner, speaks of the votive tablet which gratitude has prompted him to 
offer in thought, his peace of mind having been nearly shipwrecked by the 
brilliant but dangerous beauty of Pyrrha. 



Ode VI. M. Vipsanius Agrippa, to whom this ode is addressed, was the 
intimate friend of Augustus, and a celebrated commander, distinguished 
for various exploits both by land and sea. It was he who, as commander 
of the naval forces of Augustus, defeated Sextus Pompeius off the coast 
of Sicily, and was afterward mainly instrumental in gaining the victory at 
Actium. He became eventually the son-in-law of Augustus, having mar- 
ried, at his request, Julia, the widow of Marcellus. The Pantheon was 
erected by him. He is thought to have complained of the silence which 
Horace had preserved in relation to him throughout his various pieces. 
The poet seeks to justify himself on the ground of his utter inability to 



270 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE VI. 

handle so lofty a theme. " Varius will sing thy praises, Agrippa, with 
all the fire of a second Homer. For my own part, I would as soon attempt 
to describe in poetic numbers the god of battle, or any of the heroes of the 
Iliad, as undertake to tell of thy fame and that of the royal Caesar." The 
language, however, in which the bard's excuse is conveyed, while it speaks 
a high eulogiurn on the characters of Augustus and Agrippa, proves, at the 
same time, how well qualified he was to execute the task which he declines. 
Sanadon, without the least shadow of probability, endeavors to trace an 
allegorical meaning throughout the entire ode. He supposes Pollio to be 
meant by Achilles, Agrippa and Messala by the phrase duplicis Ulixei, 
Antony and Cleopatra by the "house of Pelops," Statilius Taurus by the 
god Mars, Marcus Titius by Meriones, and Maecenas by the son of Tydeus. 

1. Scriberis Vario, &c. "Thou shalt be celebrated by Varius, a bird 
of Maeonian strain, as valiant," &c. Vario and aliti are datives, put by a 
Grsecism for ablatives. — The poet to whom Horace here alludes, and who 
is again mentionefl on several occasions, was Lucius Varius, famed for his 
epic and tragic productions, duintilian (10, 1) asserts, that a tragedy of 
his, entitled Thyestes, was deserving of being compared with any of the 
Grecian models. He composed, also, a panegyric on Augustus, of which 
the ancient writers speak in temis of high commendation. Macrobius 
(Sat, 6, 1) has preserved some fragments of a poem of his on death. 
Varius was one of the Mends who introduced Horace to the notice of Mae- 
cenas, and, aiong with Plotius Tucca, was intrusted by Augustus with 
the revision of the iEneid. It is evident that this latter poem could not 
have yet appeared when Horace composed the present ode, since he would 
never certainly, in that event, have given Varius the preference to Virgil. 

2-5. 2. Mceonii carminis aliti. " A bird of Maeonian song," i. e., a poet 
who sings with all the majesty of Homer, and who wings as bold a flight. 
In other words, a second Homer. The epithet " Maeonian" contains an 
allusion to Homer, who was generally supposed to have been born near 
Smyrna, and to have been consequently of Maeonian (i. e., Lydian) descent. 
The term aliti refers to a custom in which the ancient poets often indulged, 
of likening themselves to the eagle and the swan. — 3. Quam rem cunque. 
•Tor whatever exploit," i. e., quod attinet ad rem, quamcunque, &c. Ob- 
serve the tmesis. 

5-12. 5. Nee gravem Pelidce stomaclium, &c. "Nor the fierce resent- 
ment of the son of Peleus, ignorant how to yield," i. e., the unrelenting son 
of Peleus. The allusion is to the wrath of Achilles, the basis of the Iliad, 
and his beholding unmoved, amid his anger against Agamemnon, the dis- 
tresses and slaughter of his countrymen. — 7. Cursus duplicis Ulixei. 
" The wanderings of the crafty Ulysses." These form the subject of the 
Odyssey.— 8. Scevam Pelopis domum. "The cruel line of Pelops," i. e., 
the blood-stained family of the Pelopidae, namely, Atreus, Thyestes, Aga- 
memnon, Orestes, &c, the subjects of tragedies. — 10. Imbellisque lyrm . 
Musa potens. "And the Muse that sways the peaceful lyre." Alluding 
to his own inferiority in epic strain, and his being better qualified to han- 
dle sportive and amatory themes. — 12. Culpa deterere ingeni. "To di- 
minish by any want of talent on our part," i. e., to weaken, &c. The lit- 
eral meaning of deterere ia " to wear away," " to consume by wearing," 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE VII. 271 

and tho metaphor is here borrowed from the friction and wear of metals. 
Compare Orelli, " Tralatio a metallo, quod usu deteritur, extenuatur, ac 
splendore privatur." 

14-20. 14. Digne. " In strains worthy of the theme." — 15. Merionen. 
Meriones, charioteer and friend of Idomeneus. — 16. Tydxden. Diomede, 
son of Tydeus. — Superis parem. " A match for the inhabitants of the 
skies." Alluding to the wounds inflicted on Venus and Mars by the Gre- 
cian warrior. — 17. Nos convivia, &c. "We, whether free from all attach- 
ment to another, or whether we burn with any passion, with our wonted 
exemption from care, sing of banquets ; we sing of the contests of maidens, 
briskly assailing with pared nails their youthful admirers." — 18. Sectis. 
Bentley conjectures strictis, "clinched," and makes the construction to 
be strictis injuvenes; and, according to Wagner, this emendation of the 
great English scholar was always cited by Hemsterhuis as an instance 
" certce critices." Still, however, we may be allowed, at the present day, 
to dissent even from this high authority, and express a decided preference 
for the ordinary reading. Bentley's conjecture, as Orelli well remarks, 
"nescio quid habet furiale et agreste," and even the great critic himself 
appears subsequently to have regai'ded his own emendation with le.ss 
favor. Compare Mus. Crit., i., p. 194. 



Ode VII. Addressed to L. Munatius Plancus, whohadbecome suspect- 
ed by Augustus of disaffection, and meditated, in consequence, retiring 
from Italy to some one of the Grecian cities. As far as can be conjectured 
froni the present ode, Plancus had communicated his intention to Horace, 
and the poet now seeks to dissuade him from the step, but in such a way, 
however, as not to endanger his own standing with the emperor. The 
train of thought appears to be as follows : " I leave it to others to celebrate 
the far-famed cities and regions of the rest of the world. My admiration 
is wholly engrossed by the beautiful scenery around the banks and falls 
of the Anio." (He here refrains from adding, "Betake yourself, Plancus, 
to that lovely spot," but merely subjoins), " The south wind, my friend, 
does not always veil the sky with clouds. Do you therefore bear up man- 
fully under misfortune, and, wherever you may dwell, chase away the 
cares of life with mellow wine, taking Teucer as an example ofpatie.it 
endurance worthy of all imitation." 

1. haudabunt alii. " Others (in all likelihood) will praise." The future 
here denotes a probable occurrence. — Claram Rhodon. " The sunviy 
Rhodes." The epithet claram is here commonly rendered by "illustri- 
ous," which weakens the force of the line by its generality, and is deci- 
dedly at variance with the well-known skill displayed by Horace in the 
selection of his epithets. The interpretation which we have assigned to 
the word is in full accordance with a passage of Lucan (8, 248), " Clar- 
amque reliquit sole Rhodon." Pliny (H. N., 2, 62) informs us of a boast 
on the part of the Rhodians, that not a day passed during which their isl- 
and was not illumined for an hour at least by the rays of the sun, to which 
luminary it was sacred. — Mytilenen. Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos, and 
birth-place of Pittacas, Alcseus, Sappho, and other distinguished individ- 
uals. Cicero, in speaking of this city (2 Orat. in Rull., 14), says, " Urbs, 



272 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE VII. 

et natura, et situ et descripiione adijiciorum, et pulckritudine, in primis 
nobilis. The true form of the name is Mytilene, not Mitylene, as appears 
from coins. Compare Eckhel, Doctr. Num., ii., p. 303. 

2-4. 2. Eplieson. Epbesus, a celebrated city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, 
famed for its temple and worship of Diana. — Bimarisve. Corinthi mania. 
" Or the "walls of Corinth, situate between two arms of the sea." Corinth 
lay on the isthmus of the same name, between the Sinus Corinthiacus 
(Gulf of Lepanto) on the west, and the Sinus Saronieus (Gulf of Engia) on 
the southeast. Its position was admirably adapted for commerce. — 3. Vel 
Baccho Thebas, &c. " Or Thebes ennobled by Bacchus, or Delphi by Apol- 
lo." Thebes, the capital of Bceotia, was the fabled scene of the birth and 
nurture of Bacchus. Delphi,on Mount Parnassus in Phocis, was famed for 
its oracle of Apollo. — 4. Tempe. The Greek accusative plural, Te/UTrn, con- 
tracted from Te^mrea. Tempe was a beautiful valley in Thessaly, between 
the mountains Ossa and Olympus, and through which flowed the Peneus. 

3-7. 5. Intacta Palladis arces. "The citadel of the virgin Pallas." 
Alia ling to the Acropolis of Athens, sacred to Minerva. Arces, plural of 
excellence for arcem. — 7. Indeque decerptam fronti, Sec. " And to place 
around their brow the olive crown, deserved and gathered by them for 
celebrating such a theme." The olive was sacred to Minerva. Some 
editions read u Undique" for "Indeque," and the meaning will then be, "To 
place around their brow the olive crown deserved and gathered by numer- 
ous other bards." The common lection Undique decerpta frondi, &c, must 
be rendered, " To prefer the olive leaf to every other that is gathered." 
Our reading Indeque is the emendation of Schrader. Hunter cites, in par- 
tial confirmation of it, the following line of Lucretius (iv., 4) : " Insignemque 
meo capiti petere inde coronam." 

9-11. 9. Aptum equis Argos. "Argos, well-fitted for the nurture of 
steeds." An imitation of the language of Homer, "Apyeoc i7nro(36Toto (II. , 
2, 287). — Ditesque Mycenas. Mycenae was the earliercapitalof Argolis, and 
the city of the Pelopidas. Compare, as regards the epithet dites, Sopho- 
cles (Electr., 9), MvKJjvacTac TToAvxpVGovg. — 10. Patiens Lacedamon. Al- 
luding to the patient endurance of the Spartans under the severe institu- 
tions of Lycurgus. — 11. Larissa campus opima. Larissa, the old Pelasgic 
capital of Thessaly, was situate on the Peneus, and famed for the rich and 
fertile territory in which it stood. Compare Homer, II., ii., 841, Adpioaav 
ipi,3uAa.Ka. — Tarn percussit. " Has struck with such warm admiration." 

12. Domus Albunea resonantis. " The home of Albunea, re-echoing to 
the roar of waters." Commentators and tourists are divided in opinion 
respecting the domus Albunea. The general impression, however, seems 
to be, that the temple of the Sibyl, on the summit of the cliff at Tibur 
(now Tivoli), and overhanging the cascade, presents the fairest claim to 
this distinction. It is described as being at the present day a most beau- 
tiful .0111). "This beautiful temple," observes a recent traveller, "which 
stands on the very spot where the eye of taste would have placed it, and 
on which it ever reposes with delight, is one of the most attractive features 
of the scene, and perhaps gives to Tivoli its greatest charm." (Rome in 
the Nineteenth Century, vol. ii., p. 398, Am.ed.) Among the arguments in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE VII. 273 

favor of the opinion above stated, it may be remarked, that Varro, as quoted 
by Lactantius (De Falsa Rel., 1, 6), gives a list of the ancient sibyls, and 
among them enumerates the one at Tibur, surnamed Albunea, as the tenth 
and last. He farther states that she was worshipped at Tibur, on the 
banks of the Anio. Suidas also says, AeKarn i] Tifiovpria, ovo/LiaTi 'AA- 
fiovvata. Eustace is in favor of the " Grotto of Neptune," as it is called 
at the present day, a cavern in the rock, to which travellers descend in 
order to view the second fall of the Anio. (Class. Tour, vol. ii., p. 230, 
Lond. ed.) Others, again, suppose that the domus Albune& was in the 
neighborhood of the Aquce. Albula, sulphureous lakes, or now rather pools, 
close to the Via Tiburtina, leading from Rome to Tibur; and it is said, 
in defence of this opinion, that, in consequence of the hollow ground in the 
vicinity returning an echo to footsteps, the spot obtained from Horace the 
epithet of resonantis. (Spe?ice's Polymetis.) The idea is certainly an in- 
genious one, but it is conceived that such a situation would give rise to 
feelings of insecurity rather than of pleasure. 

13-15. 13. Prceceps Anio. " The headlong Anio." This river, now 
the Teverone, is famed for-its beautiful cascades near the ancient town 
of Tibur, now Tivoli. — Tiburni lucus. This grove, in the vicinity of Tibur, 
took its name from Tiburnus, who had here divine honors paid to his mem- 
ory. — 15. Albus ut obscuro. Some editions make this the commencement 
of a new ode, on account of the apparent want of connection between 
this part and what precedes ; but consult the introductory remarks to the 
present ode, where the connection is fully shown. By the Albus Notus, 
" the clear south wind," is meant the Aevkovotoc, or Apyeor^c Ndroo (II., 
11, 306) of the Greeks. This wind, though for the most part a moist and 
damp one, whence its name (voroc, a votlc, "moisture," "humidity"), in 
certain seasons of the year well merited the appellation here given it by 
Horace, producing clear and serene weather. — Deterget. " Chases away." 
Literally, "wipes away." Present tense of deter geo. 

19-22. 19. Molli mero. "With mellow wine." Some editions place a 
comma after tristitiam in the previous line, and regard molli as a verb in 
the imperative : " and soften the toils of life, O Plancus, with wine." This, 
however, is inferior. — 21. Tiii. Alluding either to its being one of his fa- 
vorite places of retreat, or, more probably, to the villa which he possessed 
there. — Teucer. Son of Telamon, king of Salamis, and Hesione, daughter 
of Laomedon, and, consequently, half-brother of Ajax. On his return from 
the Trojan war, he was banished by his father for not having avenged his 
brother's death. Having sailed, in consequence of this, to Cyprus, he there 
built a town called Salamis (now Costanza), after the name of his native 
city and island. — 22. Uda Lyceo. " Wet with wine." Lyaeus is from the 
Greek Avaloc, an appellation given to Bacchus, in allusion to his freeing 
the mind from care (Aveiv, "to loosen," "to free"). Compare the Latin 
epithet Liber ("qui liberat a cura"). 

23-32. 23. Populea. The poplar was sacred to Hercules. Teucer 
wears a crown of it on the present occasion, either as the general badge 
of a hero, or because he was otfering a sacrifice to Hercules. The white 
or silver poplar is the species here meant. — 26. O socii comitesque. " O 
companions in arms and followers." Socii refers to the chieftains who 
M2 



274 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK 1. 9 ODE VIII. 

were his companions : comites, to their respective followers. — 27. Auspice 
Teucro. "Under the auspices of Teucer." — 29. Ambiguam tellure nova, 
&c. " That Salarnis will become a name of ambiguous import by reason 
of a new land." A new city of Salarnis shall arise in a new land (Cyprus), 
so that whenever hereafter the name is mentioned, men will be in doubt, 
for the moment, whether the parent city is meant, in the island of the 
same name, or the colony in Cyprus. — 32. Cras ingens iterabimus cequor. 
" On the morrow, we will again traverse the mighty surface of the deep.*' 
They had just returned from the Trojan wai - , and were now a second time 
to encounter the dangers of ocean. The verb iterate is employed here in 
a sense somewhat similar to that which occurs in Columella, ii., 4 : 
" Quod jam proscis sum est iterare," i. e., "to plough again." 



Ode VIII. Addressed to Lydia, and reproaching her for detaining the 
young Sybaris, by her alluring arts, from the manly exercises in which be 
had been accustomed to distinguish himself. 

2-5. 2. Amando. "By thy love." — 4. Campum. Alluding to the Cam- 
pus Martius, the scene of the gymnastic exercises of the Roman youth. 
— Patiens pulveris atque solis. " Though once able to endure the dust 
and the heat." — 5. Militaris. "In martial array." Among the sports of 
the Roman youth were some in which they imitated the costume and 
movements of regular soldiery. 

6-9. 6. JEquales. "His companions in years." Analogous to the 
Greek rove r/XiKae. — Gallica nee lupatis, Sec. "Nor manages the Gallic 
steeds with curbs fashioned like the teeth of wolves." The Gallic steeds 
were held in high estimation by the Romans. Tacitus [Ann., ii., 5) speaks 
of Gaul's being at one time almost drained of its horses : "fessas Gallias 
ministrandis equis." They were, however, so fierce and spirited a breed, 
as to render necessary the employment of "frena lupata," i. c., curbs 
armed with iron points resembling the teeth of wolves. Compare the coi*- 
responding Greek terms Tivkoi and exlvot. — 8. Flavum Tiberim. Com- 
pare Explanatory Notes, Ode ii., 13, of this book. — 9. Olivum. "The oil 
of the ring." Wax was commonly mixed with it, and the composition 
was then termed ceroma (itr/po)fj.a). With this the wrestlers were anoint- 
ed in order to give pliability to their limbs, and, after anointing their bod- 
ies, were covered with dust, for the purpose of affording their antagonists 
a better hold. 

10-16. 10. Armis. "By martial exercises." — 11. Scope disco, Sec. 
"Though famed for the discus often cast, for the javelin oflifei hurled, be- 
yond the mark." The discus (dlanoc), or quoit, was round, flat, and perfo- 
rated in the centre. It was made either of iron, brass, lead, or stone, and 
was usually of great weight. Some authorities are in favor of a central 
aperture, others are silent on this head. The Romans borrowed this ex- 
ercise from the Greeks, and, among the latter, the Lacedaemonians were 
particularly attached to it. — 12. Expedito. This term carries with it the 
idea of great skill, as evinced by the ease of performing these exercises. — 
13. Ut marince, Sec. Alluding to the story of Achilles having been con- 
cealed in female vestments at the court of Lycomedes, king of Scyros, in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I., ODE IX. 275 

order to avoid going to the Trojan war. — 14. Sub lacrymosa Trojcefunera. 
" On the eve of the mournful carnage of Troy," i. e., in the midst of the 
preparations for the Trojan war. — 15. Virilis cultus. "Manly attire." — 
16. In cccdem et Lycias catervas. A hendiadys. "To the slaughter of the 
Trojan bands." Lycias is here equivalent to Trojanas, and refers to the 
collected forces of the Trojans and their allies. 



Ode IX. Addressed to Thaliarchus, whom some event had robbed of 
his peace of mind. The poet exhorts his friend to banish care from his 
breast, and, notwithstanding the pressure of misfortune, and the gloomy 
severity of the winter season, which then prevailed, to enjoy the present 
hour and leave the rest to the gods. 

The commencement of this ode would appear to have been imitated 
from Alcseus. 

2-3. 2. Soracle. Mount Soracte lay to the southeast of Falerii, in the 
territory of the Falisci, a part of ancient Etruria. It is now called Monte 
S. SUvestro, or, as it is by modern conniption sometimes termed, Sunt' 
Oreste. — 3. Laborantes. This epithet beautifully describes the forests as 
struggling and bending beneath the weight of the superincumbent ice and 
snow. The difference between the temperature of summer and winter in 
ancient Italy may be safely assumed, from this as well as other passages, 
to have been much greater than it now is. Compare note on Ode i., 2, 1. 

3-10. 3. Gelu acuto. " By reason of the keen frost." — 5. Dissolve fri- 
gus. "Dispel the cold." — 6. Benignius. "More plentifully," i. e., than 
usual. We may supply solito. Some regard benignius here as an ad- 
jective, agreeing with merum, "rendered more mellow by age ;" but the 
Horatian term in such cases is mitis. — 7. Sabina diota. '"From the Sa- 
bine jar." The vessel is here called Sabine, from its containing wine 
made in the country of the Sabines. The diota received its name from 
its having two handles or ears (dig and ovc). It contained generally forty- 
eight sextarii, about twenty-seven quarts English measure. — 9. Qui simul 
stravere, &c. "For, as soon as they have lulled," &c. The relative is 
here elegantly used to introduce a sentence, instead of a personal pronoun 
with a particle. — JEquore fervido. " Over the boiling surface of the deep." 

13-24. 13. Fuge qucerere. " Avoid inquiring." Seek not to know. — 
14. Quod Fors dierum cunque dabit. A tmesis for quodcunque die rum 
fors dabit, i. e., quemcunque diem, &c. — Lucro appone. " Set down as 
gain." — 16. Puer. "While still young." — Ncque tu choreas. The use, or 
rather repetition, of the pronoun before choreas is extremely elegant, as 
denoting earnestness of injunction, and in imitation of the Greek. — 17. Do- 
nee virenti, &c. "As long as morose old age is absent from thee, still 
blooming with youth."- — 18. Campus el arece. •" Hambles both in the Cam- 
pus Martius and along the public walks." By arece are here meant those 
parts of the city that were free from buildings, the same, probably, as the 
squares and parks of modern days, where young lovers were fond of stroll- 
ing. — Sub noctem, " At the approach of evening." — 21. Nunc et latently 
&c. The order of the construction is, et nunc grains risus (repetatur) ab 
intimo angulo, proditor latentis puellce. The verb repetatur is uncUr- 



270 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE X. 

stood. The poet alludes to some youthful sport, by the rules of which a 
forfeit was exacted froni the person whose place of concealment was dis- 
covered, whether by the ingenuity of another, or the voluntary act of the 
party concealed. — 24. Male per -tirtaci. "Faintly resisting." Pretending 
only to oppose. 



Ode X. In praise of Mercury. Imitated, according to the Scholiast 
Povphyrion, from the Greek poet Alceeus. 

1-6. 1. Facunde. Mercury was regarded as the inventor of language 
and the god of eloquence. — Nepos Atlantis. Mercury was the fabled son 
of Maia, one of the daughters of Atlas. — The word Atlantis must be pro- 
nounced here A-tlantis, in order to keep the penultimate foot a trochee. 
Tins peculiar division of syllables is imitated from the Greek. — 2. Feros 
cultus hominum recentvm. " The savage manners of the early race of 
men." The ancients believed that the early state of mankind was but 
litlle removed from that of the brutes. — 3. Voce. " By the gift of lan- 
guage." — Catus. ""Wisely." Mercury wisely thought that nothing 
would sooner improve and soften down the savage manners of the prim- 
itive race of men than mutual intercourse, and the interchange of ideas by 
m ^ans of language. Catus, according to Varro, was a word of Sabine Gr- 
ig in. Its primitive meaning was " acute" or " shrill," and hence it came 
to signify "shrewd," " sagacious," &c. — Decora more palmstra. " By the 
institution of the grace-bestowing palaestra." The epithet decorce is here 
used to denote the effect produced on the human frame by gymnastic ex- 
ercises. — 6. Curves lyrce par cntem. " Parent of the bending lyre." Mer- 
cury [Hymn, in Merc, 20, seqq.) is said, while still an infant, to have form- 
e.l the lyre from a tortoise which he found in bis path, stretching seven 
si rings over the hollow shell (kizTa 6e av/n.^d)vovc btuv kravvaaaTo x°P~ 
<-ic). Hence the epithets 'Epjiair] and KvATinvuin, which are applied to 
l lis instrument, and hence, also, the custom of designating it by the terms 
XsXug, chelys, testudo, &c. Compare Gray (Progress of Poesy), " En- 
chanting shell." Another, and probably less accurate account, makes 
this deity to have discovered, on the banks of the Nile, after the subsiding 
of an inundation, the shell of a tortoise, with nothing remaining of the 
body but the sinews : these, when touched, emitted a musical sound, and 
gave Mercury the first hint of the lyre. (Compare Isidor., Orig., iii., 4.) 
It is very apparent that the fable, whatever the true version may be, has 
an astronomical meaning, and contains a reference to the seven planets, 
and to the pretended music of the spheres. 

9-11. 9, Te boves olim nisi reddidisses, &c. " While Apollo, in former 
days, seeks, with threatening accents, to terrify thee, still a mere stripling, 
unless thou shouldst have restored the cattle removed by thy art, he laughed 
to find himself deprived also of his quiver." — Boves. The cattle of Adme- 
tus were fed by Apollo on the banks of the Amphrysus, in Thessaly, after 
that deity had been banished for a time from the skies for destroying the 
Cyclopes, Mercury, still a mere infant, drives off fifty of the herd, and 
Conceals them near the Alpheus, nor does he disclose the place where 
they are hidden until ordered so to do by his sire. (Hymn, in Merc, 70, 
geqq.) Lucian (Dial., D., 7) mentions other sportive thefts of the same 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XI. 277 

deity, by which he deprived Neptune of his trident, Mars of his sword, 
Apollo of his bow, Venus of her cestus, and Jove himself of his sceptre. 
He would have stolen the thunderbolt also, had it not been too heavy and 
hot. (El 6e ht) fiapvrepoc 6 Kspavvoc jjv, nal ttoAv to wvp ei;re, kukeivov 
uv v(j>ei?LETO. Lucian, I. c.) — 11. Viduus. A Graecism for viduum se sen- 
tiens. Horace, probably following Alcaeus, blends together two mytho- 
logical events, which, according to other authorities, happened at distinct 
periods. The Hymn to Mercury merely speaks of the theft of the cattle, 
after which Mercury gives the lyre as a peace-offering to Apollo. The 
only allusion to the arrows of the god is where Apollo, after this, express- 
es his fear lest the son of Maia may deprive him both of these weapons 
and of the lyre itself. 

Aeidia, Maiudoc vie, did/trope, TroiKilojU7Jra, 
[iri fioi uvaKAEipyc KtOuprjv kcu na/invAd Totja. 

13-19. 13. Quin et Atridas, &c. "Under thy guidance, too, the rich 
Priam passed unobserved the haughty sons of Atreus." Alluding to the 
visit which the aged monarch paid to the Grecian camp in order to ran- 
som the corpse of Hector. Jupiter ordered Mercury to be his guide, and 
to conduct him unobserved and in safety to the tent of Achilles. (Consult 
Homer, II., 24, 336, seqq.) — 14. Dives Priamus. Alluding not only to his 
wealth generally, but also to the rich presents which he was bearing to 
Achilles. — 15. Thessalos ignes. "The Thessalian watch-fires." Refer- 
ring to the watches and troops of Achilles, the Thessalian leader, through 
whom Priam had to pass in order to reach the tent of their leader. — 16. Fe- 
fellit. Equivalent here to the Greek eXaOev- — 17. Tu pias Icetis, &c. 
Mercury is here represented in his most important character, as the guide 
of departed spirits. Hence the epithets of ipvxoTcofXTcoc and vEKpoiro/inroc, 
or vEKpaytoyoc, so often applied to him. The verb reponis in the present 
stanza receives illustration, as to its meaning, from the passage in Virgil, 
where the future descendants of .Eneas are represented as occupying 
abodes in the land of spirits previously to their being summoned to the 
regions of day. (JEii., 6, 756, seqq.) Hence Mercury is here said "to 
replace" the souls of the pious in, or " to restore" them to their former 
abodes. — 18. Virgaqve levem coerces, &c. "And with thy golden wand 
dost check the movements of the airy throng." The allusion is to the 
caduceus of Mercury, and coerces is a metaphor borrowed from a shepherd's 
guiding of his flock, and keeping them together in a body with his pastoral 
staff. — 19. Superis dcorum et imis. " To the upper ones and lowest ones 
of the gods," i. e., to the gods above and below. A Graecism for superis 
et imis deis. 



Ode XI. Addressed to Leuconoe, by which fictitious name a female 
friend of the poet's is thought to be designated. Horace, having discover- 
ed that she was in the habit of consulting the astrologers of the day in or- 
der to ascertain, if possible, the term both of her own as well as his ex- 
istence, entreats her to abstain from such idle inquiries, and leave the 
events of the future to the wisdom of the gods. 

1-4. 1. Tu ne quasieris. " Inquire not, I entreat." The subjunctive 
mood is here used as a softened imperative, to express entreaty or request ; 



278 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XII. 

and the air of earnestness with which the poet addresses his female 
friend is increased by the insertion of the personal pronoun. — 2. Finem. 
" Term of existence." — Babylonios numeros. " Chaldean tables," i. e., 
tables of nativity, horoscopes. The Babylonians, or, more strictly speak- 
ing, Chaldeans, were the great astrologers of antiquity, and constructed 
tables for the calculation of nativities and the prediction of future events. 
This branch of charlatanism made such progress and attained so regular a 
form among them, that subsequently the terms Chaldean and Astrologer 
became completely synonymous. Rome was filled with these impostors. 
— 3. Ut melius. " How much better is it." Equivalent to quanto sapien- 
tius. — Erit. For accident. — 4. TJltimam. " This as the last." 

5-8. 5. Quce nunc oppositis, &c. "Which now breaks the strength 
of the Tuscan sea on the opposing rocks corroded by its waves." ~By the 
term pumicibis are meant rocks corroded and eaten into caverns by the 
constant dashing of the waters. — 5. Vina liques. "Filtrate thy wines." 
Observe that sapias and liques are subjunctives used as imperatives. 
(Zumpt, § 529.) The wine-strainers of the Romans were made of linen, 
placed round a frame-work of osiers, shaped like an inverted cone. In 
consequence of the various solid or viscous ingredients which the an- 
cients added to their wines, frequent straining became necessary to pre- 
vent inspissation. Consult Excursus VI. — Spatio brevi, &c. " In conse- 
quence of the brief duration of existence, cut short long hope (of the fu- 
ture)," i. e., since human life is at best but a span, indulge in no lengthen- 
ed hope of the future, but improve the present opportunity for enjoyment. 
— 8. Carpe diem. " Enjoy the present day." A pleasing metaphor. 
" Pluck" the present day as a flower from the stem, and enjoy its fra- 
grance while it lasts. 



Ode XII. Addressed to Augustus. The poet, intending to celebrate 
the praises of his imperial master, pursues a course extremely flattering 
to the vanity of the latter, by placing his merits on a level with those of 
gods and heroes. This ode is generally supposed to be in part imitated 
from Pindar, Ol., ii., 1, seq. : 'Ava^tcpop/xiyyec v/xvoi, it. r. 2. 

1-6. 1. Quern virum aut heroa. ""What living or departed hero." 
Compare the remark of the scholiast, " Quern virum de vivis ? quern heroa 
de morttiis ?" — Lyra vel acri tibia. "On the lyre, or shrill-toned pipe," 
i. e., in strains adapted to either of these instraments. — 2. Celebrare. A 
Graecism for ad celebrandum. — Clio. The first of the nine Muses, and pre- 
siding over epic poetry and history. — 3. Jocosa imago. " Sportive echo." 
Understand vocis. Literally, " the sportive image (or reflection) of the 
voice." As regards the term jocosa, compare the explanation of Orelli ; 
"Jocosa aulem, quia viatores quasi consulto ludificatur, unde auribus ac- 
cidat, ignorautes." — 5. In umbrosis Heliconis oris. " Amid the shady 
regions of Helicon." A mountain of Boeotia, sacred to Apollo and the 
Muses. On its summit was the grove of the latter, and a little below 
the grove was the fountain of Aganippe, produced from the earth by a blow 
of the hoof of Pegasus. Helicon is now called Palceovouni or Zagora. — > 
6. Super Pindo. " On the summit of Pindus." The chain of Pindus 
separated Thessaly from Epirus. It was sacred to Apollo and the Muses. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XII. 279 

— Hcemo. Mount Hsemus stretches its great belt round the north of Thrace, 
in a direction nearly parallel with the coast of the iEgean. The modern 
name is Emineh Dag, or Balkan. 

7-15. 7. Vocalem. "The tuneful." — Temere. "In wild confusion." 
Compare the explanation of Orelli : " Promiscuc, sine ordine, cur secta- 
rentur cantorem vix sibi conscice." The scene of this wonderful feat of 
Orpheus was near Zone, on the coast of Thrace. {Mela, 2, 2.) — 9. Arte 
materna. Orpheus was the fabled son of Calliope, one of the Muses. — 
11. Blandum et auritas, &c. " Sweetly persuasive also to lead along 
with melodious lyre the listening oaks,"i. e., who with sweetly persua- 
sive accents and melodious lyre led along, &c. The epithet auritas is 
here applied to quercus by a bold image. The oaks are represented as fol- 
lowing Oi'pheus with pricked-up ears. — 13. Quidprius dicam, &c. "What 
shall I celebrate before the accustomed praises of the Parent of us all?" 
Some read parentum instead of parentis, "What shall I first celebrate, 
in accordance with the accustomed mode of praising adopted by our fa- 
thers ?" Others, retaining parentum, place an interrogation after dicam, 
and a comma after laudibus. " What shall I first celebrate in song 1 In 
accordance with the accustomed mode of praising adopted by our fathers, I 
will sing of him who," &c. — 15. Variis horis. "With its changing sea- 
sons." — Temperat. "Controls." 

17-26. 17. Unde. "From whom." Equivalent to ex quo, and not, as 
some maintain, to quare. Compare Sat., i., 6, 12, and ii., 6, 21. — 19. Proxi- 
mos tamen, &c. " Pallas, however, enjoys honors next in importance to 
his own." Minerva had her temple, or rather shrine, in the Capitol, on the 
right side of that of Jupiter, while Juno's merely occupied the left. Some 
commentators think that Minerva was the only one of the deities after 
Jupiter who had the right of hurling the thunderbolt. This, however, is 
expressly contradicted by ancient coins. {Rasche, Lex. Rei Numism., 
vol. ii., pt. 1, p. 1192. Heyne, Excurs. ad Virg., JEn., 1, 42.) — 21. Prosliis 
audax Liber. The victories of Bacchus, and especially his conquest of 
India, form a conspicuous part of ancient mythology. — 22. Scevis inimica 
Virgo belluis. Diana. Compare her Greek epithets SnpoKrovog and 
loxeaipa. — 25. Alciden. Hercules, the reputed grandson of Alcaeus. — 
Puerosque Leda. Castor and Pollux. — 26. Hunc. Alluding to Castor. 
Compare the Homeric Kaoropa Imroda/xov. (II., 3, 237.) — Ilium. Pollux. 
Compare the Homeric ttv!; dyadbv liolvdevnea. (II., l. c.) — Pugnis. 
" In pugilistic encounters," literally, " with fists." Ablative oipugnus. 

27-35. 27. Quorum simul alba, &c. " As soon as the propitious star 
of each of whom," &c. Alba is here used not so much in the sense of 
lucida and clara, as in that of purum ac serenum ccelum reddens. Com- 
pare the expression Albus Notus (Ode i., 7, 15), and Explanatory Notes 
on Ode i., 3, 2. — 29. Agitatus humor. "The foaming water." — 31. Ponto 
recumbit. " Subsides on the surface of the deep." — 34. Pompili. Numa 
Pompilius. — Superbos Tarquini fasces. "The splendid fasces of Tarquin- 
ius," i. e., the splendid and energetic reign of Tarquinius Priscus. Some 
commentators refer these words to Tarquinius Superbus, but with less 
propriety. The epithet superbos has the same force here as in Ode i., 35, 
3. — 35. Catonis nobile letum. The allusion is to the younger Cato, who 



280 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XII. 

put an end to his own existence at Utica. The poet calls his death a no- 
ble one, without any fear of incurring the displeasure of Augustus, whose 
policy it was to profess an attachment to the ancient forms of the repub- 
lic, and a regard for its defenders. Cunningham conjectures Juniifascts, 
making the allusion to be to the first Brutus. Bentley, again, thinking 
Calonis too bold, proposes Curti, as referring to Curtius, who devoted 
himself for his country by plunging into the gulf or chasm at Rome. 

37-41. 37. Regulum. Compare Ode iii., 5, where the story of Regulus 
is touched upon. — Scauros. The house of the Scauri gave many distin- 
guished men to the Roman republic. The most eminent among them 
were M. iEmilius Scaurus, princeps senaius, a nobleman of great ability, 
and his son M. Scaurus. The former held the consulship A.U.C. 639. Sal- 
lust gives an unfavorable account of him (Jug:, 15). Cicero, on the other 
hand, highly extols his virtues, abilities, and achievements (De Off., 1, 22 
et 30. Brut., 29. Orat. pro Murcp.na, 7). Sallust's account is evidently 
tinged with the party-spirit of the day. — 38. Paullum. Paullus iEmilius, 
consul with Terentius Varro, and defeated, along with his colleague, by 
Hannibal, in the disastrous battle of Cannae. — Pamo. "The Carthagin- 
ian." Hannibal. — 40. Fabricium. C. Fabricius Luscinus, the famed op- 
ponent of Pyrrhus and of the Samnites. It was of him Pyrrhus declared 
that it would be more difficult to make him swerve from his integrity than 
to turn the sun from its course. (Compare Cic, de Off., 3, 22. Vol. Max., 
4, 3.) — 41. Incomtis Curium capillis. Alluding to Manius Curius Denta- 
tus, the conqueror of Pyrrhus. The expression incomtis capillis refers 
to the simple and austere manners of the early Romans. 

42-44. 42. Camillum. M. Furius Camillus, the liberator of his coun- 
try from her Gallic invaders. — 43. S&va paupertas. " A life of hardy pri- 
vation." i. e., a life of privation, inuring to toil and hardship. Paupertas 
retains here its usual force, implying, namely, a want not of the neces- 
saries, but of the comforts of life. — Et avitus apto cum lore fundus. " And 
an hereditary estate, with a dwelling proportioned to it." The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is, that Curius and Camillus, in the midst of scanty 
resources, proved far more useful to their country than if they had been 
the owners of the most extensive possessions, or the votaries of luxury. 

45-47. 45. Crescit occulto, &c. " The fame of Marcellus increases like 
a tree amid the undistinguished lapse of time." • The term Marcelli here 
contains a double allusion, first to the celebrated M. Claudius Marcellus, 
the conqueror of Syracuse, and opponent of Hannibal, and secondly to the 
young Marcellus, the son of Octavia, and nephew of Augustus. The fame 
of the earlier Marcellus, increasing secretly though steadily in the lapse 
of ages, is now beginning to bloom anew in the young Marcellus, and to 
promise a harvest of fresh glory for the Roman name.— 46. Micat inter 
omnes, &c. The young Marcellus is here compared to a bright star, il- 
luming with its effulgence the Julian line, and forming the hope and 
glory of that illustrious house. He married Julia, the daughter of Augus- 
tus, and was publicly intended as the successor of that emperor, but his 
eai-ly death, at the age of eighteen, frustrated all these hopes and plunged 
the Roman world in mourning. Virgil beautifully alludes to him at the 
close of the sixth book of the iEneid.— Julium sidus. " The star of the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XIII. 281 

Julian line," i. e., the glory of the Julian house, commencing with Caesar, 
and perpetuated in Augustus. — 47. Ignes minores. " The feebler fires of 
the night." The stars. 

50-54. 50. Orte Saturno. Jupiter, the Greek Kpoviwv- — 51. Tu secun- 
do Casare regnes. " Reign thou (in the heavens) with Caesar as thy vice- 
gerent (upon earth)," i. e., Grant, I pray, that thou mayest so parcel out 
thy empire as to sway thyself the sceptre of the skies, and allow Augus- 
tus to represent thee upon earth. Observe the employment of the sub- 
junctive for the imperative. — 53. Parthos Latio imminences; Horace is 
generally supposed to have composed this ode at the time that Augustus 
was preparing for an expedition against the Parthians, whom the defeat 
of Crassus, and the check sustained by Antony, had elated to such a de- 
gree, that the poet might well speak of them as " now threatening the re- 
pose of the Roman world." Latio is elegantly put for Romano imperio. 
— 54. Egerit justo triumpho. "Shall have led along in just triumph." 
The conditions of a "Justus triumphus," in the days of the republic, were 
as follows : 1. The war must have been a just one, and waged with foreign- 
ers ; no triumph was allowed in a civil war. 2. Above 5000 of the enemy 
must have been slain in on*e battle (Appian says it was in his time 10*000). 
3. By this victory the limits of the empire must have been enlarged. 

55-60. 55. Subjectos Orientis orce. " Lying along the borders of the 
East," i. e., dwelling on the remotest confines of the East. Observe that 
ores is the dative, by a Graecism for sub ora. — Seras. By the Seres are 
evidently meant the natives of China, whom an overland trade for silk had 
gradually, though imperfectly, made known to the western nations. — 
57. Te minor. " Inferior to thee alone." Understand solo. — 59. Parutrt 
castis. " Polluted." Alluding to the corrupt morals of the day. The an- 
cients had a belief that lightning never descended from the skies except 
on places stained by some pollution. 



Ode XIII. Addressed to Lydia, with whom the poet had very proba- 
bly quarrelled, and whom he now seeks to turn away from a passion for 
Telephus. He describes the state of his own feelings, when praises are 
bestowed by her whom he loves on the personal beauty of a hated rival ; 
and, while endeavoring to cast suspicion upon the sincerity of the latter's 
passion for her, he descants upon the joys of an uninterrupted uiuou found- 
ed on the sure basis of mutual affection. 

2-8. 2. Cervicem roseam. " The rosy neck." Compare Virgil (^En., 
1, 402) : " Rosea cervice refulsit." — 3. Cerea brachia. The epithet cerea, 
"waxen," carries with it the associate ideas of whiteness, glossy sur- 
face, &c, the allusion being to the white wax of antiquity. Bentley, how- 
ever, rejects cerea, and reads lactea. — Telephi. The name is purposely 
repeated, to indicate its being again and again on the lips of Lydia. — 
Difficili bile. "With choler difficult to be repressed." The liver was 
held to be the seat of all violent passions. — 6. Manent. The plural is here 
employed, as equivalent to the double manet. It is given likewise by 
Oielli, and has also strong MS. authority in its favor. Bentley, however, 
prefers manet, on account of the preceding uec . . . nee, and lengthens tho 



282 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XIV. 

final syllable of manet by tbe arsis. Compare Zumpt, § 374, and tbe pas- 
sage cited from Pliny, Paneg., 75. — Humor et in genas, &c. " And tbe 
tear steals silently down my cbeeks." — 8. Lentis ignibus. " By tbe slow- 
consuming fires." 

9-20. 9. Uror. " I am tortured at tbe sigbt." Equivalent to adspecin 
crucior. — 10. Immodicce mero. "Rendered immoderate by wine." — 12. 
Memorem. "As a memorial of his passion." — 13. Si me satis audias. 
" If you give heed to me." If you still deem my words worthy of your at- 
tention. — 14. Perpetuum. "That he will prove constant in his attach- 
ment." Understandyb? - e. — Dulcia barbare Icedentem oscula. " Who bar- 
barously wounds those sweet lips, which Venus has imbued with the fifth 
part of all her nectar." Each god, observes Porson, was supposed to 
have a given quantity of nectar at disposal, and to bestow the fifth or the 
tenth part of this on any individual was a special favor. Tbe common, 
but incorrect interpretation of quinta parte is "with the quintessence." — 
18. Irrupta copula. " An indissoluble union." — 20. Suprema die. "The 
last day of their existence." Observe that suprema citius die is an un- 
usual construction for citius quam suprema die. 



Ode XTV. Addressed to the vessel of tbe state, just escaped from tbe 
stormy billows of civil commotion, and in danger of being again exposed 
to the violence of the tempest. This ode appears to have been composed 
at the time when Augustus consulted Maecenas and Agrippa whether he 
should resign or retain the sovereign authority. Some, however, refer it 
to the dissensions between Octavianus and Antony, B.C. 32, which pre- 
ceded the battle of Actium. In either case, however, the allegory must 
not be too closely pressed. 

1-8. 1. O navis, referunt, &c. " O ship ! new billows are bearing 
thee back again to tbe deep." The poet, in his alarm, supposes the ves- 
sel (i. e., his country) to be already amid the waves. By the term navis 
his country is denoted, which the hand of Augustus had just rescued from 
the perils of shipwreck ; and by mare the troubled and stormy waters of 
civil dissension are beautifully pictured to the view. — 2. Novi Jluctus. 
Alluding to the commotions which must inevitably arise if Augustus aban- 
dons tbe helm of affairs. — 3. Portum. The harbor here meant is the tran- 
quillity which was beginning to prevail under the government of Augus- 
tus. — Ut nudum remigio latus. " How bare thy side is of oai - s." — 6. Ac 
sinefunibus carina. " And thy hull, without cables to secure it." Some 
commentators think that the poet alludes to the practice common among 
the ancients of girding their vessels with cables in violent storms, in order 
to prevent the planks from starting asunder. In carina^ we have the plu- 
ral used emphatically for the singular, and intended to designate every 
part of the hull. A similar usage occurs even in Cicero : " Quid tarn in 
navigio nccessarium quam latera, quam carinae, quam prora, quam pup- 
pis ?" (De Or., iii., 46) where some, less con-ectly, read cavernce. — Pos- 
sunt. We have not hesitated to read gemunt and possunt, on good MS. 
authority, as far more graphic than gernant and possint, the reading of 
many editions. Even Bentley approves of the indicative here, though he 
does not edit it. — 8. Imperiosius a;quor. " The increasing violence of the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XV. 283 

sea." The comparative describes the sea as growing eveiy moment 
more and more violent. 

10-13. 10. Di. Alluding to the tutelary deities, Neptune, or Castor 
and Pollux, whose images were accustomed to be placed, together with 
a small altar, in the stem of the vessel. The figurative meaning of the 
poet presents to us the guai'dian deities of Rome offended at the sangui- 
nary excesses of the civil wars, and determined to withhold their protect- 
ing influence if the state should be again plunged into anarchy and confu- 
sion. — 11. Pontica pinus. "Of Pontic pine." The pine of Pontus was 
hard and durable, and of great value in ship -building. Yet the vessel of 
the state is warned by the poet not to rely too much upon the strength of 
her timbers. — 12. Silvcefilia nobilis. " The noble daughter of the forest." 
A beautiful image, which Martial appears to have imitated (xiv., 90) : 
"Non sum Maurce jilia silvce." — 13. Et gemis et nomen inutile. "Both 
thy lineage and unavailing fame." The idea intended to be conveyed by 
the whole clause is as follows : "Idle, O my country! will be the boast 
of thy former glories, and the splendor of thy ancient name." 

14-20. 14. Pictis puppibus. Besides being graced with the statues of 
the tutelary deities, the sterns of ancient vessels were likewise embel- 
lished, on the outside, with paintings and other ornaments. Hence Homer 
occasionally calls ships fiihTOTrdprioi, "red-cheeked.*" A purple color was 
also sometimes employed. — 15. Nisi debes vends ludibrium. "Unless 
thou art doomed to be the sport of the winds." An imitation of the Greek 
idiom, o^Ascv yeXura. — 17. Nuper sollicitum, &c. " Thou who wast lately 
a source of disquietude and weariness to me, who at present art an object 
of fond desire and strong apprehension," &c. The expression sollicitum. 
tcedium refers to the unquiet feelings which swayed the bosom of the poet 
during the period of the civil contest, and to the weariness and disgust 
which the long continuance of those scenes produced in his breast. Under 
the sway of Augustus, however, his country again becomes the idol of his 
warmest affections (desiderium), and a feeling of strong apprehension 
(cura non levis) takes possession of him, lest he may again see her in- 
volved in the horrors of civil war. — 20. Nitentes Cycladas. "The Cycla- 
des, conspicuous from afar." The epithet nitentes appears to refer, not so 
much to the marble contained in most of these islands, as to the circum- 
stance of its appearing along the coasts of many of the group, and render- 
ing them conspicuous objects at a distance. (Compare Vanderbourg, 
ad loc.) 



Ode XV. This ode is thought to have been composed on the breaking 
out of the last civil war between Octavianus and Antony. Nereus, the 
sea-god, predicts the ruin of Troy at the very time that Paris bears Helen 
over the ^Egean Sea from Sparta. Under the character of Paris, the poet, 
according to some commentators, intended to represent the infatuated An- 
tony, whose passion for Cleopatra he foretold would be attended with the 
same disastrous consequences as that of the Trojan prince for Helen ; and 
by the Grecian heroes, whom Nereus, in imagination, beholds combined 
against Ilium, Horace, it has been said, represents the leaders of the par- 
ty of Augustus. 



284 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XV. 

1-4. 1. Pastor. Paris, whose early life was spent among the shep- 
herds of Mount Ida, in consequence of his mother's fearful dream. Sana- 
don, who is one of those that attach an allegorical meaning to this ode, 
thinks that the allusion to Antony commences with the very first word of 
the poem, since Antony was one of the Luperci, or priests of Pan, the god 
of shepherds. — T rake ret. "Was bearing forcibly away." Horace here 
follows the authority of those writers who make Helen to have been car- 
ried off by Paris against her will. (Compare Ovid, Her., xvii., 21.) Some 
commentators, however, make trakeret here the same as raperet, i. e., 
tanguam prcedam secum abduceret j while others, again, regard the term 
as equivalent to lenta navigatione circumduceret, since Paris, according 
to one of the scholiasts and Eustathius, did not go directly from Lacedae- 
mon to Troy, but, in apprehension of being pursued, sailed to Cyprus, 
Phoenicia, aud Egypt. — Navibus Idaiis. "In vessels made of the timber 
of Ida." — 3. Ingrato otio. "In an unwelcome calm." Unwelcome, say 
the commentators, to the winds themselves, which are ever restless, and 
ever love to be in motion. Hence they are styled by iEschylus KaKoa^o- 
"Koi. — 4. Ut caneret f era fata. " That he might foretell their gloomy des- 
tinies." 
» 

5-12. 5. Mala avi. " Under evil omens." Compare Ode iii., 3, 61, 
u alite lugubri ;" and Epod. x., 1, " mala alite." — 7. Conjurata tuas rum- 
pere nuptias, &c. " Bound by a common oath to sever the union between 
thee and thy loved one, and to destroy the ancient kingdom of Priam." 
A Graecism for quce conjuravit se rupturam. The term nuptias is here 
used, not in its ordinary sense, but with reference to the criminal loves of 
Paris and Helen. — 9. Quantus sudor. "What toil." — 10. Quanta funera. 
" What carnage." — 11. JEgida. "Her aegis." In Homer, the 33gis (al- 
yic) is the shield of Jove, which Minerva sometimes bears {II., v., 738), 
and this signification is retained by Seneca {Here. Fur., 905). At a later 
period, it is Minerva's corselet (Eurip., Ion, 1012, ed. Herm. Ovid, Met., 
vi., 17). The term is used in this last sense on the present occasion. — 
12. Et rabiem parat. " And is kindling up her martial fury." The zeug- 
ma in parat, and the air of conciseness which it imparts to the style, are 
peculiarly striking. 

13-19. 13. Veneris pr&sidio ferox. "Proudly relying on the aid of 
Venus." This goddess favored him, since to her he had adjudged the 
prize of beauty over .luno and Minerva. — 14. Grataque feminis, Sec. "And 
distribute pleasing strains among women on the unmanly lyre." The ex- 
pression carmina diqidere feminis means nothing more than to execute 
different airs for different females in succession. This is Doring's explana- 
tion, and is adopted by Dillenburger. Orelli's interpretation appears stiff 
and far-fetched. It is as follows : " Cantus vocalis et citkarm soni inter se 
conjuncti totam efficiunt symphoniam ; jam singulatim spectatis his par- 
tibus, uol6t)V dividit cithara cantus, uotdj) citkarai sonos, id est, altera 
utra dimidia totius symphonic pars est." The allegorical meaning is con- 
sidered by some as being still kept up in this passage : Antony, accordiug 
to Plutarch, lived for a time at Samos with Cleopatra, in the last excesses 
of luxury, amid the delights of music and song, while all the world around 
were terrified with apprehensions of a civil war. — 16. Thalamo. " In thy 
bed-chamber," i. e., by seeking shelter therein. — 17. Calami spicula Cno- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVI. 285 

sii. Cuosus was one of the oldest and most important cities of Crete, sit- 
uate on the River Caeratus. Hence Cnosius is taken hy synecdoche in 
the sense of " Cretan." The inhabitants of Crete were famed for their skill 
in archery. The correct form of the name of the city is Cnosus, as appears 
from coins (Eckhel, Doctr. Num., ii., p. 307), not Cnossus, or Gnossus, as 
commonly written. Hence the true form of the gentile adjective is 
Cnosius, not Cnossius or Gnossius. — 18. Strepitumque, et celcrem sequi 
Ajacem. "And the din of battle, and Ajax swift in pursuit." The ex- 
pression celerem sequi is a Graecism for celerem ad sequendum. The Oilean 
Ajax is here meant, who was famed for his swiftness, and whom Homer 
calls 'OiXjjog tu%vc Alac- (II., ii., 527.) — 19. Tamen. This particle is 
to be referred to quamvis, which is implied in serus, i. e., quamvis serus, 

tamen collines. " Though late in the conflict, still," &c. Paris was 

slain in the last year of the war by one of the arrows of Philoctetes. 

21-28. 21. Laertiaden. " The son of Laertes." Ulysses. The Greek 
form of the patronymic (Aaepriddrjc) comes from AaepTioc, for Aaeprrjc. 
(Matthias, G. G., vol. i., p. 130.) The skill and sagacity of Ulysses were 
among the chief causes of the downfall of Troy. — 22. Pylium Nestora. 
There are three cities named Pylos in the Peloponnesus, two in Elis and 
one in Messenia, and all laid claim to the honor of being Nestors birth- 
place. Strabo is in favor of the Triphylian Pylos, in the district of Tri- 
phylia, in Elis. (Compare Heyne, ad II., 4, 591 ; 11, 681.) — 23. Salaminius 
Teucer. Teucer, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, and brother of Ajax. — 
24. Teucer. A trochee in the first place, to avoid which some read Teucer 
te in place of Teucer et. — Sthenelus. Son of Capaneus, and charioteer of 
Diomede. — 26. Merionen. Charioteer of Idomeneus, king of Crete. — 
28. Tydides melior patre. " The son of Tydeus, in arms superior to his 
sire." Horace appears to allude to the language of Sthenelus (II., 4, 405) in 
defending himself and Diomede from the reproaches of Agamemnon, when 
the latter was marshalling his forces after the violation of the truce by 
Pandarus, and thought that he perceived reluctance to engage on the part 
of Diomede and his companion. 'H/jeic rot Tzarepuv fiey' ufieivovec ev- 
XO/xsd' elvat, are the words of Sthenelus, who means that they, the Epi- 
goni, were braver than their sires, for they took the city of Thebes, before 
which their fathers had fallen. 

29-35. 29. Quern tu, cervus, &c. " "Whom, as a stag, unmindful of its 
pasture, flees from a wolf seen by it in the opposite extremity of some 
valley, thou, effeminate one, shalt flee from with deep pantings, not hav- 
ing promised this to thy beloved." Compare Ovid, Her., 16, 356. — 33. Ira- 
cunda diem, &c. Literally, "The angry fleet of Achilles shall protract 
the day of destruction for Ilium," <5cc, i. e., the anger of Achilles, who re- 
tired to his fleet, shall protract, &c. — 35. Post certas hiemes. "After a 
destined period of years." — Ignis lliacas domos. We have here a tro- 
chee in the first place, as in line 24. Some editors, in order to bring in 
the spondee, read Pergameas, which makes an awkward change from 
Ilio in line 33. Withofius, with much more taste, proposes barbarioas. 



Ode XVI. Horace, in early life, had written some severe verses against 
a young female. He now retracts his injurious expressions, and lays the 



286 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVI. 

blame on the ardent and impetuous feelings of youth. The ode turns 
principally on the fatal effects of unrestrained anger. An old commentator 
informs us that the name of the female was Gratidia, and that she is the 
same with the Canidia of the Epodes. Acron and Porphyrion call her 
Tyndaris, whence some have been led to infer that Gratidia, whom Horace 
attacked, was the parent, and that, being now in love with her daughter 
Tyndaris, he endeavors to make his peace with the former by giving up his 
injurious verses to her resentment. Acron, however, farther states, that 
Horace, in his Palinodia, imitates Stesichorus, who, having lost his sight 
as a punishment for an ode against Helen, made subsequently a full re- 
cantation, and was cured of his blindness. Now, as Tyndaris was the 
patronymic appellation of Helen, why may not the Roman poet have 
merely transferred this name from the Greek original to his own produc- 
tion, without intending to assign it any particular meaning ? 

2-5. 2. Criminosis iambis. "To my injurious iambics." The iambic 
measure was peculiarly adapted for satirical effusions. In the heroic 
hexameter, which preceded it, there was a measured movement, with its 
arsis and thesis of equal lengths ; whereas in the iambic versification the 
arsis was twice as long as the thesis, and therefore its light, tripping 
character was admirably adapted to express the lively play of wit and 
sarcasm. — 4. Mart Hadriano. The Adriatic is here put for water general- 
ly. The ancients were accustomed to cast whatever they detested either 
into the flames or the water. — 5. Non Dindymene, &c. "Nor Cybele, 
nor the Pythian Apollo, god of prophetic inspiration, so agitate the minds 
of their priesthood in the secret shrines, Bacchus does not so shake the 
soul, nor the Corybantes when they strike with redoubled blows on the 
shrill cymbals, as gloomy anger rages." Understand quatiunt with Cory- 
bantes and irce respectively, and observe the expressive force of the zeug- 
ma. The idea intended to be conveyed is, when divested of its poetic 
attire, simply this : "Nor Cybele, nor Apollo, nor Bacchus, nor the Cory- 
bantes, can shake the soul as does the power of anger." — Dindymene. 
The goddess Cybele received this name from being worshipped on Mount 
Dindymus, near the city of Pessinus in Galatia, a district of Asia Minor. 
She was worshipped with wild and orgiastic rites. 

6-11. 6. Incola Pyihius. The term incola beautifully expresses the 
prophetic inspiration of the god: "habitans quasi in pectore." — 8. Cory- 
bantes. The Corybantes were the enthusiastic priests of Cybele, who 
with drums, cymbals, horns, and in full armor, performed their orgiastic 
dances in the forests and on the mountains of Phrygia. — 9. Noricus ensis. 
The iron of Noricum was of an excellent quality, and hence the expression 
Noricus ensis is used to denote the goodness of a sword. Noricum, after 
its reduction under the Roman sway, corresponded to the modern Carin- 
ihia, Styria, Salzburg; and part of Austria and Bavaria. — 11. Scevus 
ignis. " The unsparing lightning." The fire of the skies. — Nee tremendo, 
&c. " Nor Jove himself, rushing down with feaiful thunderings." Com- 
pare the Greek expression Zeve icaraifi&Tnc, applied to Jove hurling his 
thunderbolts. 

13-16. 13. Fertur Prometheus, &c. According to the legend here fol- 
lowed by Horace, it appears that Prometheus, or his brother Epimetheus, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVI. 287 

having exhausted his stock of materials in the formation of other animals, 
was compelled to take a part from each of them [particulam undiqne de- 
seciam), and added it to the clay which formed the primitive element of 
man (principi limo). Hence the origin of anger, Prometheus having 
" placed in our breast the wild rage of the lion" (insani leonis vim, i. e., 
insanam leonis vim). Whence Horace borrowed this legend is uncertain, 
probably from, some Greek poet. The creation of the human race out 
of clay by Prometheus is unknown to Homer and Hesiod, and can not 
be traced higher than Erinna. {Anthol. Pal., i., p. 301, ep., 352.) The 
(x,v6oc of Prometheus, as given by Protagoras in the Platonic dialogue of 
that name (p. 320), approaches very nearly to it. — 16. Stomaclio. The term 
stomackus properly denotes the canal through which aliment descends 
into the stomach : it is then taken to express the upper orifice of the 
stomach (compare the Greek napdia), and finally the ventricle in which 
the food is digested. Its reference to anger or choler arises from the cir- 
cumstance of a great number of nerves being situated about the upper 
orifice of the stomach, which render it very sensitive; and from thence also 
proceeds the great sympathy between the stomach, head, and heart. 

17-18. 17. Ires. "Angry contentions," i. c, the indulgence of angry 
feelings between the brothers Atreus and Thyestes. — Thyesten exitio 
gravi stravere. These words, besides containing a general allusion to the 
ruined fortunes of Thyestes, have also a special reference to his having 
been made to banquet, unconsciously, upon the flesh of his own sons. — 18. 
Et altis urbibus, &c. " And have been the primary cause to lofty cities 
why," &c. A Gracism for et ultimce steiere causce cur altce urbes fundi- 
lus perirent. "And have ever been the primary cause why lofty cities 
perished from their very foundations," i. e., have been utterly destroyed. 
Compare, as regards the epithet ultima;, the explanation of Orelli : " ab 
ultimo initio repetitce, et propterea praicipuce." The expression altis ur- 
bibus is in accordance with the Greek, alnv rcroMedpov, ttoXlc alnei'j. 
The elegant use of stetere for exstitere or fuere must be noted. It carries 
with it the accompanying idea of something fixed and certain. Compare 
Virgil {/En., vii., 735) : " Slant belli causa." 

20-27. 20. Imprimeretque muris, &c. Alluding to the custom, preva- 
lent among the ancients, of drawing a plough over the ground previously 
occupied by the walls and buildings of a captured and ruined city, and 
sowing salt, as the type of barrenness, in the furrows. — 22. Compesce 
mentem. " Restrain thy angry feelings." — Pectoris tentavit fervor. " The 
glow of resentment seized." Literally, "made trial of." The poet lays 
the blame of his injurious effusion on the intemperate feelings of youth, 
which hurried him away. — 24. Celeres iambos. "The rapid iambics." 
The rapidity of this measure rendered it peculiarly fit to give expression 
to angry feelings. Compare note on " criminosis iambis," v. 2, and also 
the Epistle to the Pisos, v. 251.— 25. Mitibus mutare tristia. " To ex- 
change bitter taunts for soothing strains." Mitibus, though, when render- 
ed into our idiom, it has the appearance of a dative, is in reality the ab- 
lative, as being the instrument of exchange. — 27. Recantatis opprobriis. 
" My injurious expressions being recanted." — Animum. " My peace of 
mind." 



288 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVII. 

Ode XVII. Horace, having in the last ode made his peace with Tyn- 
daris, now invites her to his Sabine farm, where she will find retirement 
and security from the brutality of Cyrus, who had treated her with un- 
manly rudeness and cruelty. In order the more certainly to induccan ac- 
ceptance of his offer, he depicts in attractive colors the salubrious position 
of bis rural retreat, the tranquillity which reigns there, and the favoring 
protection extended to him by Faunus and the other gods. 

1-4. 1. Velox amtsnum, &c. " Ofttimes Faunus, in rapid flight, changes 
Mount Lycaaus for the fair Lucretilis." Lyceeo'is here the ablative, as de- 
noting the instrument by which the change is made. They who make 
this an hypallage for Lucretili . . . Lycceum, confound the English idiom 
with the Latin. — Lucretilem. Lucretilis was a mountain in the country 
of the Sabines, and amid its windings lay the farm of the poet. It is now 
Monte Libretti. — 2. Lycceo. Mount Lycaeus was situated in the south- 
western angle of Arcadia, and was sacred to Faunus or Pan. — Faunus. 
Faunus, the god of shepherds and fields among the Latins, appears to 
have become gradually identified with the Pan of the Greeks. — 3. Defendit. 
" Wards off." — 4. Pluviosque ventos. " And the rainy winds." The poet 
sufficiently declares the salubrious situation of his Sabine farm, when he 
speaks of it as being equally sheltered from the fiery heats of summer, 
and the rain-bearing winds, the sure precursors of disease. 

5-17. 5. Arbutos. Compare the note on Ode i., 1, 21. — 6. Thyma. The 
thyme of the ancients is not our common thyme, but the thymus capitatus, 
qui Dioscoridis, which now grows in great plenty on the mountains of 
Greece. — 7. Olentis uxorcs mariti. "The wives of the fetid husband." 
A periphrasis for caprce. — 9. Nee Martiales Hcediliee lupos. "Nor the 
fierce wolves of Hoedilia." It appears from a gloss appended to one of the 
earliest MSS., that Haedilia was a mountain in the vicinity of the poet's 
fann, infested by wolves. All the MSS. have Hcedilice ; but the copyists, 
not understanding the meaning of the term, changed it to hiiinulece, which 
last, Bentley, by an ingenious emendation, and guided by analogy, altered 
into the new word h<Edule<E, " young female kids." The restoration of the 
true reading of the MSS. was made by Orelli. The epithet Martiales, as 
applied to lupos, has a double meaning, since it indicates the wolf not only 
as a fierce and savage animal, but also one sacred to Mars. — 10. Utcunque. 
"Whenever." For quandocunque. — 11. Usticcc cubantis. "Of the low- 
lying Ustica," i. ft, gently sloping. This was a small mountain near the 
poet's farm. — 12. Levia. In the sense of attrita, " worn smooth by the 
mountain rills." — 14. Hie tibi copia, &c. " Here plenty, rich in rural hon- 
ors, shall flow in to thee, from benignant horn filled to the very brim." A 
figurative allusion to the horn of Plenty. — 17. In reducta valle. " In a 
winding vale." — Caniculce. We translate this term by " the dog-star," 
without specifying whether we mean Sirius, the great dog-star, or Pro- 
cyon, the little dog-star. It may, however, be either, since their heliacal 
risings do not differ by many days. But, strictly STpeaking^canicula is 
Procyon, and the dies caniculares, or classical "dog-days," are the twenty 
days preceding and the twenty days following the heliacal rising of Ca- 
nicula. 

18-21. 18. Fide Tela. " On the Teiau lyre," i. c, in Anacreontic strain. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVII. 289 

Anacreon was bom at Teos, in Asia Minor. — 19. Laborantes in uno. 
" Striving for one and the same hero," i. e., Ulysses. Laborantes is ex- 
tremely graphic here, and implies that anxious state of feeling which they 
who love are wont to experience. — 20. Vitreamque Circen. " And glass- 
like Circe," i. e., as bright and dazzling, but, at the same time, as frail 
and as unworthy of reliance as glass. Compare Sat., ii., 3, 222 : " Vitrea 
fama." — 21. Innocentis Lesbii. The Lesbian wine would seem to have 
possessed a delicious flavor, for it is said to have deserved the name of 
ambrosia rather than of wine, and to have been like nectar when old. 
(Athenams, i., 22.) Horace terms the Lesbian an innocent or unintoxicat- 
ing wine ; but it was the prevailing opinion among the ancients that all 
sweet wines were less injurious to the head, and less apt to cause intox- 
ication, than the strong dry wines. Consult ExcursusYlI. 

22-27. 22. Duces. "Thou shalt quaff." — 23. Semeleius Thyoneus. 
"Bacchus, offspring of Semele." This deity received the name of Thyo- 
neus, according to the common account, from Thyone, an appellation of 
Semele. It is more probable, however, that the title in question was de- 
rived from i9o>cj, "to rage," "to rush wildly." — 24. Nee metues protervum, 
&c. " Nor shalt thou, an object of jealous suspiciou, fear the rude Cyrus." 
■ — 25. Male dispari. " 111 fitted to contend with him." — 26. Incontinentes. 
"Rash," "violent." — 27. Coronam. Previous to the introduction of the 
second course, the guests were provided with chaplets of leaves or flow- 
ers, which they placed on their foreheads or temples, and occasionally, 
also, on their cups. Perfumes were at the same time offered to such as 
chose to anoint their face and hands, or have their garlands sprinkled with 
them. This mode of adorning their persons, which was borrowed from 
the Asiatic nations, obtained so universally among the Greeks and Ro- 
mans, that, by almost every author after the time of Homer, it is spoken 
of as the necessary accompaniment of the feast. It is said to have origi 
nated from a belief that the leaves of certain plants, as the ivy, myrtle, 
and laurel, or certain flowers, as the violet and rose, possessed the power 
of dispersing the fumes and counteracting the noxious effects of wine. On 
this account the ivy has been always held sacred to Bacchus, and formed 
the basis of the wreaths with which his images, and the heads of his wor- 
shippers, were encircled ; but, being deficient in smell, it was seldom em- 
ployed for festal garlands, and in general the preference was given to the 
myrtle, which, in addition to its cooling or astringent qualities, was sup- 
posed to have an exhilarating influence on the mind. On ordinary occa- 
sions, the guests were contented with simple wreaths from the latter 
shrub ; but, at their gayer entertainments, its foliage was entwined with 
roses and violets, or such other flowers as were in season, and recom- 
mended themselves by the beauty of their colors or the fragrance of their 
smell. Much taste was displayed in the arrangement of these garlands, 
which was usually confided to female hands ; and, as the demand for them 
was great, the manufacture and sale of them became a distinct branch of 
trade. To appear in a disordered chaplet was reckoned a sign of inebri- 
ety ; and a custom prevailed of placing a garland, confusedly put together 
(xvfialov o~F.6avov), on the heads of such as were guilty of excess in their 
cups. [Henderson's History of Ancient and Modern Wines, p. 119, seqq.) 



N 



290 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVIII. 

Ode XVIII. Varus, the Epicurean, and friend of Augustus, of whom 
mention is made by duintilian (6, 3, 78), being engaged in setting out 
trees along his Tiburtine possessions, is advised by the poet to give the 
" sacred vine" the preference. Amid the praises, however, which he be- 
stows on the juice of the grape, the bard does not forget to inculcate a 
useful lesson as to moderation in wine. The Varus to whom this ode is 
addressed must not be confounded with the individual of the same name 
who killed himself in Germany after his disastrous defeat by Arminius. 
*3e is rather the poet Q.uintilius Varus, whose death, which happened 
L.U.C. 729, Horace deplores in the 24th Ode of this book. 

1-4. 1. Sacra. The vine was sacred to Bacchus, and hence the epi- 
het d/U7reXo(j)VTCjp (" producer of the vine"), which is applied to this god. 
—Prius. "In preference to." — Severis. The subjunctive is here used as 
a softened imperative : " Plant, I entreat." (Zumpt, § 529, note.) The 
whole of this line is imitated from Alcaeus : Mndev &a2,o (pvTevayc irpore- 
pov devdpeov hjXTzi'ku. — 2. Circa mite solum Tiburis. "In the soil of the 
mild Tibur, around the walls erected by Catilus." The preposition circa 
is here used with solum, as Ttepi sometimes is in Greek with the accusa- 
tive : thus, Thucyd., 6, 2, irspi Tzaaav ttjv *Line?iiav, "in the whole of 
Sicily, round about." The epithet mite, though hi grammatical construc- 
tion with solum, refers in strictness to the mild atmosphere of Tibur. And, 
lastly, the particle et is here merely explanatory, the town of Tibur hav- 
ing been founded by Tiburtus, Coras, and Catillus or Catilus, sons of Ca- 
tillus, and grandsons of Amphiaraus. Some commentators, with less pro- 
priety, render mite solum "the mellow soil," and others "the genial soil." 
The true idea is given by Braunhard : "Mite solum, propter aeris mitioris 
temperiem." — 3. Siccis omnia nam dura, &c. 'Tor the deity has made 
all things appear difficult to those who abstain from wine." More literal- 
ly, "has placed all things as difficult before the view of those," &c. The 
meaning is simply this: the deity has made all those things, which they 
who refrain from wine undertake, appear to them as burdensome and 
difficult. — 4. Mordaces sollicitudines. "Gnawing cares." — Aliter. "By 
any other means," i. e., by the aid of any other remedy than wine. 

5-8. 5. Post vina. " After free indulgence in wine." The plural im- 
parts additional force to the term. — Crepat. "Talks of." The verb in 
this line conveys the idea of complaint, and is equivalent to "rails at," or 
" decries." In the succeeding verse, however, where it is understood, it 
implies encomium. — 6. Quis non ie potius, &c. "Who is not rather loud 
in thy praises." Understand crepat. — Decens Venus. " Lovely Venus." 
— 7. Modici munera Liberi. " The gifts of moderate Bacchus," i. e., mod- 
eration in wine. The appellation Liber, as applied to Bacchus, is a trans- 
lation of the Greek epithet Avaloc, and indicates the deity who frees the 
soul from cares. — 8. Cenlaurea monet, &c. Alluding to the well-known 
conflict between the Centaurs and Lapithae, which arose at the nuptials 
of Pirithous, king of the Lapithae, and Hippodamia. — Superme.ro. " Over 
their wine." Merum denotes wine in its pure and most potent state, un- 
mixed with water. The Greeks and Romans generally drank their wines 
diluted with water. The dilution varied according to the taste of the 
drinkers, and the strength of the liquor, from one part of wine and four 
of water, to two of wine and four or else live parts of water, which last 
seems to have been the favorite mixture. Compare Excursus IX 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XVIII. 291 

9-10. 9. Sithoniis non levis. " Unpropitious to the Thracians." Al- 
luding to the intemperate habits of the Thracians, and the stern influence 
which the god of wine was consequently said to exercise over them. The 
Sithonians are here taken for the Thracians generally. In strictness, 
however, they were the inhabitants of Sithonia, one of the three penin- 
sulas of Chalcidice, subsequently incorporated into Macedonia. — Euius. 
A name of Bacchus, supposed to have originated from the cry of the Bac- 
chanaliaiis, evol. Others derive the appellation from an exclamation of 
Jupiter (ev vie, "Well done, son!"), in approval of the valor displayed by 
Bacchus during the contest of the giants— 10. Cum fas atqne nefas, &c. 
" When, prompted by their intemperate desires, they distinguish right 
from wrong by a narrow limit," i. e., when the only difference in their eyes 
between good and evil is marked by the feeble barrier which their own 
inclinations interpose. 

11. Non ego te candide Bassareu, &c. " I will not disturb thee against 
thy will, brightly -beauteous Bassareus." The epithet candide is equiva- 
lent here, as Orelli remarks, to " pulchritudine splendens." The mythol- 
ogy of the Greeks and Romans assigned perpetual youth and beauty to 
the god of wine. The epithet Bassareus, applied to Bacchus here, is de- 
rived by Creuzer from fiaocapoc, " a fox ;" and he thinks that the garment 
called fiaoaapie, worn in Asia Minor by the females who celebrated the 
rites-of this deity, derived its name from its having superseded the skins 
of foxes, which the Bacchantes previously wore during the orgies. {Sym- 
bolik, iii., p. 363.) In order to understand more fully the train of ideas in 
this and the following part of the ode, we must bear in mind that the poet 
now draws all his images from the rites of Bacchus. He who indulges 
moderately in the use of wine is made identical with the true and accept- 
able worshipper of the god, while he who is given to excess is compared 
to that follower of Bacchus who undertakes to celebrate his orgies in an 
improper and unbecoming manner, and who reveals his sacred mysteries 
to the gaze of the profane. On such a one the anger of the god is sure 
to fall, and this anger displays itself in the infliction of disordered feelings, 
in arrogant and blind love of self, and in deviations from the path of in- 
tegrity and good faith. The poet professes his resolution of never incur- 
ring the resentment of the god, and prays, therefore (v. 13), that he may 
not be exposed to such a visitation. 

12-16. 12. Quatiam. The verb quatio has here the sense of moveo, 
and alludes to the custom of the ancients in bringing forth from the tem- 
ples the statues and sacred things connected with the worship of the gods, 
on solemn festivals. These were carried round, and the ceremony began 
by the waving to and fro of the sacred vases and utensils. — Nee variis ob- 
sil.afrondibus, &c. " Nor will I hurry into open day the things concealed 
under various leaves." In the celebration of the festival of Bacchus, a se- 
lect number of virgins, of honorable families, called icavi)(f>6poi, carried 
small baskets of gold, in which were concealed, beneath vine, ivy, and 
other leaves, certain sacred and mysterious things, which were not to be 
exposed to the eyes of the profane. — 13. Stfva teue cum Berecyntio, &c. 
" Cease the shrill-clashing cymbals, with the Berecyntian horn." Bere- 
cyntus was a mountain in Phrygia, where Cybele was particularly wor- 
shipped. Cymbals and horns were used at the festivals of this goddess, 



292 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XIX. 

as at those of Bacchus. — 14. Quce subsequitur, &c. " In whose train fol- 
lows." — 15. Gloria. " Foolish vanity." — Verticem vacuum. " The empty 
head." — 16. Arcanijides prodiga. " Indiscretion prodigal of secrets." 



Ode XIX. The poet, after having hid farewell to love, confesses that 
the heauty of Glycera had again made him a willing captive. Venus, 
Bacchus, and Licentia are the authors of this change, and compel him to 
abandon all graver employments. A sacrifice to the first of these deities, 
in order to propitiate her influence, now engrosses the attention of the 
bard. Some commentators have supposed that the poet's object in com- 
posing this piece was to excuse himself to Maecenas for not having cele- 
brated in song, as the latter requested, the operations of Augustus against 
the Scythians and the Parthians. We should prefer, however, the simpler 
and more natural explanation of the ode as a mere sportive effusion. 

1-5. 1. Mater sceva Cupidinum. "The cruel mother of the Loves." 
The later poets made Venus the mother of numerous loves, who formed 
her train. — 2. Thebanm Semeles puer. Bacchus; hence called "ZefxeAr]- 
yeveTT]c. — 3. Lasciva Licentia. "Frolic License." — 5. Nitor. "The 
brilliant beauty." 

6. Pario marmore purius. Paros was famed for its statuary marble. 
The quarries were in Mount Marpessus. For an interesting account of a 
visit to these quarries, consult Clarke's Travels, vi., p. 134. 

8-12. 8. Et vultus nimium lubricus aspici. " And her countenance 
too dangerous to be gazed upon." Lubricus aspici is analogous to the 
Greek c<pa2,epbc PTtiireodai, and lubricus, like ofyalepoc, carries with it 
the idea of something slippery, delusive, dangerous, &c. — 9. Tota. " In 
all the strength." — 10. Cyprum. The island of Cyprus was the favorite 
abode of Venus. Here she had her celebrated Idalian grove. — Scythas. 
By the Scythians are here meant the tribes dwelling on or near the banks 
of the Ister, and who were among the most persevering foes of the Roman 
name. Horace professes his inability to sing of Roman triumphs under 
Augustus, or to handle in any way such lofty themes, in consequence of 
the all-controlling power of love. — 11. Versis anirnosum, &c. "The Par- 
thian, fiercely contending on retreating steeds." Compare the language 
of Plutarch in describing the peculiar mode of fight practiced by this na- 
tion. (Vit. Crass., c. 24; ed. Hutten, vol. iii., p. 422.) 'YTrt(j>evyov yap 
cijua fiuXkovrzc oi Tlupdoi, nai tovto Kpariara ttoiovgi //era Znvdac- nai 
ao<po)rar6v egtlv, ujuvvo/j.evovc etti t£> cu&adai, ttjc (pvyrjc acpaipelv to 
aiaxpov. " For the Parthians shot as they fled ; and this they do with a 
degree of dexterity inferior only to that of the Scythians. It is indeed an 
excellent invention, since they fight while they save themselves, and thus 
escape the disgrace of flight." — 12. Nee quae, nihil attinent. Understand 
ad se. " Nor of aught that bears no relation to her sway." 

13-14. 13. Vivum cespitem. " The verdant turf." An altar of turf is 
now to be erected to the goddess. This material, one of the earliest that 
was applied to such a purpose, was generally used on occasions where 
little previous preparation could be made. — 14. Verbenas. "Vervain-" 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XX. 293 

The Verbena of the Romans corresponds to the 'lepofioTavrj or UepiCTepeuv 
of the Greeks, and to the Verbena officinalis of Linnaeus (Gen. 43). The 
origin of the superstitious belief attached to this plant, especially among 
the Gauls, can hardly be ascertained with any degree of certainty. One 
of the Greek names given to it above ('lepol3oTdvn, " sacred plant"), shows 
the high estimation in which it was held by that people. The Latin ap- 
pellation is supposed to come from the Celtic ferfain, from which last is 
also derived the English word "vervain." It became customary, how- 
ever, to call by the name of verbena all plants and leaves used for sacred 
purposes. Compare Servius, ad Virg., ^En., 12, 120. 

15-16. 15. Bimi meri. " Of wine two years old." New wine was al- 
ways preferred for libations to the gods. So, also, the Romans were ac- 
customed to use their own, not the Greek wines, for such a purpose, the 
former being more free from any admixture of water. Hence the remark 
of Pliny (H. N., 14, 19), " Grceca vina libare nefas, quoniam aquam ha- 
beant." — 16. Mactata hostia. Tacitus informs us {Hist., 2) that it was un- 
lawful for any blood to be shed on the altar of the Paphian Venus, " Sangui- 
nem arm offundere vetitum," and hence Catullus (66, 91) may be explain- 
ed: " Placabis festis luminibus Venerem sanguinis expertem." It would 
appear, however, from other authorities, especially Martial (9, 91), that 
animal sacrifices in honor of this goddess, and for the purpose of inspect- 
ing the entrails in order to ascertain her will, were not unfrequent. The 
very historian, indeed, from whom we have just given a passage, clearly 
proves this to have been the case. ( Tacit., I. c), " Hostice, ut quisque 
vovit, sed mares deliguntur. Certissima fides hadorum fibris." The ap- 
parent contradiction into which Tacitus falls may be explained away, if 
we refer the expression " sanguinem arae offundere vetitum" not to the 
total absence of victims, but merely to the altar of the goddess being kept 
untouched by their blood. The sacrifices usually offered to Venus would 
seem to have been white goats and swine, with libations of wine, milk, 
and honey. The language of Virgil, in describing her altars, is somewhat 
in accordance with that of Catullus : " Thure calent arcs, sertisque recen- 
tibus halant." (JEn., 1, 417.) 



Ode XX. Addressed to Maecenas, who had signified to the poet his in- 
tention of spending a few days with him at his Sabine farm. Horace 
warns him that he is not to expect the generous wine which he has been 
accustomed to quaff at home ; and yet, while depreciating the quality of 
that which his own humble roof affords, he mentions a circumstance re- 
specting its age, which could not but prove peculiarly gratifying to his 
patron and intended guest. 

1-3. 1. Vile Sabinum. " Common Sabine wine." The Sabine appears 
to have been a thin table-wine, of a reddish color, attaining its maturity 
in seven years. Pliny (H. N., xiv., 2) applies to it the epithets crudum 
and austerum. — 2. Cantharis. The cantharus was a bowl or vase for 
holding wine, furnished with handles, and from which the liquor was trans- 
ferred to the drinking-cups. It derived its name, according to most au- 
thorities, from its being made to resemble a beetle (nuvdapoc). Some, 
however, deduce the appellation from a certain Cantharus, who was the 



294 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XX. 

inventor of the article. The cantharus was peculiarly sacred to Bacchus. 
— Testa. The testa, or "jar," derived its name from having been sub- 
jected, when first made, to the action of fire [testa, quasi tosta, a torreo). 
The vessels for holding wine, in general use among the Greeks and Eto- 
nians, were of earthenware. — 3. Levi. " I closed up." When the wine- 
vessels were filled, and the disturbance of the liquor had subsided, the 
covers or stoppers were secured with plaster or a coating of pitch, mixed 
with the ashes of the vine, so as to exclude all communication with the 
external air. — Datus in theatro, &c. Alluding to the acclamations with 
which the assembled audience greeted Maecenas on his entrance into the 
theatre, after having, according to most commentators, recovered from a 
dangerous malady. Some, however, suppose it to have been on occasion 
of the celebrating of certain games by Maecenas ; and others, among whom 
is Faber, refer it to the time when the conspiracy of Lepidus was detect- 
ed and crushed by the minister. (Compare Veil. Paterc, ii., 88, 3.) The 
theatre alluded to was that erected by Pompey, probably after the termi- 
nation of the Mithradatic war. It was overlooked by the Vatican on the 
other side of the river, and is generally supposed to have stood in that 
part of the modern city called Campo di Fiore. 

5-9. 5. Care Mcecenas eques. " Dear Maecenas, contented with eques- 
trian rank." We have paraphrased rather than translated eques. Mae- 
cenas, notwithstanding the height of favor and power to which he attain- 
ed under Augustus, remained ever contented with his equestrian rank. 
Hence the term eques here is meant to be peculiarly emphatic. Bentley, 
following one of his MSS., reads Clare, Mcecenas, eques, in order to give 
eques an epithet ; but Care breathes more of the feeling of true friendship. 
— Paterni Jluminis. The Tiber is meant. The ancestors of Maecenas 
were of Etrurian origin, and the Tiber belonged in part to Etruria, as it 
formed, in a great measure, its eastern and southern boundary. — 7. Vati- 
cani montis. The Vatican Mount formed the prolongation of the Janicu- 
lum toward the north, and was supposed to have derived its name from 
the Latin word vates, or vaiicinium, as it was once the seat of Etruscan 
divination. — 8. Imago. "The echo." Understand vocis. — 9. Ccecubam. 
The Caecuban wine derived its name from the Coecubus ager, in the vicin- 
ity of Amyclae, and is described by Galen as a generous, durable wine, 
but apt to affect the head, and ripening only after a long term of years. 
(AthencBus, i., 27.) — Caleno. The town of Cales, now Calvi, lay to the 
south of Teanum, in Campania. The ager Calenus was much celebrated 
for its vineyards. It was contiguous, in fact, to that famous district, so 
well known in antiquity under the name of ager Falernus, as producing 
the best wine in Italy, or, indeed, in the world. Compare Excursus VIII. 

11-12. 11. Formiani. The Formian Hills are often extolled for the 
superior wine which they produced. Formiae, now Mola di Gaeta, was 
a city of great antiquity in Latium, near Caieta. — 12. Mea tern per ant poc- 
via. " Mix my cups," i. e., with water. The meaning of the whole clause 
may be best expressed by a paraphrase: "Neither the produce of the 
Falernian vines, nor that of the Formian hills, mingles in my cups with 
the tempering water." These were the drinking-cups, into which the wine 
was poured after having been diluted with water in the crater, or mixer. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., ODE XXI. 295 

Ode XXL A hymn in praise of Apollo and Diana, which has given 
rise to much diversity of opinion among the learned. Many regard it as a 
piece intended to be sung in alternate stanzas by a chorus of youths and 
maidens on some solemn festival. Acron refers it to the Saccular Games, 
and Sanadon, who is one of those that advocate this opinion, actually re- 
moves the ode from its present place and makes it a component part of 
the Saccular Hymn. Others, again, are in favor of the Ludi Apollinares. 
All this, however, is perfectly arbitrary. No satisfactory arguments can 
be adduced for making the present ode an amoebaeaii composition, nor can 
it be fairly proved that it was ever custom aiy for such hymns to be sung 
in alternate chorus. Besides, there are some things in the ode directly 
at variance with such an opinion. Let us adopt, for a moment, the distri- 
bution of parts which these commentators recommend, and examine the 
result. The first line is to be sung by the chorus of youths, the second by 
the chorus of maideus, while both united sing the third and fourth. In the 
succeeding stanzas, the lines from the fifth to the eighth inclusive are as- 
signed to the youths, and from the ninth to the twelfth inclusive to the 
maidens, while the remaining lines are again sung by the double chorus. 
In order to effect this arrangement, we must change, with these critics, 
the initial Hie in the thirteenth line to Hcec, in allusion to Diana, making 
the reference to Apollo begin at hie miseram. Now, the impropriety of 
making the youths sing the praises of Diana (verses 5-8), and the maid- 
ens those of Apollo (v. 9-12), must be apparent to every unprejudiced ob- 
server, and forms, we conceive, a fatal error. Nor is it by any means a 
feeble objection, whatever grammatical subtleties maybe called in to ex- 
plain it away, that mofus occurs in the sixteenth line. If the concluding 
(Stanza is to commence with the praises of Diana as sung by the youths, 
men evidently motus should be mota, which would violate the measure. 
The conclusion, therefore, to which we are drawn, is simply this : The 
present ode is merely a private effusion, and not intended for any public 
solemnity. The poet only assumes in imagination the office of choragus, 
and seeks to instruct the chorus in the proper discharge of their general 
duties. 

1-8. 1. Dianam. Apollo and Diana, as typifying the sun and moon, 
were ranked in the popular belief among the averters of evil (Dii aver- 
runci, Seoi Gurr/pec, aXetjiicaKQi, &c), and were invoked to ward off fam- 
ine, pestilence, and all national calamity. — 2. Intonsum Cynthiuvi. 
"Apollo ever young." Compare the Greek uKepasK.6iJ.rjv- It was cus- 
tomary among the ancients for the first growth of the beard to be conse- 
crated to some god. At the same time the hair of the head was also cut 
off, and offered up, usually to Apollo. Until then they wore it uncut. 
Hence the epithet intonsus (literally, "with unshorn locks"), when ap- 
plied to a deity, carries with it the idea of unfading youth.— The appella- 
tion of Cynthius is given to Apollo from Mount Cynthus in the island of 
Delos, near which mountain he was born. — 4. Dilectam penitus. " Deep- 
ly beloved." — 6. Qucecunque aut gelido, &c. "Whatsoever (foliage of 
groves) stands forth prominent to the view, either on the bleak Algidus, 
or," &c. Commentators complain of tautology here; but they forget that 
nemus is strictly speaking a part, and silva a whole. — Algido. Algidus 
was a mountain in Latium, consecrated to Diana and Fortune. It ap- 
pears to have been, strictly speaking, that chain which stretched from the 



296 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXII. 

rear of the Alban Mount, and ran parallel to the Tusculan Hills, being 
separated from them by the valley along which ran the Via Latiua. — 
7. Erymanthi. Erymanthus was a chain of mountains in Arcadia, on the 
borders of Elis, and forming one of the highest ridges in Greece. It was 
celebrated in fable as the haunt of the savage boar destroyed by Hercu- 
les. — 8. Cragi. Cragus was a celebrated ridge of Lycia, in Asia Minor, 
extending along the Glaucus Sinus. The fabulous monster Chimera, said 
to have been subdued by Bellerophon, frequented this range, according to 
the poets. 

9-15. 9. Tempe. Compare the note on Ode i., 7, 4. — 10. Natalem Delon. 
Delos, one of the Cyclades, and the fabled birth-place of Apollo and Diana. 
— 12. Fraterna Lyra. The invention of the lyre by Mercury has already 
been mentioned. (Compare note on Ode i., 10, 6.) This instrument he 
bestowed on Apollo after the theft of the oxen was discovered. — 15. Per- 
sas atque Eritannos. Marking the farthest limits of the empire on the 
east and west. By the Persce are meant the Parthians. (Compare note 
on Ode i., 2, 22.) 



Ode XXII. It was a very prominent feature in the popular belief of 
antiquity, that poets formed a class of men peculiarly under the protec- 
tion of the gods ; since, wholly engrossed by subjects of a light and pleas- 
ing nature, no deeds of violence, and no acts of fraud or perjury, could ever 
be laid to their charge. Horace, having escaped imminent danger, writes 
the present ode in allusion to this belief. The innocent man, exclaims 
the bard, is shielded from peril, -wherever he may be, by his own purity 
of life and conduct. (The innocent man is here only another name for 
poet.) The nature of the danger from which he had been rescued is next 
described, and the ode concludes with the declaration that his own in- 
tegrity will ward off every evil, in whatever quarter of the world his lot 
may be cast, and will render him, at the same time, tranquil in mind, and 
ever disposed to celebrate the praises of his Lalage. 

The ode is addressed to Aristius Euscus, to whom the tenth Epistle of 
the first book is inscribed. 

1-6. 1. Integer vitce, &c. " The man upright of life, and free from 
guilt." — 2. Mauris jaculis. Eor Mauritanicis jaculis. The natives of 
Mauritania were distinguished for their skill hi daiting the javelin, the 
frequent use of this weapon being required against the wild beasts which 
infested their country. — 5. Syrtes cestuosas. " The burning Syrtes." The 
allusion here is not so much to the two remarkable quicksands or gulfs on 
the Mediterranean coast of Africa, known by the name of the Greater and 
Smaller Syrtis (now the gulfs of Sidra and Cabes), as to the sandy coast 
lying along the same. (Compare Orelli, ad loc.) — 6. Inhospitalem Cau- 
casurn. The name Caucasus was applied to the ridge of mountains be- 
tween the Euxine and the Caspian Seas. The epithet inhospitalem re- 
fers to the dreary solitude, and the fierce wild beasts with which it was 
supposed to abound. 

7-12. 7. Vel qn& loca, &c. " Or through those regions which the Hy- 
daspeS) source of many a fable, laves." The epithet fa bulosus refers to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXII. 297 

the strange accounts which were circulated respecting this river, its gold- 
en sands, the monsters inhabiting its waters, &c. The Hydaspes, now 
the Fylum, is one of the five eastern tributaries of the Indus, which, by 
their union, form the Punjnub, while the region which they traverse is de- 
nominated the Punjab, or country of the five rivers. — 9. Namque. Equiv- 
alent to the Greek nal yap. Supply the ellipsis as follows : "And this I 
have plainly learned from my own case, for," &c. — Silva in Sabina. He 
refers to a wood in the vicinity of his Sabine farm. — 10. Ultra terminum. 
" Beyond my usual limit." — 11. Curis expeditis. "With all my cares dis- 
pelled." Some read curis expeditus, "freed from cares." — 12. Inermem. 
" Though unarmed." 

12-17. 12. M'ditaris Daunias. "Warlike Daunia." Daunias is here 
the Greek form of the nominative. The Daunii were situate along the 
northern coast of Apulia. The Apulians, like the Marsi, were famed for 
their valor among the nations of Italy. — 14. Jubce tellus. " The land of 
Juba." Mauritania is meant. The allusion is to the second or younger 
Juba, who had been replaced on his father's throne by Augustus. — 17. 
Pone me pigris, &c. " Place me where no tree is refreshed, in torpid 
plains," &c, i. e., in the torpid or frozen regions of the north. For the 
connection between this and the previous portion of the ode, consult the 
introductory remarks. The poet alludes in this stanza to what is termed 
at the present day the frozen zone, and he describes it in accordance with 
the general belief of his age. The epithet pigris refers to the plains of 
the north, lying sterile and uncultivated by reason of the excessive cold. 
Modern observations, however, assign two seasons to this distant quarter 
of the globe : a long and rigorous winter, succeeded, often suddenly, by 
insupportable heats. The power of the solar beams, though feeble, from 
the obliquity of their direction, accumulates during the days, which are 
extremely long, and produces effects which might be expected only in the 
torrid zone. The days for several months, though of a monotonous mag- 
nificence, astonishingly accelerate the growth of vegetation. In three 
days, or rather three times twenty-four hours, the snow is melted, and 
the flowers begin to blow. {Malte-Brun, Geogr., vol. i., p. 418.) 

19-22. 19. Quod latus mundi, &c. "In that quarter of the world, 
which clouds and an inclement sky continually oppress." Complete the 
sentence as follows : In eo latere mundi, quod latus mundi, &c. — 21. Nim- 
ium propinqui. " Too near the earth." Understand terris. — 22. Domi- 
bus negata. "Denied to mortals for an abode." Most of the ancients 
conceived that the heat continued to increase from the tropic towaixl the 
equator. Hence they concluded that the middle of the zone was unin- 
habitable. It is now, however, ascertained that many circumstances 
combine to establish even there a temperature that is supportable. The 
clouds; the great rains ; the nights naturally very cool, their duration be- 
ing equal to that of the days ; a strong evaporation ; the vast expanse of 
the sea ; the proximity of very high mountains, covered with perpetual 
snow ; the trade-winds, and the periodical inundations, equally contribute 
to diminisli the heat. This is the reason why, in the torrid zone, we meet 
with all kinds of climates. The plains are burned up by the heat of the 
sun. All the eastern coasts of the great continents, fanned by the trade- 
winds, enjoy a mild temperature. The elevated districts are even cold ; 



298 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXIV. 

the valley of Quito is always green ; and perhaps the interior of Africa 
contains more than one region which nature has gifted with the same 
privilege. (Malte-Brun, Geogr., vol. i., p. 416.) 



Ode XXIII. The poet advises Chloe, now of nubile years, no longer to 
follow her parent like a timid fawn, alarmed at every whispering breeze 
and rustling of the wood, but to make a proper return to the affection of 
one whom she had no occasion to view with feelings of alarm. 

1-10. 1. Hinnuleo. The term hinnuleus is here used for Mnnulus.— 
2. Pavidam. Denoting the alarm of the parent for the absence of her off- 
spring. — Aviis. "Lonely." — 5. Vepris. The common reading is veris 
instead of vepris, and in the next line adventus instead of ad ventum. The 
one which we have adopted is given as a conjectural emendation by Bent- 
ley, though claimed for others before him. Great difficulties attend the 
common reading. In the first place, the foliage of the trees is not suffi- 
ciently put forth in the commencement of spring to justify the idea of its 
being disturbed by the winds ; secondly, the young fawns do not follow 
the parent animal until the end of this season, or the beginning of June ; 
and, in the third place, it is very suspicious Latinity to say adventus veris 
inhorruit foliis, since more correct usage would certainly require folia 
inhorruerunt adventu veris. — 6. Inhorruit. " Has rustled." — 10. Gastu- 
lusve leo. That part of Africa which the ancients denominated Gaetulia, 
appears to answer in some measure to the modern Belad-el-Djerid. — 
Frangere. This verb has here the meaning of "to rend," or "tear in 
pieces," as ayvvvat is sometimes employed in Greek. 



Ode XXIV. The poet seeks to comfort Virgil for the loss of their mu- 
tual friend. The individual to whom the ode alludes was a native of Cre- 
mona, and appears to have been the same with the Q,ui»ctilius of whom 
Horace speaks in the Epistle to the Pisos (v. 438). 

1-7. 1. Desiderio tam cari capitis. "To our regret for the loss of so 
dear an individual." The use of caput in this clause is analogous to that of 
KeQaH] and napa in Greek. — 2. Praecipe lugubres cantus. " Teach me the 
strains of woe." Literally, "precede me in the strains of woe." — 3. Mel- 
pomene. One of the Muses, here invoked as presiding over the funeral 
dirge, but elsewhere the muse of Tragedy. — Liquidam vocem. "A clear 
and tuneful voice." — Pater. The Muses were the daughters of Jupiter 
and Mnemosyne. — 5. Ergo Quinctilium. The muse here commences the 
funeral dirge. — 7. Nudaque Veritas. "And undisguised Truth." An al- 
lusion to the sincerity that characterized his thoughts and actions. 

11-16. 11. Tu frustra pius, Sec. "Thou, alas! fruitlessly displaying 
a pious affection, dost ask the gods for duinctilius, not on such terms in- 
trusted to their care." The meaning is this : When with vows and prayers 
thou didst intrust Quinctilius to the care of the gods as a sacred deposite, 
thou didst not expect that he would be so soon taken away by a cruel 
fate. Thy pious affection, theretore, has proved altogether unavailing, 
and it has not been allowed thee to obtain him back again from the gods 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXVI. 299 

{Orelli, ad loc.) — 13. Blandius moderere. " Thou rule with more persua- 
sive melody." Observe the employment of the subjunctive here, and also 
in redeat. The meaning- is, that even if there be a possibility of his ruling 
or swaying the lyre more sweetly than Orpheus, still there is no possibil- 
ity of his friend's being restored to existence. The allusion is to the le- 
gend of Orpheus and Eurydice. — 16. Virga horrida. "With his gloomy 
wand." Alluding to the caduceus. The epithet korrida regards its 
dreaded influence over the movements of departed shades, as they pass on- 
ward to the fatal river. — 17. Non lenis, &c. " Not gentle enough to open 
the fatal portals in compliance with our prayers," i. e., sternly refusing to 
change the order of the fates, &c. Lenis recludere, a Graecism for lenis ad 
recludendum. 



Ode XXVI. In praise of Julius Lamia, a Roman of ancient and illus- 
ti-ious family, and distinguished for his exploits in the war with the Can- 
tabri. The bard, wholly occupied with the Muses and his friend, consigns 
every other thought to the winds. As regards the Lamian line, consult 
notes on Ode iii., 17. 

2-5. 2. Mare Creticum. The Cretan, which lay to the north of the 
island of Crete, is here put for any sea. — 3. Portare. "To waft them." 
— Quis sub Arcto, &c. " By whom the monarch of a frozen region be- 
neath the northern sky is feared," &c, i. e., by what people, &c. The 
present ode appears to have been written at the time when Phrahates, 
king of Parthia, had been dethroned by his subjects for his excessive 
cruelty, and Teridates, who headed a party against him, appointed in his 
stead. Phrahates fled for succor to the Scythians, and a monarch of that 
nation was now on his march to restore him. The king of the frozen re- 
gion is therefore the Scythian invadei*, and the people who fear his ap- 
proach are the Parthians with Teridates at their head. Dio Cassius in- 
forms us that Phrahates was reinstated in his kingdom, and that Teridates 
fled into Syria. Here he was allowed to remain by Augustus, who obtain- 
ed from him the son of Phrahates, and led the young prince as a hostage 
to Rome. This son was subsequently restored to the father, and the 
standards taken by the Parthians from Crassus and Antony were deliv- 
ered in exchange. (Compare Dio Cassius, 51, 18, vol. i., p. 649, ed. Reim. 
Justin., 42, 5.) Strabo, however, states that the son of Phrahates was re- 
ceived as a hostage from the father himself, and along with him sons and 
grandsons {naldag nai Ttaiduv 7ratdag. Strab., 6, extr.). Compare with 
this the language of Suetonius {pit. Aug., 43), who speaks of the hostages 
of the Parthians (" Parthorum obsides"). — Unice securus. "Utterly re- 
gardless." 

6-11. 6. Fontibus integris. "The pure fountains." By the fontes in- 
iegri lyric poetry is designated, and the poet alludes to the circumstance 
of his having been the fu-st of his countrymen that had refreshed the litera- 
ture of Rome with the streams of lyric verse. Hence the invocation of 
the muse. — 6. Apricos nectefiores. "Entwine the sunny flowers." By 
aprici fiores are meant flowers produced in sunny spots, and therefore 
of sweeter fragrance and brighter hue. These " sunny flowers" and 
the chaplet which they form are figurative expressions, and mean sim. 



300 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXVII. 

ply a lyric effusion. The muse is solicited to aid the hard in celebrating 
the praises of his friend. — Pimplei. The Muses were called Pimpleides 
from Pimplea, a town and fountain of Pieria, sacred to these goddesses. 
Orpheus was said to have been horn here. — 9. Nil sine te met, &c. 
" Without thy favoring aid, the honors which I have received can prove 
of no avail in celebrating the praises of others." By the term honores 
the poet alludes to the reputation he has gained for his successful cul- 
tivation of lyric verse. — 10. Fidibus novis. " In new strains," i. e., in 
lyric vei*se. Hence the bard speaks of himself as the first that had adapt- 
ed the iEolian strains to Italian measures (Ode in., 30, 13). — 11. Lesbio 
plectro. " On the Lesbian lyre." The plectrum, or quill, is here taken 
figuratively for the lyre itself. Compare Ode. i., 1, 34. This verse is ob- 
jectionable in point of rhythm, and is the only instance of the kind in 
Horace. On all other occasions, if the fourth syllable of the minor alcaic 
end in a word, that word is a monosyllable. Compare Lachmann, ap. 
Frank., p. 239. — Sacrare. " To consecrate to immortal fame." 



Ode XXVII. The poet is supposed to be present at a festal party, 
where the guests, warming under the influence of wine, begin t« break 
forth into noisy wrangling. He reproves them in severe terms for conduct 
bo foreign to a meeting of friends, and, in order to draw off their attention 
to other and more pleasing subjects, he proposes the challenge in verse 
10th, on which the rest of the ode is made to turn. 

1-6. 1. Nalis in usum, &c. "Over cups made for joyous purposes." 
The scyphus was a cup of rather large dimensions, used both on festal oc- 
casions, and in the celebration of sacred rites. Like the caniharus, it was 
sacred to Bacchus. — 2. Thracum est. Compare note on Ode i., 18, 9.' — 
3. Verecundum. " Foe to excess." Equivalent here to modicum. — 5. Vi- 
no et lucernis, &c. " It is wonderful how much the dagger of the Parthian 
is at variance with nocturnal banquets," literally, " with wine and lights." 
Immune quantum is analogous to the Greek Sav/uacrbv baov. Vino and 
lucernis are datives, put by a Graecism for the ablative with the preposi- 
tion a. — Medus. Compare Ode i., 2, 51. — Acinaces. The term is of Per- 
sian origin. The acinaces was properly a small dagger in use among the 
Persians, and borrowed from them by the soldiers of later ages. It was 
worn at the side. Hesychius, in explaining the word, calls it 86pv Hep- 
clkov, £i<pog. Suidas remarks : aiavaKvc, fiutpbv dopv Hepvt/cov, and 
Pollux (1, 138), Jlepoinbv ^i(j)i6i6v ri, tQ> ixvpCi rrpocnpTn/Lievov. This last 
comes nearest tho true explanation as given above. — 6. Impium clamo- 
rem. The epithet impiu S has here a particular reference to the violation 
of the ties and duties of friendship, as well as to the profanation of the 
table, which was always regarded as sacred by the ancients. 

8-9. 8. Cubito remanete presso. " Remain with the elbow pressed on 
the couch," i. e., stir not from your places. Alluding to the ancient cus- 
tom of reclining at their meals.— 9. Severi Falerni. All writers agree in 
describing the Falernian wine as very strong and durable, and so rough 
in its recent state that it could not be drunk with pleasure, but required 
to be kept a great number of years before it was sufficiently mellow. 
For farther remarks on this wine, consult Excursus VIII. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXVIII. 301 

10-14. 10. Opuntice. So called from Opus, the capital of the Opun- 
tian Locri in Greece, at trie northern extremity of Bceotia. — 13. Cessat 
voluntas. " Does inclination hesitate I" i. e., dost thou hesitate so to do 1 
— Non alia bibam mercede. " On no other condition will I drink."— 14. 
Quce te cunque, &c. An encomium well calculated to remove the bashful 
reserve of the youth. The whole sentence may be paraphrased as fol- 
lows : " Whoever the fair object may be that sways thy bosom, she causes 
it to burn with a flame at which thou hast no occasion to blush, for thou 
always indulgest in an honorable love." The allusion in ingenuo amove 
is to a female of free birth, as opposed to a slave or freed-woman. 

18-23. 18. Ah miser ! The exclamation of the poet when the secret 
is divulged. — 19. Quanta laborabas, &c. "In how fearful a Charybdis 
wast thou struggling !" The passion of the youth is compared to the dan- 
gers of the fabled Charybdis, and hence the expression Quanta laborabas 
Charybdi is equivalent in effect to Quam periculosam tibi puellam ama- 
bas. — 21. Thessalis veneris. Thessaly was remarkable for producing nu- 
merous herbs that were used in the magical rites of antiquity. — 23. Vix 
illigatum, &c. " (Even) Pegasus will hardly extricate thee, entangled by 
this three-shaped Chimaera." A new comparison is here made, by which 
the female in question is made to resemble the fabled Chimasra. This 
animal, according to the legend, was a lion in the fore part, a serpent in 
the hinder part, and a goat in the middle ; and it also spouted forth fire. 
It was destroyed, however, by Bellerophon mounted on the winged steed 
Pegasus. 



Ode XXVIII. The object of the present ode is to enforce the useful 
lesson, that we are all subject to the power of death, whatever may be 
our station in life, and whatever our talents and acquirements. The dia- 
logue form is adopted for this purpose, and the parties introduced are a 
mariner and the shade of Archytas. The former, as he is travelling along 
the shore of Southern Italy, discovers the dead body of the philosopher, 
which had been thrown up by the waves near the town of Matinum, on 
the Apulian coast. He addresses the corpse, and expresses his surprise 
that so illustrious an individual could not escape from the dominion of the 
grave. At the seventh verse the shade replies, and continues on until the 
end of the ode. "Be not surprised, O mariner, at beholding me in this 
state," exclaims the fallen Pythagorean. " Death has selected far nobler 
victims. Bestow the last sad offices on my remains, and so shall prosper- 
ous fortune crown your every effort. If, on the contrary, you make light 
of my request, expect not to escape a just retribution." 

The ode would appear, from its general complexion, to have been imi- 
tated from the Greek. 

1. Te maris ei terrce, &c. The order of construction is as follows : " Par- 
va munera exigui pulveris (negata tibi) cohibent te, &c. " The scanty 
present of a little dust (denied to thy remains) confines thee," &c. The 
ellipsis of negata tibi must be noted, though required more by the idiom 
of our own than by that of the Latin tongue. According to the popular 
belief, if a corpse were deprived of the rites of sepulture, the shade of the 
deceased was compelled to wander for a hundred years either around the 



302 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXVIII. 

dead body or along the banks of the Styx. Hence the peculiar propriety 
of cohibent in the present passage. In order to obviate so lamentable a 
result, it was esteemed a most solemn duty for every one who chanced to 
encounter an unburied corpse to perform the last sad offices to it. Sprink- 
ling dust or sand three times upon the dead body was esteemed amply 
sufficient for every purpose. Hence the language of the text, " pulveris 
exigui parva munera." Whoever neglected this injunction of religion 
was compelled to expiate his crime by sacrificing a sow to Ceres. Some 
editors maintain that pulveris exigui parva munera is a mere circumlo- 
cution for locus exiguus, and that cohibent is only the compound used for 
the simple verb. Hence, according to these commentators, the meaning 
will be, "A small spot of earth now holds thee," &c. This mode of ex- 
plaining, however, appears stiff and unnatural. — Maris et terrcs menso- 
rem. Alluding to the geometrical knowledge of Archytas. — Numeroque 
carentis arena. The possibility of calculating the number of the grains 
of sand was a favorite topic with the ancient mathematicians. Archime- 
des has left us a work on this subject, entitled 6 '^afijj.LTrjg (Arenarius), in 
which he proves that it is possible to assign a number greater than that 
of the grains of sand which would fill the sphei'e of the fixed stars. This 
singular investigation was suggested by an opinion which some persons 
had expressed, that the sands on the shores of Sicily were either infinite, 
or, at least, would exceed any numbers which could be assigned for them ; 
and the success with which the difficulties caused by the awkward and 
imperfect notation of the ancient Greek arithmetic are eluded by a device 
identical in principle with the modern method of logarithms, affords one 
of the most striking instances of the genius of Archimedes. 

2-7. 2. Archyta. Archytas was a native of Tarentum, and distinguish- 
ed as a philosopher, mathematician, general, and statesman, and was no 
less admired for his integrity and virtue both in public and private life. He 
was contemporary with Plato, whose life he is said to have saved by his 
influence with the tyrant Dionysius. He was seven times the general 
of his native city, though it was the custom for the office to be held for no 
more than one year; and he commanded in several campaigns, in all of 
which he was victorious. As a philosopher, he belonged to the Pytha- 
gorean school, and, like the Pythagoreans, paid much attention to mathe- 
matics. He was also extremely skillful as a mechanician, and construct- 
ed various machines and automatons, among which his wooden flying 
dove in particular was the wonder of antiquity. He perished in a ship- 
wreck on the Adriatic. — 3. Matinum. Some difference of opinion exists 
with regard to the position of this place. D'Anville makes the Matinian 
shore to have been between Callipolis and the Iapj 7 gian pi-omontory on 
the Tarentine Gulf; and the town of Matinum to have lain some little 
distance inland. Later investigations, however, place Matinum, and a 
mountain called Mons Matinus, in Apulia, near the promontory of Garga- 
num, and northeast of Sipontum. — 5. Aerias tcnlasse domos, &c. " To have 
essayed the ethereal abodes." Alluding to the astronomical knowledge 
of the philosopher. — Rolundumpolum. " The round heavens." — 6. Mori- 
turo. " Since death was to be thy certain doom." — 7. Pelopis genitor. 
Tantalus. — Conviva deorum. " Though a guest of the gods." The com- 
mon mythology makes Tantalus to have been the entertainer, not the 
guest, of the gods, and to have served up his own son as a banquet in or- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXVIII. 303 

der to test their divinity. Horace follows the earlier fable, by which Tan- 
talus is represented as honored with a seat at the table of the gods, and 
as having incurred their displeasure by imparting nectar and ambrosia to 
mortals. (Pind., Olymp., i., 98, seqq.) 

8-14. 8. Tithonusque remotus in auras. "And Tithonus, though 
translated to the skies." An allusion to the fable of Tithonus and Aurora. 
— 9. Arcanis. Understand consiliis. — Minos. In order to gain moi'e rev- 
erence for the laws which he promulgated, Minos pretended to have had 
secret conferences with Jove respecting them. — 10. Panthoiden. " The 
son of Panthous." Euphorbus is here meant in name, but Pythagoras in 
reality. The philosopher taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, 
and is said to have asserted that he himself had animated various bodies, 
and had been at one time Euphorbus the Trojan. To prove his identity 
with the son of Panthous, report made him to have gone into the Temple 
of Juno at or near Mycenae, where the shield of Euphorbus had been pre 
served among other offerings, and to have recognized and taken it down 
— Itcrum Oreo demissum. Alluding to the doctrine of the transmigration 
of souls. — 11. Clypeo refixo. " By the shield loosened from the wall of the 
temple." — 13. Nervos atque culem. " His sinews and skin," i. e., his body. 
— 14. Judice te, &c. "Even in thine own estimation, no mean expounder 
of nature and truth." These words are addressed by the shade of Archy- 
tas to the mariner, not by the latter to Archytas, and they are meant to 
indicate the widespread reputation of Pythagoras as a Natural and Moral 
Philosopher, since his name had become so well known as to be even in 
the mouths of the lower classes. In this explanation, Doring, Orelli, Braun- 
hard, Dillenburger, and most other commentators agree. Some read me, 
applying the remark to the speaker himself, but without any necessity. 

15-22. 15. Una nox. This expression, and also semel immediately 
after, contain nothing inconsistent with the Pythagorean tenets, since 
they merely regard the end or limit of each particular transformation. — 
18. Avidum mare. " The greedy ocean." Some editions read avidis 
("greedy after gain") as agreeing with nautis. This, however, would 
imply a censure on the very individual from whom the favor of a burial is 
supposed to be asked. — 19. Mixta senum, &c. " The intermingled funer- 
als of the old and young are crowded together." Densentur is from den- 
seo, -ere, an old verb, used by Lucretius, and after him by Visgil and Pliny. 
The common text has densantur, from de.nso, -are. — Nullum caput, &c. 
"No head escapes the stern Proserpina." An hypallage for nullum 
caput fu git scevam Proserpinam. The ancients had a belief that no one 
could die unless Proserpina, or Atropos her minister, cut a lock of hair 
from the head. The idea was evidently boi'rowed from the analogy of ani- 
mal sacrifices, in which the hair cut from the front, or from between the 
horns of the victims, was regarded as the first offering. Compare Virgil, 
JEn., iv., 698, seq. — 21. Devexi Orionis. " Of the setting Orion." The 
setting of this star was always accompanied by tempestuous weather. 
It took place on the fifth day before the Ides of November, or, according 
to our mode of expression, on the ninth of the month. — 22. Illyricis undis. 
" Amid the Ulyrian waters." The allusion is to the Adriatic Sea in gen- 
eral. The Illyrians, besides their settlements on the northeastern shoi-es 
of the Adriatic, had at one time extended themselves as far as Ancona, 
on the coast of Italy. 



304 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXIX. 

23-35. 23. Ne parce malignus dare. "Do not unkindly refuse to be* 
stow." — 24. Capiti inhumato. Observe the apparent hiatus here. In 
reality, however, no hiatus whatever takes place between the two words, 
bat one of the two component short vowels in the final syllable of capiti 
is elided befoi'e the initial vowel of the next word, and the remaining one 
is then lengthened by the ai-sis. There is no need, therefore, of our read- 
ing intumulato -with some editors. — 25. Sic. " So," i. e., if you do so, or 
on this condition. — 26. Fluctibus Hesperiis. "The western waves." The 
seas around Italy, -which country was called Hesperia by the Greeks. — 
Venusina plectantur silvtz. "May the Venusian woods be lashed by it." 
— 28. Unde potest. Equivalent to a quibus hocjieri potest, " For they are 
able to enrich thee." In construing, place unde potest at the end of the 
sentence. — 29. Sacri custode Neptuni. Neptune was the tutelary deity 
of Tarentum. — Negligis immerito, &c. "Dost thou make light of com- 
mitting a crime which will prove injurious to thy unoffending posterity V 
The crime here alluded to is the neglecting to perform the last sad offices 
to the shade of Archytas.— 31. Postmodo te natis. Equivalent to nepoti- 
bus. Te is here the ablative, depending on natis. — Fors et debita jura, 
&c. "Perhaps both a well-merited punishment and a haughty retribu- 
tion may be awaiting thee thyself." — 33. Tnultis. "Unheard." Literal- 
ly, " unavenged." — 35. Licebit injecto, &c. " Thou mayest run on after 
having thrice cast dust on my remains." Three handfuls of dust were on 
such an occasion sufficient for all the purposes of a burial. 



Ode XXIX. The poet, having learned that his friend Iccius had aban- 
doned the study of philosophy, and was turning his attention to deeds of 
arms, very pleasantly rallies him on this strange metamorphosis. 

1-5. 1. Beatis gazis. " The lich treasures." Beatus is often used, as 
in the present instance, for dives, from the idea of happiness which the 
crowd associate with the possession of wealth. — Nunc. Emphatical, re- 
ferring to his altered course of life. — Arabum. Augustus, A.U.C. 730 
(which gives the date of the present ode), sent JElius Gallus, prasfect of 
Egypt, with a body of troops against Arabia Felix. The expedition 
proved unsuccessful, having failed more through the difficulties which the 
country and climate presented than from the desultory attacks of the un- 
disciplined enemy. It was in this army that Iccius would seem to have 
had a command. — Sabcece. Sabaea, a part of Arabia Felix, is here put for 
the whole region. The Sabcei would seem to have occupied what cor- 
responds to the northernmost part of the modern Yemen. — Horribilique 
Medo. "And for the formidable Parthian." It is more than probable, 
from a comparison of Ode i., 12, 56, aud i., 35, 31, with the present passage, 
that Augustus intended the expedition, of which we have been speaking 
not merely for Arabia Felix, but also for the Parthians and Indi. — 5. Nectis 
catenas. A pleasant allusion to the fetters in which Iccius, already vic- 
torious in imagination, is to lead his captives to Home. — Quce virginum 
barbara. " What barbarian virgin." A Graecism for quce virgo barbara. 

7-15. 7. Puer quis ex aula. Equivalent to quis puer regius. The 
term aula may refer to the royal court either of the Arabians or the Par- 
thians. — 8. Ad cyathum statuetur. "Shall stand as thy cup-bearer." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— -BOOK I., ODE XXXI. 305 

Literally, " shall be placed," &c. — 9. Doctus tendere. "Skilled in aim- 
ing." A Graecism. — Sericas. The Seres were famed for their manage- 
ment of the bow. The reference here, however, is not so much to these 
people in particular as to the Eastern nations in general. In relation to 
the Seres, compare Explanatory Note, Ode i., 12, 56. — 11. Rtlabi posse. 
" Can glide back." In this sentence, montibus is the dative by a Grae- 
cism. Prose Latinity would require ad montes. Some make montibus the 
ablative, with which tbey join pronos in the sense of decurrentes. This 
arrangement is decidedly inferior to the one first given. As regards the 
idea intended to be conveyed, it may be observed, that the poet compares 
his friend's abandonment of graver studies for the din of arms to a total 
alteration of the order of nature. The expression appears to be a pro- 
verbial one, and is evidently borrowed from the Greek. — 12. JReverti. 
" Return in its course." — 13. Coemtos undique. "Bought up on all sides." 
A pleasant allusion to his friend's previous ardor in philosophic pursuits. 
— 14. Panceti. Panaetius, a native of Rhodes, holds no mean rank among 
the Stoic philosophers of antiquity. He passed a considerable part of his 
life at Rome, and enjoyed an intimate acquaintance with several eminent 
Romans, particularly Scipio and Laelius. Cicero highly extols his moral 
doctrine in his treatise " De Officlis-" Toward the end of his life Panae- 
tius removed to Athens, where he died. — Socraticam et domum. "And 
the writings of the Socratic school." Alluding to the philosophical inves- 
tigations of Plato, Xenophon, iEschines, and others. — 15. Loricis Iberis. 
The Spanish coats of mail obtained a decided preference among the Ro- 
mans, from the excellence of the metal and its superior temper. Com- 
pare Shakspeare : " It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper :" Othel- 
lo, v., 11, referring to the blades of Toledo. 



Ode XXX. Venus is invoked to grace with her presence, and with 
that of her attendant retinue, the temple prepared for her at the home of 
Glycera. 

1-8. 1. Cnidi. Cnidus was a Dorian city, on the coast of Caria, at the 
extremity of the promontory of Triopium. Venus was. the tutelary god- 
dess of the place. — Paphique. Paphos was a very ancient city of Cyprus, 
on the southwestern side of the island. It was famed for the worship of 
Venus, who was fabled to have been wafted from Cythera to the coast in 
its vicinity after her birth amid the waves. — 2. Sperne. " Look with con- 
tempt on," i. e., leave. — 3. Decoram. " Adorned for thy reception." — 5. 
Fervidus puer. Cupid. — Solutis zonis. Indicative, as Braunhard re- 
marks, oi u negligentia amabilis." — 7. Parum comis sine te. " Little able 
to please without thee." Observe the inverted form of expression, for 
"deriving additional attractions from thee." — Juventas. The goddess of 
youth, or Hebe, who appears also in the train of Venus in the Homeric 
Hymn to Apollo, v. 195. — 8. Mercuriusque. Mercury is enumerated 
among the retinue of Venus, in allusion to his being the god of language 
and persuasive eloquence. 



Ode XXXI. The poet raises a prayer to Apollo on the day when Au- 
gustus dedicated a temple to this deity on the Palatine Hill. Standing 



306 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXI. 

amid the crowd of worshippers, each of whom is offering up some petition 
to the god, the bard is supposed to break forth on a sudden with the abrupt 
inquiry, ""What does the poet (i. e., what do I) ask of Apollo on the dedi- 
cation of his temple?" His own reply succeeds, disclaiming all that the 
world considers essential to happiness, and ending with the simple and 
beautiful prayer for the " mens sana in corpore sano." 

1-8. 1. Dedicatum. " On the dedication of his temple/' — 2. Novum 
liquorem. It was customary to use wine of the same year's make in liba- 
tions to the gods. Compare Petron., c. 130 : " Spumabit paieris hornus 
liquor." — 4. Sardinia. Sardinia was famed for its fertility, which com- 
pensated in some degree for its unhealthy climate. — Segetes. " Har- 
vests." — 5. Grata armenta. "The fine herds." — ^Estuosce Calabrice. 
" Of the sunny Calabria." Calabria, in Southern Italy, was famed for its 
mild climate and excellent pastures. — 6. Ebur Indicum. The ivory of 
India formed one of the most costly instruments of Roman luxury. Com- 
pare Virgil, Georg.,i. t 57: "India mittit ebur." — 7. Liris. This river, 
now the Garigliano, rises in the Apennines, and falls into the Tuscan 
Sea near Minturnae. The Liris, after the southern boundary of Latium 
was extended below the Circaean Promontory, separated that region from 
Campania. Subsequently, however, the name of Latium was extended 
to the mouth of the Vulturnus and the Massic Hills. (Compare Cramer's 
Ancient Italy, vol. ii., p. 11, and the authorities there cited.) — 8. Mordet. 
" Undermines" or " eats away." 

9-16. 9. Premant. " Let those prune." — Calena falce. An allusion 
to the Falernian vineyards. Compare note on Ode i., 20, 9. — 11. Exsic- 
cet. Equivalent to ebibat. " Let the rich trader drain." — Culullis. The 
culullus was properly of baked eai*tb, and was used in sacred rites by the 
pontifices and vestal virgins. Here, however, the term is taken in a gen- 
eral sense for any cup. — 12. Syra reparata meixe. " Obtained in exchange 
for Syrian wares." By Syrian wares are meant the aromatic products of 
Arabia and the more distant East, brought first to the coast of Syria by 
the overland trade, and shipped thence to the western markets. — 16. Ci- 
ckorea. " Endives." The term cichoreiim (nixopeia, or KLx&piov) is, 
strictly speaking, confined to the cultivated species of Intuburn or Inty- 
bum. The wild sort is called cipic by the Greeks, and answers to our 
bitter succory. The name cichoreum is of Coptic or Egyptian origin, the 
plant itself having been bi-ought from Egypt into Europe. The appella- 
tion Endive comes from the barbarous word endivia, used in the Middle 
Ages, and an evident corruption as well of the Arabic hendib as of the 
classical intybum. (Compare Fee, Flore de Virgile, p. 70, 71. Martyn 
ad Virg., Georg., i., 120.) — Levesque malva. "And mallows, easy of di- 
gestion." Compare Orelli : " siomachum non gravantes ; facile conco- 
quendcB." Dioscorides (ii., Ill) and Theophrastus (i., 5) both designate 
mallows as aliment: the first of these two authors speaks of the garden 
mallows as preferable, in this respect, to the uncultivated kind, from 
which it may be fairly inferred that several species of this plant were 
used as articles of food. The Greek name of the mallows (/ia?uixn)> from 
which both the Latin and English are said to be deduced, has reference 
to their medicinal properties. It is formed from juaXdcau, " to soften," 
&c. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I., ODE XXXIV. 307 

17-20. 17. Frui paratis, &c. "Son of Latona, give me, I pray, to en- 
joy my present possessions, being, at the same time, both healthful in 
frame and with a mind unimpaired by disease." Or, more freely, " Give 
me a sound mind in a sound body, that I may enjoy, as they should be en- 
joyed, the possessions which are mine." The expression dones mihi vol- 
ido, &c, frui paratis, is a Graecism for dones ut ego validus, Sec, fruar 
paratis. Compare, in relation to the idea here expressed, the well-known 
line of Juvenal (x., 356) : " Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano." 
Compare also, in reference to the structure of the whole sentence, the ex- 
planation of Dillenburger : " Duce voti Horatiani partes sunt : dones pre- 
cor et valido mihi et Integra cum mente paratis frui ; turn dones degere 
senectam nee turpem nee cithara carentem. Hunc ordinem verborum ipse 
Horatius indtcavit artificiose positis particulis, et . . . et, nee . . . nee." — 
19. Nee turpem senectam degere, &c. "And to lead no degenerate old 
age, nor one devoid of the lyre," i. e., no old age unworthy of my present 
contentment, nor devoid of the charms of poetry and music. [Osborne, 
ad loc.) 



Ode XXXII. The bard addresses his lyre, and blends with the address 
the praises of Alcaeus. The invocation comes with a peculiar grace from 
one who boasted, and with truth, of having been the first to adapt the 
iEolian strains to Italian measures. (Compare Ode hi., 30, 13.) 

1-15. 1. Poscimur. " We are called upon for a strain." Compare 
Ovid, Met., v., 333, " Poscimur, Ao?iides." The request probably came 
from Augustus or Maecenas. Bentley reads Poscimus, which then becomes 
a part of the apostrophe to the lyre. — Si quid vacui lusimus tecum. " If 
we have ever, in an idle moment, produced in unison with thee any sportive 
effusion." — 3. Die Latinum carmen. "Be responsive to a Latin ode." 
—5. Lesbio primum,Scc. "Attuned to harmony most of all by a Lesbian 
citizen." Primum is here equivalent to maxime. Horace assigns to 
Alcaeus the merit of having brought lyric poetry to its highest state of 
perfection. — 6. Ferox bello. Understand quamvis. — 7. Udo litore. "On 
the wave-washed shore." Supply in. — 9. Illi semper hcerentem. "Ever 
clinging to her side." — 14. Laborum dulce lenimen. "Sweet solace of 
toils." — 15. Mihi cunque, &c. "Be propitious unto me whenever duly 
invoking thee." Cunque for quandocunque. 



Ode XXXIV. Horace, a professed Epicurean, having heard thunder in 
a cloudless sky, abandons the tenets which he had hitherto adopted, and 
declares his belief in the superintending providence of the gods. Such, 
at least, appears to be the plain meaning of the ode. It is more than 
probable, however, that the poet merely wishes to express his dissent 
from the Epicurean dogma which made the gods take no interest what- 
ever in the affairs of men. The argument employed for this purpose is 
trivial enough in reality, and yet to an Epicurean of the ancient school it 
would carry no little weight along with it. Thus Lucretius positively 
states that thunder in a serene and cloudless sky is a physical impossi- 
bility : 

" Fulmina gigni de crassis, alteque, putandum est, 



308 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXV. 

Nubibus exstructis : nam codo nulla sereno, 
Nee leviter densis mittuntur nubibus unquam." 

De R. N., vi., 245, seqq. 

1-7. 1. Parcus deorum, &c. The Epicm-eans would appear only to 
have conformed to the outward ceremonies of religion, and that, too, in no 
very strict or careful manner. The doctrine of their founder, after all that 
may he said in its praise, tended directly to atheism ; and there is strong 
reason to suspect that what he taught concerning the gods was artfully 
designed to screen him from the odium and hazard which would have at- 
tended a direct avowal of atheism. — 2. Insanientis dum philosophies, &c. 
" While I "wander from the true path, imbued with the tenets of a vision- 
ary philosophy." The expression insanientis sapientice (literally, " an 
unwise system of wisdom") presents a pleasing oxymoron, and is levelled 
directly at the philosophy of Epicurus. Consultus is here equivalent to 
versatus in doctrina, as in the expression juris consultus. Compare Liv., 
x., 22: "Juris atque eloquentiee consultus." — 4. Iterare cursus relictos. 
"To return to the course which I had abandoned." Heinsius proposes 
relectos for relictos, which Bentley advocates and receives into his text. 
■ — 5. Diespiter. "The father of light." Jupiter. — 7. Perpurum. "Through 
a cloudless sky." Understand caelum. Thunder in a cloudless sky was 
ranked among prodigies. 

9-14. 9. Bruta tellus. By the "brute earth" is meant, in the language 
of commentators, "terraquce sine sensu immolaet gravis manet." — 10. In- 
visi horrida T&nari sedes. The promontory of Taenarus, forming the south- 
ernmost projection of the Peloponnesus, was remarkable for a cave in its 
vicinity, said to be one of the entrances to the lower world, and by which 
Hercules dragged Cerberus to the regions of day. — 11. Atlanteusque finis . 
"And the Atlantean limit," i. e., and Atlas, limit of the world. The an- 
cients believed this chain of mountains to be the farthest barrier to the 
west. — 12. Valet ima summis, &c. "The deity is all powerful to change 
the highest things into the lowest." Literally, " to change the highest 
things by means of the lowest." Observe that summis is the instru- 
mental ablative. — Attenuat. "Humbles." Literally, "weakens," or 
"makes feeble." The train of thought is as follows: Warned by this 
prodigy, I no longer doubt the interposition of the gods in human affairs ; 
nay, I consider the deity all-powerful to change things from the lowest to 
the highest degree, and to humble to the dust the man that now occupies 
the loftiest and most conspicuous station among his fellow-creatures. — 
14. Hinc apicem, &c. " From the head of this one, Fortune, with a sharp, 
rushing sound of her pinions, bears away the tiara in impetuous flight; 
on the head of that one she delights to have placed it." Sustulit is here 
taken in an aorist sense, as denoting what is usual or customary. As re- 
gards the term apicem, it maybe remarked, that, though specially signify- 
ing the tiara of Eastern royalty, it has here a general reference to the 
crown or diadem of kings. 



Ode XXXV. Augustus, A.U.C. 726, had levied two armies, the one 
intended against the Britons, the other against the natives of Arabia Fe- 
lix and the East. The forcner of these was to be led by the emperor in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXV. 309 

person. At this period the present ode is supposed to have been written. 
It is an address to Fortune, and invokes her favoring influence for the 
arms of Augustus. 

The latter of these two expeditions has already been treated of in the 
Introductory Remarks on the 29th ode of this book. The first only pro- 
geeded as far as Gaul, where its progress was arrested by the Britons 
suing for peace, and by the troubled state of Gallic affairs. The negotia- 
tions, however, were subsequently broken off, and Augustus pi*epared 
anew for a campaign against the island; but the rebellion of the Salassi, 
Cantabri, and Astures intervened, and the reduction of these tribes en- 
grossed the attention of the prince. (Compare Dio Cassius, 53, 22, and 
25, vol. i., p. 717 and 719, ed. Reim.) 

1-8. 1. Antium. A city on the coast of Latium, the ruins of which are 
now called Porto d'Anzo, celebrated for its temple of Fortune. — 2. Prce- 
sens tollere. " That in an instant canst raise." By prcesentes dei are meant 
those deities who are ever near at hand and ready to act. — 3. Vel super- 
bos, &c. " Or convei-t splendid triumphs into disasters." Funeribus is 
the instrumental ablative. — 5. In this and the following line, we have 
adopted the punctuatiou recommended by Markland, viz., a comma after 
prece, and another after ruris, which latter word will then depend on dom- 
inant understood, and the whole clause will then be equivalent to "pau- 
per colonus, sollicita prece, ambit te, dominam ruris ; quicunque lacessit, 
&c, te dominam ceqnoris (ambit)." — Ambit sollicita prece. " Supplicates 
in anxious prayer." — 7. Bithyna. Bithynia, in Asia Minor, was famed 
for its natural productions, which gave rise to a very active commerce be- 
tween this region and the capital of Italy. The expression in the text, 
how ever, refers more particularly to the naval timber in which the coun- 
try abounded. — 8. Carpalhium pelagus. A name applied to that part of 
the Mediterranean which lay between the islands of Carpathus and Crete. 

9-13. 9. Dacus. Ancient Dacia corresponds to what is now, in a great 
measure, Wallachia, Transylvania, Moldavia, and that part of Hungary 
which lies to the east of the Teiss. — Profugi Scythe. " The roving Scyth- 
ians." The epithet profugi is here used with reference to the peculiar 
habits of this pastoral race, in having no fixed abodes, but dwelling in 
wagons. — 10. Latium ferox. "Warlike Latium." — 11. Regum barbaro- 
rum. An allusion to the monarchs of the East, and more particularly to 
Parthia. — 12. Purpurei Tyranni. "Tyrants clad in purple." — 13. Inju- 
rioso ne pede, &c. " Lest with destructive foot thou overthrow the stand- 
ing column of affairs." The scholiast makes stantem columnam equiva- 
lent to prasentem, felicitatem, and the allusion of the poet is to the exist- 
ing state of affairs among the Dacians, Scythians, and others mentioned 
in the text. A standing column was a general symbol among the ancients 
of public security. Some editions place a colon or period after tyranni, 
and the meaning then is, " Do not with destructive foot overthrow the 
standing column of the empire," alluding to the durability of the Roman 
sway. The interpretation first given, however, is decidedly preferable : 
the change in the latter is too sudden and abrupt. 

14-18. 14. Neu populus frequens, &c. " Or lest the thronging popu- 
lace arouse the inactive to arms ! to arms ! and destroy the public repose." 



310 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXV. 

The repetition of the phrase ad arma is intended to express the redoubled 
outcries of an agitated throng, calling upon the dilatory and inactive to 
add themselves to their number. Compare Ovid, Met., xi., 377 : " Cuncti 
coeamus et arma, Arma capessamus." The term imperium in this pas- 
sage is equivalent merely to publicam quietem, or reipublicce statum^tak- 
ing respublica in the general sense of " government." — 17. Te semper an- 
teit, &c. The idea intended to be* conveyed is, that all things must yield 
to the power of Fortune. This is beautifully expressed in the language of 
the text: "Thee thy handmaid Necessity ever precedes." — Anteit must 
be pronounced ant-yit, as a dissyllable, by synaeresis. — 18. Clavos traba- 
les. Necessity is here represented with all such appendages as may 
serve to convey the idea of firm and unyielding power. Thus she bears 
in her hand clavos trabales, "large spikes," like those employed for con- 
necting closely together the timbers of an edifice. She is armed also 
with " wedges," used for a similar purpose, not for cleaving asunder, as 
some explain it. In like manner, the "unyielding clamp" (severus uncus) 
makes its appearance, which serves to unite more firmly two masses of 
stone, while the "melted lead" is required to secure the clamp in its bed. 
Some commentators erroneously regard the clavos trabales, &c, as instru- 
ments of punishment. 

21-29. 21. Te Spes et albo, &c. The idea which the poet wishes to 
convey is, that Hope and Fidelity are inseparable from Fortune. In other 
words, Hope always cheers the unfortunate with a prospect of better days 
to come, and a faithful friend only adheres the more closely to us under 
the pressure of adversity. The epithet rara alludes to the paucity of true 
friends, while the expression albo velata panno refei-s in a very beautiful 
manner to the sincerity and candor by which they are always distinguish- 
ed. — 23. Utcunque mutata, &c. "Whenever, clad in sordid vestments, 
thou leavest in anger the abodes of the powerful." Prosperous fortune is 
arrayed ia splendid attire, but when the anger of the goddess is kindled, 
and she abandons the dwellings of the mighty, she changes her fair vest- 
ments for a sordid garb. — 26. Cadis cumfcece siccatis. "When the casks 
are drained to the very dregs." Faithless friends abandon us after our 
resources have been exhausted in gratifying their selfish cupidity. — 28. 
Ferre jugum pariter dolosi. A Graecism for dolosiores quam utferant, 
&c. " Too faithless to bear in common with us the yoke of adversity." — 
29. Ultimos orbis Britannos. In designating the Britons as " ultimos 
orbis," Horace must be understood to speak more as a poet than a geog- 
rapher, since the Romans of his day were well acquainted with the exist- 
ence of Hibernia. It must be acknowledged, however, that it was no un- 
common thing to call all the islands in this quarter by the general name 
of Insula Britannicce (BpeTTavinai vfjooi). 

30-33. 30. Juvenum recens examen. " The recent levy of youthful war- 
riors." These are compared to afresh swarm of bees issuing from the 
parent hive. — 32. Oceanoque Rubro. " And by the Indian Sea." The al- 
lusion is to the Mare Erythrceum or Indian Ocean, not to the Sinus Arab- 
icus, or Red Sea. — 33. Ekcu ! cicatricum, &c. "Ah ! I am ashamed of our 
scars, and our guilt, and of brothers — " The poet was going to add, " slain 
by the hand of brothers," but the thought was too horrid for utterance, and 
the sentence is therefore abruptly broken off. Hence we have placed a 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXVI. 311 

dash after fratrumque. He merely adds, in general language, "What, 
in fine, have we, a hardened age, avoided?" &c. The reference through- 
out the stanza is to the bloody struggle of the civil wars. 

38-39. 38. O utinam diffingas. " O mayest thou forge again." The 
poet's prayer to Fortune is, that she would forge anew the swords which 
had been stained with the blood of the Romans in the civil war, so that 
they might be employed against the enemies of the republic. "While 
polluted with civil blood, they must be the objects of hatred and aversion 
to the gods. — 39. In MassageLas Arabasque. " To be wielded against 
the Massagetse and the Arabians." The Massagetae were a branch of the 
great Scythian race, and, according to Herodotus (i., 204), occupied a level 
tract of country to the east of the Caspian. They are supposed by some 
to have occupied the present country of the Kirgish Tatars. 



Ode XXXVI. Plotius Numida having returned, after a long absence, 
from Spain, where he had been serving under Augustus in the Cantabrian 
war, the poet bids his friends celebrate in due form so joyous an event. 
This ode would appear to have been written about A.U.C. 730. 

1-10. 1. Et thure et fidibus, &c. "With both incense and the music 
of the lyre, and the blood of a steer due to the fulfillment of our vow." 
The ancient sacrifices were accompanied with the music of the lyre and 
flute. — 3. Numidce. A cognomen of the Plotian and iEmilian lines. — 
4. Hesperia ab ultima. "From farthest Spain." Referring to the situa- 
tion of this country as farthest to the west. Hesperia was a more com- 
mon name for Italy, as lying to the west of Greece. For distinction's 
sake, Spain was sometimes called Hesperia ultima. — 6. Dividit. " Dis- 
tributes." — 8. Non alio rege. "Under the same preceptor." — Puertice. 
Contracted for puerit ice. — 9. Mutatceque simul togce. Young men, among 
the Romans, when they had completed their seventeenth year, laid aside 
the toga prcetexta, and put on the togavirilis, or manly gown. — 10. Cressa 
nota. "A white mark." The Romans marked their lucky days, in the 
calendar, with white or chalk, and their unlucky days with black. 

11-20. 11. Neu promtce, &c. "Nor let us spare the contents of the 
wine-jar taken from the vault." Literally, "nor let there be any limit to 
the wine-jar," &c. ; i. e., any limit to an acquaintance with its contents. — 
12. Solium. The Salii, or priests of Mars, twelve in number, were in- 
stituted by Numa. They were so called because on solemn occasions 
they used to go through the city dancing {saltantes). After finishing their 
solemn procession, they sat down to a splendid entertainment. Hence 
Saliares dapes means " a splendid banquet." — 13. Multi Damalis meri. 
" The hard-drinking Damalis." — 14. Threicia amystide. " In tossing off 
the wine-cup after the Thracian fashion." The amystis (afivaric) was a 
mode of drinking practiced by the Thracians, and consisted in draining 
the cup without once closing the lips. (a. priv., p.vo), to close.) It denotes, 
also, a large kind of drinking-cup. — 16. Vivax apium. " The parsley that 
long retains its verdure." The poet is thought to allude to a kind of wild 
parsley, of a beautiful verdure, which preserves its freshness for a long 
period. — Breve lilium. " The short-lived lily." 



312 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXVII. 

Ode XXXVII. Written in celebration of the victory at Actium, and 
the final triumph of Augustus over the arms of Antony and Cleopatra. 
The name of the unfortunate Roman, however, is studiously concealed, 
and the indignation of the poet is made to fall upon Cleopatra. 

2-6. 2. Nunc Saliaribus, Sec. "Now was it the time to deck the 
temples of the gods with a splendid banquet." The meaning becomes 
plainer by a paraphrase : "We were right, my friends, in waiting until 
the present moment: this was indeed the true period for the expression 
of our joy." We must imagine these words to have proceeded from the 
poet after the joyous ceremonies had already begun. — Saliaribus dapibus. 
Literally, "with a Salian banquet." Consult note on verse 12 of the pre- 
ceding ode. — 3. Pulvinar. The primitive meaning of this term is, a cush- 
ion or pillow for a couch; it is then taken to denote the couch itself; and 
finally it signifies, from the operation of a peculiar custom among the 
Romans, a temple or shrine of the gods. When a general had obtained 
a signal victory, a thanksgiving was decreed by the Senate to be made in 
all the temples, and what was called a Lectisternium took place, when 
couches were spread for the gods, as if about to feast ; and their images 
were taken down from their pedestals, and placed upon these couches 
around the altars, which were loaded with the richest dishes. Dr. Adam, 
in his work on Roman Antiquities, states that on such occasions the image 
of Jupiter was placed in a reclining posture, and those of Juno and Minerva 
erect on seats. The remark is an erroneous one. The custom to which 
he refers was confined to solemn festivals in honor of Jove. Compare 
Val. Max., ii., 1, 2. With regard to the meaning we have assigned pul- 
vinar in the text, and which is not given by some lexicographers, con- 
sult Ernesti, Clav. Cic, s. v. Schutz, Index Lat. in Cic. Op., s. v. — 
5. Antehac. To be pronounced as a dissyllable (ant-yac). The place of 
the caesura is not accurately observed either in this or the 14th line. Con- 
sult Classical Journal, vol. xi., p. 354. — Ccecubum. Used here to denote 
any of the more generous kinds of wine. Compare note on Ode i., 20, 9. 
— 6. Dum Capitolio, &c. "While aphrensied queen was preparing ruin 
for the Capitol and destruction for the empire." An hypallage for dum 
Capitolio rcgina demens, &c. Horace indulges here in a spirit of poetic 
exaggeration, since Antony and Cleopatra intended merely, in case they 
proved victorious, to transfer the seat of empire from Rome to Alexandrea. 
Dio Cassius (50, 4, vol. i., p. 606, ed. Reimar) states as one of the rumors 
of the day, that Antony had promised to bestow the city of Rome as a 
present upon Cleopatra, and to remove the government to Egypt. 

9-14. 9. Contaminato cum grege, &c. "With a contaminated herd of 
followers polluted by disease." — 10. Quidlibet impotens sperare. "Weak 
enough to hope for any thing." A Graecism for impotens ut quidlibet 
speraret. Observe that impotens is here equivalent to impotens sui, i. e., 
having so little control over herself as to hope for any thing. — 11. For- 
tunaque dulci cbria. " And intoxicated with prosperity." — 13. Sospes ab 
ignibus. " Saved from the flames." We have here somewhat of jpoetic 
exaggeration. Cleopatra fled with sixty ships, while three hundred were 
taken by Augustus. Many of Antony's vessels, however, were destroy- 
ed by fire during the action. — 14. Lymphatam' Mareotico. "Maddened 
with Mareotic wine." A bitter, though not strictly accurate, allusion to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXVII. 313 

the luxurious habits of Cleopatra. The poet pretends in this way to ac- 
count for the panic which seized her at Actium. — Mareotico. The Mareotic 
wine was produced along- the borders of the Lake Mareotis, in Egypt- It 
was a light, sweetish white wine, with a delicate perfume, of easy diges- 
tion, and not apt to affect the head, though the allusion would seem to im- 
ply that it had not always preserved its innocuous quality. 

16-23. 16. Ab Italia voltzntem, Sec. " Pursuing her with swift galleys, 
as she fled from Italy." The expression ab Italia volantem is to be ex- 
plained by the circumstance of Antony and Cleopatra's having intended 
to make a descent upon Italy before Augustus should be apprised of their 
coming. Hence the flight of Cleopatra, at the battle of Actium, was in 
reality ab Italia. — 20. Hcsmortia. Haemonia was one of the early names 
of Thessaly. — Catenis. Augustus did not proceed to Alexandrea till the 
year following; but the poet blends the defeat with the final conquest. 
{Osborne, ad loc.) — 21. Fatah monstrum. " The fated monster," i. e., the 
fated cause of evil to thd Homan world. — Quee. A syllepsis, the relative 
being made to refer to the person indicated by monstrum, not to the gram- 
matical gender of the antecedent itself. — 23. Expavit ensem. An allusion 
to the attempt which Cleopatra made upon her own life, when Proculeius 
was sent by Augustus to secure her person. — Nee latentes, &c. "Nor 
sought with a swift fleet for other and secret shores." Observe the force 
of reparavit, and compare the explanation of Orelli : " Spe novi regni 
condendi, alias sibi parare et assequi studuit regiones," &c. By latentes 
oras are meant coasts lying concealed from the sway of the Romans. 
Plutarch states that Cleopatra formed the design, after the battle of Actium, 
of drawing a fleet of vessels into the Arabian Gulf, across the neck of land 
called at the present day the Isthmus of Suez, and of seeking some remote 
country where she might neither be reduced to slavery nor involved in 
war. The biographer adds, that the first ships transported across were 
burned by the natives of Arabia Petraea, and that Cleopatra subsequently 
abandoned the enterprise, resolving to fortify the avenues of her kingdom 
against the approach of Augustus. The account, however, which Dio 
Cassius gives, differs in some respect from that of Plutaixh, since it makes 
the vessels destroyed by the Arabians to have been built on that side of 
the isthmus. Compare Plutarch, Vit. Anton., c. 69, vol. vi., p. 143, ed. 
Hutten, and Dio Cassius, 51, 7, vol. i., p. 637, ed. Reimar. 

25-26. 25. Jacentem regiam. " Her palace plunged in affliction." — 
26. Fortis et asperas, &c "And had courage to handle the exasperated 
serpents." Horace here adopts the common opinion of Cleopatra's death 
having been occasioned by the bite of an asp, the animal having been pre- 
viously irritated by the queen with a golden bodkin. There is a great 
deal of doubt, however, on this subject, as may be seen from Plutarch's 
statement. After mentioning the common account, which we have just 
given, the biographer remarks, "It was likewise reported that she car- 
ried about with her certain poison in a hollow bodkin which she wore in 
her hair, yet there was neither any mark of poison on her body, nor was 
there any serpent found in the monument, though the track of a reptile 
was said to have been discovered on the sea-sands opposite the windows 
of her apartment. Others, again, have affirmed that she had two small 
punctures on her arm, apparently occasioned by the asp's sting, and to 

O 



314 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., ODE XXXVIII. 

this Caesar obviously gave credit, for her effigy which he carried ia 
triumph had an asp on the arm." It is more than probable that the asp 
on the ami of tbe effigy was a mere ornament, mistaken by the populace 
for a symbolical allusion to the manner of Cleopatra's death. Or we may 
conclude with Wranghani that there would of course be an asp on the 
diadem of the effigy, because it was peculiar to tbe kings of Egypt. 

29-30. 29. Deliberata morteferocior. " Becoming more fierce by a de- 
termined resolution to die." Compare Orelli : " Per mortem deliberatam 
ferocior facta." Morte is the instrumental ablative. — 30. Saevis Liburnis, 
&c. "Because, a haughty woman, she disdained being led away in the 
hostile galleys of tbe Liburnians, deprived of all her former rank, for the 
purpose of gracing the proud triumph of Augustus." Svperbo triumpho 
is here put by a Greecism for ad snperbum triumphum. The naves Li- 
burnce were a kind of light galleys used by the Liburnians, an Illyrian race 
along the coast of the Adriatic, addicted to piracy. To ships of this con- 
struction Augustus was in a great measure indebted for his victory at Ac- 
tium. The vessels of Antony, on the other hand, were remarkable for 
their great size. Compare the tumid description of Florus (iv., 11, 5) : 
" Turribus atque tabulatis allevatce, castellorum et urbium specie, non sine 
gemitu maris, et labore ventorum ferebantur." 



Ode XXXVIII. Written in condemnation, as is generally supposed, 
of the luxury and extravagance which marked the banquets of the day. 
The bard directs his attendant to make the simplest preparations for his 
entertainment. 

1-5. 1. Persicos apparatus. " The festal preparations of the Per- 
sians," i. e., luxurious and costly preparations. — Nexce philyra coronce. 
" Chaplets secured with the rind of the linden." Chaplets, as already re- 
marked, were supposed to be of efficacy in checking intoxication. Among 
the Bomans they were made of ivy, myrtle, &c, interwoven chiefly with 
violets and roses. If fastened on a strip of bark, especially the inner rind 
of the linden tree, they were called sutiles. — 3. Mitte sectari. " Give over 
searching." — 4. Moretur. " Loiters beyond its season." — 5. Nihil alia- 
bores sedulus euro. The order is nihil euro (ut) sedulus allabores. " I am 
not at all desirous that you take earnest pains to add any thing." "We 
have given euro with Orelli, Dillenburger, and others. Wakefield (Silv. 
Crit., § 55) proposes curce, joining it in construction with sedulus. Cun- 
ningham, Valart, and Doring adopt it. Bentley reads cura, taking cura 
as an imperative in the sense of cave. 



BOOK II. 



Ode I. C. Asinius Pollio, distinguished as a soldier, a pleader, and a 
tragic writer, was engaged in writing a history of the civil war. The 
poet earnestly entreats him to persevere, and not to return to the paths 
of tragic composition until he should have completed his promised narra- 
tive of Roman affairs. The ode describes in glowing colors the expecta- 
tions entertained by the poet of the ability with which Pollio would treat 
so interesting and difficult a subject. 

1-6. 1. Ex Metello consule. "From the consulship of Metellus." The 
narrative of Pollio, consequently, began with the formation of the first 
triumvirate, by Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, A.U.C. 694, B.C. 59, in the 
consulship of Q,. Ceecilius Metellas Celer and L. Afranius. This may 
well be considered as the germ of the civil wars that ensued. The Ro- 
mans marked the year by the names of the consuls, and he who had most 
suffrages, &c, was placed first. The Athenians, on the other hand, des- 
ignated their years by the name of the chief archon, who was hence call- 
ed "Apxuv 'Ettuvv/ioc. — 2. Bellique causas, &c. "And of the causes, and 
the errors, and the operations of the war." The term vitia has here a 
particular reference to the rash and unwise plans of Pompey and his fol- 
lowers. — 3. Ludumque Fortunes. " And of the game that Fortune play- 
ed." — Gravesque principum amicitias. " And of the fatal confederacies 
of the chiefs." An allusion to the two triumvirates. Of the first we have 
already spoken. The second was composed of Octavianus, Antony, and 
Lepidus. — 5. Nondum expiatis. Compare Ode i., 2, 29. — 6. Periculosce 
plenum, &c. " An undertaking full of danger and of hazard." Opus is 
applied by some, though less correctly, we conceive, to the civil war itself. 
The metaphor of the poet is borrowed, from the Roman games of chance. 

8-12. 8. Cineri. The dative, put by a Graecism for the ablative. — 
9. Paullum severce, &c. "Let the muse of dignified tragedy be absent 
for a while from our theatres," i. e., suspend for a season thy labors in the 
field of tragic composition. The muse of tragedy is Melpomene, who pre- 
sided also over lyric verse. Compare Explanatory Notes, Ode i., 24, 3. 
— 10. Ubi public 'as res ordinaris. "When thou hast chronicled our pub- 
lic affairs," i. e., hast completed thy history of our public affairs. The pas- 
sage may also be rendered, " When thou hast settled our public affairs," 
i. e., when, in the order of thy narrative, thou hast brought the history of 
our country down to the present period of tranquillity and repose. The 
former interpretation is decidedly preferable. — 11. Grande munus, dec. 
"Thou wilt resume thy important task with all the dignity of the Athe- 
nian tragic muse," i. e., thou wilt return to thy labors in the walks of trag- 
edy, and rival, as thou hast already done, the best efforts of the dramatic 
poets of Greece. — 12. Cecropio cothurno. Literally, " with the Cecropian 
buskin." Cecropio is equivalent to Attico, and alludes to Cecrops as the 
mythic founder of Athens. The cothurnus was the buskin worn by the 
tragic actors, and is here taken figuratively for tragedy itself. 



316 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II., ODE 1. 

13-23. 13. Insigne moestis, &c. " Distinguished source of aid to the 
sorrowful accused." Alluding to his abilities as an advocate. — 14. Con- 
sulenti curiae. " To the senate asking thy advice." It was the duty of 
the consul or presiding magistrate to ask the opinions of the individual 
senators (consulere senatum). Here, however, the poet very beautifully 
assigns to the senate itself the office of him who presided over their delib- 
erations, and in making them ask the individual opinion of Pollio, repre- 
sents them as following with implicit confidence his directing and coun- 
selling voice. — 16. Dalmatico triumpho. Pollio triumphed A.U.C. 715, 
B.C. 38, over the Parthini, an Illyrian race, in the vicinity of Epidamnus. 
— 17. Jam nunc minaci, Sec. The poet fancies himself listening to the re- 
cital of Pollio' s history, and to be hurried on by the animated and graphic 
periods of his friend into the midst of combats, and especially into the 
great Pharsalian conflict. — 19. Fugaces terret equos, &c. " Terrifies the 
flying steeds, and spreads alarm over the countenances of their riders," 
The zeugma in terret is worthy of attention. — 21. Audire magnos, &c. 
"Already methinks I hear the cry of mighty leaders, stained with no in- 
glorious dust." — 23. Et cuncta terrarum, &c. " And see the whole world 
subdued, except the unyielding soul of Cato." After cuncta understand 
loca. Cato the younger is alluded to, who put an end to his existence at 
Utica. Compare note on Ode i., 12, 35. 

25-40. 25. Juno et deorum, &c. "Juno, and whosoever of the gods, 
more friendly to the people of Africa, unable to resist the power of the 
Fates, had retired from a land they could not then avenge, in after days 
offered up the descendants of the conquerors as a sacrifice to the shade of 
Jugurtha." The victory at Thapsus, where Caesar triumphed over the 
remains of Pompey's party in Africa, and after which Cato put an end to 
his own existence at Utica, is here alluded to in language beautifully po- 
etic. Juno, and the other tutelary deities of Africa, compelled to bend to 
the loftier destinies of the Roman name in the Punic conflicts and in the 
war with Jugurtha, are supposed, in accordance with the popular belief 
on such subjects, to have retired from the land which they found them- 
selves unable to save. In a later age, however, taking advantage of the 
civil dissensions among the conquerors, they make the battle-field at Thap- 
sus, where Roman met Roman, a vast place of sacrifice, as it were, in 
which thousands were immolated to the manes of Jugurtha and the fallen 
fortunes of the land. — 29. Quis non Latino, &c. The poet, as an induce- 
ment for Pollio to persevere, enlarges in glowing colors on the lofty and 
extensive nature of the subject which occupies the attention of his friend. 
— 31. Auditumque Medis, Sec. " And the sound of the downfall of Italy, 
heard even by the distant nations of the East." Under the term Medis 
there is a special reference to the Parthians, the bitterest foes to the Ro- 
man name. — 34. Daunice ccedes. "The blood of Romans." Daunice is 
here put for Halts or Romance. Compare note on Ode i., 22, 13. — 37. Sed 
ne relictis, &c. "But do not, bold muse, abandon sportive themes, and 
resume the task of the Caean dirge," i. e., never again boldly presume to 
direct thy feeble efforts toward subjects of so grave and mournful a char- 
acter. The expression Cceee nceniee refers to Simonides, the famous bard 
of Ceos, distinguished as a writer of mournful elegy, and who flourished 
about 605 B.C. — 39. Dionceo sub antro. " Beneath some cave sacred to 
Venus." Dione was the mother of Venus, whence the epithet Dhonceus 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE II. 317 

applied to the latter goddess and what concerned her. — 40. Leviore plec- 
tro. " Of a lighter strain." Compare note on Ode i., 26, 11. 



Ode II. The poet shows that the mere possession of riches can never 
bestow real happiness. Those alone are truly happy and truly wise who 
know how to enjoy, in a becoming manner, the gifts which Fortune may 
bestow, since otherwise present wealth only gives rise to an eager desire 
for more. 

The ode is addressed to Crispus Sallustius, nephew to the historian, and 
is intended, in fact, as a high encomium on his own wise employment of 
the ample fortune left him by his uncle. Naturally of a retired and philo- 
sophic character, Sallust had remained content with the equestrian rank 
in which he was born, declining all the offers of advancement that were 
made him by Augustus. 

1-12. 1. Nullus argento color. " Silver has no brilliancy." — 2. lnimice 
lamnce nisi temperato, &c. "Thou foe to wealth, unless it shine by mod- 
erate use." Lamnce (for lamince) properly denotes plates of gold or silver, 
i. e., coined money or wealth in general. — 5. Extento cevo. " To a distant 
age." The dative used poetically for in extentum cevum. — Proculeius. 
C. Proculeius Varro Muraena, a Roman knight, and the intimate friend of 
Augustus. His sister was the wife of Maecenas. He is here praised for 
having shared his estate with his two brothers, who had lost all their prop- 
erty for siding with Pompey in the civil wars. — 6. Notus infratres, &c. 
" Well known for his paternal affection toward his brethren." — 7. Penna 
metuente solvi. " On an untiring pinion." Literally, "on a pinion fearing 
to be tired or relaxed." The allusion is a figurative one, and refers to a 
pinion guarding, as it were, against being enfeebled. Compare the Greek 
Treyvlay/Lievy Tivsodai. — 11. Gadibus. Grades, now Cadiz, in Spain. — 
Uterque Parnus. Alluding to the Carthaginian power, both at home and 
along the coast of Spain. Thus we have the Pceni in Africa, and the Bas- 
tuli Pceni along the lower part of the Mediterranean coast, in the Spanish 
peninsula, and, again, a Carthago at home, and a Carthago nova in Spain. 
— 12. Uni. Understand tibi. 

13-23. 13. Crcscit indulge/is sibi, &c. " The direful dropsy increases 
by self-indulgence." Compare the remark of the scholiast : "Est autem 
hydropico proprium ut quanto amplius biberit, tanto amplius sitiat." 
The avaricious man is here compared to one who is suffering under a 
dropsy. In either case there is the same hankering after what only servea 
to aggravate the nature of the disease. — 15. Aquosus languor. The 
dropsy (tiopa>i/>) takes its name from the circumstance of water (vdop) be- 
ing the most visible cause of the distemper, as well as from the pallid hue 
which overspreads the countenance (wi//) of the sufferer. It arises, in fact, 
from too lax a tone of the solids, whereby digestion is weakened, and all 
the parts are filled beyond measure. — 17. Cyri solio. By the "thi-one of 
Cyrus" is here meant the Parthian empire. Compare note on Ode i., 2, 
22. — Phrahaten. Compare note on Ode i., 26, 5. — 18. Dissidem plebi. 
"Dissenting from the crowd." — 19. Virtus. "True wisdom." — Popu- 
lumquefalsis, &c. " And teaches the populace to disuse false names for 
things." — 22. Propriamque laurum. "And the never-fading laurel." — 



318 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE III. 

23. Oculo irretorto. "With a steady gaze," i. e., without an envious 
look. Not regarding them with the sidelong glance of envy, but with the 
steady gaze of calm indifference. 



Ode III. Addressed to Q. Dellius, and recommending a calm enjoy- 
ment of the pleasures of existence, since death, sooner or later, will bring 
all to an end. The individual to whom the ode is inscribed was remark- 
able for his fickle and vacillating character; and so often did he change 
sides during the civil contest which took place after the death of Caesar, 
as to receive from Messala the appellation of desultorem bellorum civili- 
um ; a pleasant allusion to the Roman desultores, who rode two horses 
joined together, leaping quickly from the one to the other. Compare 
Seneca (Suasor., p. 7) : " Bellissimam tamen rem Dellius dixit, quern Mes- 
sala Corvinus desultorem bellorum civilium vocat, quia ab Dolabella ad 
Cassium transiturus salutem sibi pactus est, si Dolabellam occidisset ; et 
a Cassio deinde transivit ad Antonium : novissume ab Antonio transfugit 
ad Ccesarem." Consult, also, Veil. Paterc, 2, 84, andDio Cass., 49, 39. 

2-8. 2. Non secus in bonis, &c. " As well as one restrained from im- 
moderate joy in prosperity." — 4. Moriture. " Who at some time or other 
must end thy existence." Dacier well observes that the whole beauty 
and force of this strophe consists in the single word moriture, which is 
not only an epithet, but a reason to confirm the poet's advice. — 5. Delli. 
The old editors, previous to Lambinus, read Deli; but consult Ruhnken, 
ad Veil. Paterc, 2, 84, on the orthography of this name. — 6. In remoto 
gramine. "In some grassy retreat." — Dies Festos. Days among the 
Romans were distinguished into three general divisions, the Dies Festi, 
Dies Profesti, and Dies Intercisi. The Dies Festi, " Holy days," were 
consecrated to religious purposes ; the Dies Profesti were given to the 
common business of life, and the Dies Intercisi were half holidays, divided 
between sacred and ordinary occupations. The Dies Fasti, on the other 
hand, were those on which it was lawful (fas) for the praetor to sit in 
judgment. All other days were called Dies Nefasti, or "Non-court days." 
— 8. Interiore nota Falerni. " With the old Falernian," i. e., the choicest 
wine, which was placed in the farthest part of the vault or crypt, marked 
with its date and growth. 

9-19. 9. Qua pinus ingens, &c. " Where the tall pine and silver pop- 
lar love to unite in forming with their branches an hospitable shade." 
The poet is probably describing some beautiful spot in the pleasure- 
grounds of Dellius. The editions before that of Lambinus have Quo, for 
which he first substituted Qua, on the authority of some MSS. Fea and 
others attempt to defend the old reading, but qua is more elegantly used 
in the sense of ubi than quo. — 11. El obliquo laborat, &c. "And the 
swiftly-moving water strives to run murmuring along in its winding chan- 
nel." The beautiful selection of terms in laborat and trepidare is worthy 
of particular notice. — 13. Nimium brcvis rosce. " Of the too short-lived 
rose." — 15. Res. " Your opportunities." Compare the explanation of 
Orelli : " Res : tota vitce tvce conditio, ac singula occasiones." — Sororum. 
The Fates. — 17. Coemptis. "Bought up on all sides." — Domo. The term 
domus here denotes that part of the villa occupied by the proprietor him- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE VI. 319 

self, while villa designates the other buildings and appurtenances of the 
estate, designed not only for use, but also for pleasure. Compare Braun- 
hard, ad loc. Hence we may render the words et domo villaque as follows ; 
" and from thy lordly mansion and estate." — 18. Flavus Tiberis. Com- 
pare note on Ode i., 2, 13. — 19. Exstructis in altum. " Piled up on high." 

21-28. 21. Divesne prisco, &c. " It matters not whether thou dwellest 
beneath the light of heaven, blessed with riches and descended from Ina- 
chus of old, or in naiTOW circumstances and of the lowliest birth, since in 
either event thou art the destined victim of unrelenting Orcus." The ex- 
pression prisco natus ab Inacho is equivalent to antiquissima stirpe ori- 
undus, Inachus having been, according to the common account, the most 
ancient king of Argos. The term moreris derives elucidation from Cicero, 
de Sen., 23 : " commorandi natura deversorium nobis, non habitandi lo- 
cum dedit." — 25. Omnes eodem cogimur. " We are all di*iven toward the 
same quarter." Alluding to the passage of the shades, under the guidance 
of Mercury, to the other world. — Omnium versatur urna, &c. " The lots of 
all are shaken in the urn, destined sooner or later to come forth, and place 
us in the bark for an eternal exile." The urn here alluded to is that held 
by Necessity in the lower world. Some editions place a comma after 
urna, making it the nominative to versatur ; and urna omnium will then 
signify " the urn containing the destinies of all." But the construction is 
too harsh; and the caesura, which would then be requisite for lengthening 
the final syllable of urna, is of doubtful application for such a purpose. — 
28. Cymbal. The dative, by a Graecism, for the ablative 



Ode VI. The poet expresses a wish to spend the remainder of his days 
along with his friend Septimius, either amid the groves of Tibur, or the 
fair fields of Tarentum. 

The individual to whom the ode is addressed was a member of the 
equestrian order, and'had fought in the same ranks with Horace during 
the civil contest. Hence the language of Porphyrion : " Septimium, equi- 
tem Romanum, amicum et commilitonem suum hac ode alloquitur." From 
the words of Horace {Epist., i., 3, 9-14) he appears to have been also a 
votary of the Muses, and another scholiast remarks of him, " Titius Sep- 
timius lyrica carmina et tragosdias scripsit, Augusti tempore : sed libri 
ejus nulli extant." 

1-2. 1. Gades aditure mecum. ""Who art ready to go with me to Ga- 
des." We must not imagine that any actual departure, either for Gades 
or the other quarters mentioned in this stanza, was contemplated by the 
poet. He merely means, to go thither if requisite ; and hence the lan- 
guage of the text is to be taken for nothing more than a general eulogium 
on the tried friendship of Septimius. As respects Gades, compare Ode ii., 
2, 11. — 2. Et Cantabrum indoctum, &c. "And against the Cantabrian, 
untaught as yet to endure our yoke." The Cantabi'i were a warlike na- 
tion of Spain, extending over what is at present Biscay and part of Astu- 
rias. Their resistance to the Roman arms was long and stubborn, and 
hence the language of Horace in relation to them, Ode iii., 8, 22 : " Can- 
taber sera domitus catena." The prese'nt ode appears to have been writ- 
ten previous to their final subjugation. 



320 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE VII. 

3-11. 3. Barbaras Syrtes. "The barbarian Syrtes." Alluding to the 
two well-known gulfs on the Mediterranean coast of Africa,, the Syrtis 
Major, or Gulf of Sidra, and the Syrtis Minor, or Gulf of Cabes. The term 
barbarus refers to the rude and uncivilized tribes in the vicinity. — Maura. 
By synecdoche for Africa unda. — 5. Tibur, Argeo positum colono. Com- 
pare note on Ode i.,7, 13. — 7. Sit modus lasso, &c. "May it be a limit 
of wandering unto me, wearied oat with the fatigues of ocean, land, and 
military service." The genitives maris, viarum, and militia? are pat by 
a Greecism for ablatives. — 8. Militi&que. The single campaign under 
Brutas, and its disastrous close at Philippi, forcned the extent of the poet's 
warlike experience. — 9. Prokibent. "Exclude me." — 10. Dulce pellitis 
evibus. " Pleasing to the sheep covered with skins." The sheep that 
fed along the banks of the Galaesus, now the Galeso, and the valley of 
Aulon, had a wool so fine that they were covered with skins to protect 
their fleeces from injury. The same expedient was resorted to in the case 
of the Attic sheep. The River Galaesus flowed within five miles of Ta- 
rentum, and fell into the inner harbor. — 11. Laconi Phalanto. Alluding 
to the story of Phalantus and the Partheniae, who came as a colony from 
Sparta to Tarentum, about 700 B.C. 

13-22. 13. Mihi ridet. " Possesses charms for me." Literally, "looks 
laughingly upon me," " smiles upon me," i. e., pleases me. A similar 
usage prevails in Greek in the case of the verb yeldcj. — 14. Ubi non Hy- 
metto, &c. " Where the honey yields not to that of Hymettus, and the 
olive vies with the produce of the verdant Venafrum." — Hymetto. Hy- 
mettus was a mountain in Attica, famed for its honey, which is still in 
high repute among the modern Greeks. It has two summits, one ancient- 
ly called Hymettus, now Trelovouni ; the other, Anydros (or the dry Hy- 
mettus), now Lamprovouni. — 16. Venafro. Venafrum was the last city 
of Campania to the north, and near the River Vulturnus. It was cele- 
brated for its olives and oil. The modern name is Venafro. — 17. Tepidas- 
que brumas. " And mild winters." — 18. Jupiter. Taken for the climate 
of the region, or the sky. — 19. Fertili. " Rich in the gifts of the vintage." 
The common text has fertilis. Aulon was a ridge and valley in the neigh- 
borhood of Tarentum, and very productive. The modern name is Terra 
di Melone. The term aulon itself is of Greek origin (avX6v), and denotes 
any narrow valley or pass. — Minimum invidet. " Is far from envying," i. e., 
is not inferior to. Literally, " envies least." — 21. Beaton colles. "Those 
delightful hills." — 22. Ibi tu calentem, &c. " There shalt thou sprinkle, 
with the tear due to his memory, the warm ashes of the poet, thy friend." 
— Calentem. Alluding to their being still waiin from the funeral pile. 



Ode VII. Addressed toPompeius, a friend of the poet's, who had fought 
on the same side with him at the battle of Philippi. The poet returned 
to Rome, but Pompeius continued in urms, and was only restored to his 
native country when the peace concluded between the triumvirs and 
Scxtus Pompey enabled the exiles and proscribed of the republican party 
to revisit their homes. The bard indulges in the present effusion on the 
restoration of his friend. 

Who this friend was is far from being clearly ascertained. Most com- 
mentators make him to have been Pompeius Grosphus, a Roman knight* 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE VII. 321 

and freedman of Pompey the Great. If this opinion be correct, he will 
be the same with the individual to whom the sixteenth ode of the present 
book is inscribed, and who is also mentioned inEpist. i., 12, 23. Vander- 
bourg, however, is in favor of Pompeius Varus. "Les MSS.," observes 
this editor, "ne sont point d' accord sur les noms de cet ami de notre 
poete. J'ai era long temps avec Sanadon, et MM. Wetzel et Mitscher- 
lich, devoir le confondre avec le Pompeius Grosphus de VOde 16 de ce 
livre, et de l'epitre 12, du liv. 1. Mais je pense aujourd'hui avec les an- 
ciens commentateurs, suivis en cela par Dacier et M. Voss, que Pompeius 
Varus etoient ses noru et surnom veritables." 

1-8. 1. O saspe mecum, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
O Pompei, prime meorum sodalium, scepe deducte mecum in ulbimum tern- 
pus, Bruto duce militia, quis redonavit te Quiritem diis patriis Italogue 
cnelo ? — Tempus in ultimum deducte. " Involved in the greatest danger." 
Compare Catullus, lxiv., v. 151 : " supremo in tempore ;" and v. 169 : " ex- 
tremo tempore sceva Fors." — 3. Quis te redonavit Quiritem. " Who has re- 
stored thee as a Roman citizen?" i. e., with thy full rights of citizenship. 
The name Quiritem here implies a full return to all the rights and privi- 
leges of citizenship, which had been forfeited by his bearing arms against 
the established authority of the triumvirate. — 6. Cum quo morantem, &c. 
" Along with whom I have often broken the lingering day with wine." 
Compare note on Ode i., 1, 20. — 8. Malobathro Syrio. " With Syrian 
malobathrum.'' Pliny [H. N., 12, 26) mentions three kinds of malobathrum, 
the Syrian, Egyptian, and Indian, of which the last was the best. The 
Indian, being conveyed across the deserts of Syria by the caravan-trade 
to the Mediterranean coast, received from the Romans, in common with 
the first-mentioned species, the appellation of " Syrian." Some diversity 
of opinion, however, exists with regard to this production. Pliny describes 
it as follows : " In paludibus gigni tradunt lentis modo, odoratius croco, 
nigricans scabrumque, quodam salis gustu. Minus probatur candidum. 
Cclerrime situm in vetustate sentit. Sapor ejus nardo similis debet esse 
sub lingua. Odor vero in vino suffervefacti antccedit alios." Some have 
supposed it to be the same with the betel or betre, for an account of which 
consult De Maries, Histoire Generate de I'lnde, vol. i., p. 69. Malte-Bran, 
however, thinks that it was probably a compound extract of a number of 
plants with odoriferous leaves, such as the laurel, called in Malabar Fa- 
mala, and the nymphea, called Famara in Sanscrit ; the termination ba- 
thrum being from patra, the Indian word for a leaf. [System of Geog., 
vol. iii., p. 33, Am. ed.) Weston's opinion is different. According to this 
writer, the malobathrum is called in Persian sadedj hindi or sadedj of India 
[Materia Medica Kahirina, p. 148, Forskal., 1775), aud the term is com- 
posed of two Arabic words, melab-athra or esra, meaning an aromatic pos- 
sessing wealth, or a valuable perfume. 

9-13. 9. Tecum Philippos sensi, £cc. Compare " Life of Horace," 
p.xviiLof this volume. Philippi was a city of Thrace, to the northeast of 
Amphipolis, and in the immediate vicinity of Mount Pangaeus. It was 
celebrated for the victory gained here by Antony and Octavianus over 
Brutus and Cassius. Its ruins still retain the name of Filibah. — Relicta 
non bene parmula. "My shield being ingloriously abandoned." Consult 
*» Life of Horace," p.xviii. — 11. Quum fracta virtus. " When valor itself 
02 



322 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE VII. 

was overcome." A manly and withal true eulogium on the spirit and 
bravery of the republican forces. The better troops were in reality on the 
side of Brutus and Cassius, although Fortune declared for Octavianus and 
Antony. — 12. Turpe. "Polluted with gore." — Solum tetigeremento. Com- 
pare the Homeric form of expression (II., ii., 41), Trpnveec kv Koviyatv 6oaf 
Tiafriaro yalav. — 13. Mercurius. An imitation of the imagery of the 
Iliad. As in the battles of Homer heroes are often carried away by pro- 
tecting deities from the dangers of the fight, so, on the present occasion, 
Mercury, who presided over arts and sciences, and especially over the 
music of the lyre, is made to befriend the poet, and to save him from the 
dangers of the conflict. Compare Ode ii., 17, 29, where Mercury is styled 
" custos Mercurialium virorum." 

14-23. 14. Denso aere. "In a thick cloud." Compare the Homeric 
form, rjepL TcdKkii). — 15. Te rursus in bellum, &c. " Thee the wave of bat- 
tle, again swallowing up, bore back to the war amid its foaming waters." 
— 17. Obligatam dapem. "Thy votive sacrifice," i. e., due to the fulfill- 
ment of thy vow." He had vowed a sacrifice to Jove in case he escaped 
the dangers of the war. — 20. Cadis. The Roman cadus was equivalent 
to forty-eight sextarii, or twenty-seven English quarts. It was of earthen- 
ware. — 21. Oblivioso Massico. " With oblivious Massic," i. e., care-dis- 
pelling. The Massic was the best growth among the Falernian wines. 
It was produced on the southern declivities of the range of hills in the 
neighborhood of the ancient Sinuessa. A mountain near the site of Sin- 
uessa is still called Monte Massico. — 22. Ciboria. The ciborium was 
a large species of drinking-cup, shaped like the follicule or pod of the 
Egyptian bean, which is the primitive meaning of the term. It was 
larger below than above. — 23. Conchis. Vases or receptacles for per- 
fumes, shaped like shells. The term may here be rendered " shells." — 
24. Apio. Compare note on Ode i., 36, 16. 

25-27. 25. Quern Venus, &c. The ancients, at their feasts, appointed a 
person to preside by throwing the dice, whom they called arbiter bibendi 
{cvfnrociapxvc), " master of the feast." He directed every thing at pleas- 
ure. In playing at games of chance they used three tesserae, and four tali. 
The tesserae had six sides, marked I., II, III., IV., V., VI. The tali had 
four sides longwise, for the two ends were not regarded. On one side was 
marked one point (unio, an ace, called Canis), and on the opposite side 
six (Senio,) while on the two other sides were three and four (ternio et 
quaternio). The highest or most fortunate throw was called Venus, and 
determined the direction of the feast. It was, of the tessera, three sixes ; 
of the tali, when all of them came out different numbers. The worst or 
lowest throw was termed Canis, and was, of the tessera, three aces, and 
of the tali when they were all the same. Compare Reitz, ad Lucian., 
Am., vol. v., p. 568, ed. Bip. ; Sueton., Aug., 71, et Crusius, ad loc, and the 
Dissertation " De Talis," quoted by Gesner, Thes. L. L., and by Bailey, 
in his edition of Forcellini, Lex. Tot. Lat. — 26. Non ego sanius, &c. " I 
will revel as wildly as the Thracians." The Edoni or Edon&s were a 
well-known Thracian tribe on the banks of the Strymon. Their name is 
often used by the Greek poets to express the whole of the nation of which 
they formed a part, a custom which Horace here imitates. — 27. Reccpto 
furere amico. " To indulge in extravagance on the recovery of a friend." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE IX. 323 

Ode IX. Addressed to T. Valgius Rufus, inconsolable at the loss of Lis 
son Mystes, who had been taken from him by an untimely death. The 
bard counsels his friend to cease from his unavailing sorrow, and to sing 
with him the praises of Augustus. 

The individual to whom the ode is inscribed was himself a poet, and is 
mentioned by Tibullus (iv., 1, 180) in terms of high commendation : " Val- 
gius ; ceterno propior non alter Homero." It is to the illusion of friend- 
ship, most probably, that we must ascribe this lofty eulogium, since Ouin- 
tilian makes no mention whatever of the writer in question. Horace 
names him among those by whom he wishes his productions to be ap- 
proved. [Sat., i., 10, 82.) 

1-7. 1. Non semper, &c. The expressions semper, usque, and menses 
per omnes, in this and the succeeding stanza, convey a delicate reproof 
of the incessant sorrow in which the bereaved parent so unavailingly in- 
dulges. — Hispidos in agros. "On the rough fields." The epithet kispi- 
dus properly refers to the effect produced on the surface of the ground by 
the action of the descending rains. It approximates here very closely to 
the term squalidus. — 2. Aut mare Caspium, &c *' Nor do varying blasts 
continually disturb the Caspian Sea." According to Malte-Brun, the north 
and south winds, acquiring strength from the elevation of the shores of 
the Caspian, added to the facility of their motion along the surface of the 
water, exercise a powerful influence in varying the level at the opposite 
extremities. Hence the variations have a range of from four to eight feet, 
and powerful currents are generated both with the rising and subsiding 
of the winds. {System of Geography, vol. ii., p. 313.) — 4. Armeniis in 
oris. " On the borders of Armenia." The allusion is to the northern con- 
fines. Armenia forms a very elevated plain, surrounded on all sides by 
lofty mountains, of which Ararat and Kohi-seiban are crowned with per- 
petual snow. The cold in the high districts of the country is so very in- 
tense as to leave only three months for the season of vegetation, including 
seed-time and harvest. (Compare Malte-Brun, System of Geography, 
vol. ii., p. 103.) — 7. Querceta Gargani. " The oak-groves of Garganus." 
The chain of Mount Garganus, now Monte S. Angelo, runs along a part of 
the coast of Apulia, and finally terminates in the Promontorium Garga- 
num, now Punta di Viesta, forming a bold projection into the Adriatic. 

9-10. 9. Tu semper urges, &c. "And yet thou ait ever in mournful 
strains pursuing thy Mystes, torn from thee by the hand of death." Urges 
is here used as a more emphatic and impressive term than the common 
prosequeris, and implies a pressing closely upon the footsteps of another 
in eager pursuit. — 10. Nee tibi vespero, &c. " Nor do thy affectionate sor- 
rows cease when "Vesper rises, nor when he flees from before the rapidly- 
ascending sun." The phrase Vespero surgente marks the evening period, 
when Vesper (the planet Venus) appears to the east of the sun, and im- 
parts its mild radiance after that luminary has set. On the other hand, 
the expression fugiente solem indicates the morning, in allusion to that 
portion of the year when the same planet appears to the west of the sun, 
and rises before him. The poet, then, means to designate the evening 
and morning, and to convey the idea that the sorrows of Valgius admit of 
no cessation or repose, but continue unremitted throughout the night as 
well as day. The planet Venus, when it goes before the sun, is called,.ia 



324 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE X. 

strictness, Lucifer, or the morning star; but when it follows the sun it is 
termed Hesperus or Vesper, and by us the evening star. 

13-23. 13. Ter cevo functus senex. "The aged warrior who lived three 
generations." Alluding to Nestor. Homer makes Nestor to have passed 
through two generations, and to be ruling, at the time of the Trojan war, 
among a third. — 14. Antilochum. Antilochus, son of Nestor, was slain in 
defence of his father by Memnon. {Horn., Od., iv., 183.) — 15. Trollum. 
Tro'ilus, son of Priam, was slain by Achilles. (Virg., ^n., i., 474.) — 16. 
Phrygice. Put for Trojance. — 17. Desine mollium, Sec. " Cease, then, 
these unmanly complaints." Prose Latinity would require, in the place 
of this Graecism, the ablative querelis or the inSnitive queri. — 18. Nova 
Augusti tropcea. Alluding to the successful operations of Augustus with 
the Armenians and Parthians, and to the repulse of the Geloni, who had 
crossed the Danube, and committed ravages in the Roman territories. — 
20. Rigidum Niphaten. " The ice-clad Niphates." The ancient geogra- 
phers gave the name of Niphates to a range of mountains in Armenia, 
forming part of the great chain of Taurus, and lying to the southeast of 
the Arsissa palus or Lake Van. Their summits are covered with snow 
throughout the whole year, and to this circumstance the name Niphates 
contains an allusion (NtQurng, quasi vKperudrjc, "snowy"). — 21. Medum 
flumen, Sec. " And how the Parthian river, added to the list of conquered 
nations, rolls humbler waves." By the Parthian river is meant the Eu- 
phrates. The expression gentibus additum victis is equivalent merely to 
in populi Romani potestatem redactum. — 23. Intraque prcescriptum, Sec. 
" And how the Geloni roam within the limits prescribed to them, along 
their diminished plains." The Geloni, a Sarmatiau race, having crossed 
the Danube and laid waste the confines of the empire in that quarter, 
were attacked and driven across the river by Lentulus, the lieutenant of 
Augustus. Hence the use of the term prcescriptum, in allusion to the 
Danube being interposed as a barrier by their conquerors, and hence, too, 
the check given to their inroads, which were generally made by them on 
horseback, is alluded to in the expression exiguis equitare campis. 



Ode X. Addressed to Licinius Murena, afterward, by adoption, Teren- 
tius Varro Murena, brother of Proculeius Varro Murena, mentioned in the 
second Ode (v. 5) of the present book. Of a restless and turbulent spir- 
it, and constantly forming new schemes of ambition, Licinius was a total 
stranger to the pleasure inseparable from a life of moderation and content. 
It is the object of the poet, therefore, to portray in vivid colors the securi- 
ty and happiness ever attendant upon such a state of existence. 

The salutary advice of the bard proved, however, of no avail. Licinius 
had before this lost his all in the civil contest, and had been relieved by 
the noble generosity of Proculeius. Uninstructed by the experience of 
the past, be now engaged in a conspiracy against Augustus, and was 
banished and afterward put to death, notwithstanding all the interest of 
Proculeius, and Maecenas, who had married his sister Terentia. 

1-21. 1. Rectius. "More consistently with i-eason." — Neque altum 
semper urgendo. "By neither always pursuing the main ocean," i. e., 
by neither always launching out boldly into the deep.— 3. Nimium pre- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XI. 325 

mendo litus iniquum. " By keeping too near the perilous shore." — 
5. Auream quisquis medio critatem, &c. The change of meaning in caret 
(which is required, however, more hy the idiom of our own language than 
by that of the Latin) is worthy of notice. The whole passage may be 
paraphrased as follows: "Whoever makes choice of the golden mean, 
safe from all the ills of poverty (tutus), is not compelled to dwell amid 
(caret) the wretchedness of some miserable abode ; while, on the other 
hand, moderate in his desires (sobrius), he needs not (caret) the splendid 
palace, the object of envy." — 9. Scepius. " More frequently," i. e., than 
trees of lower size. Some editions have scevius. — 10. Et celsce graviore 
casu, &c. " And lofty structures fall to the ground with heavier ruin," 
i. e., than humble ones. — 11. Summos monies. " The highest mountains." 
— 14. Alteram sortem. "A change of condition." — Bene prceparatum 
pectus. "A well-regulated breast." — 15. Informes hiemes. "Gloomy 
winters." — 17. Non si male nunc, &c. " If misfortune attend thee now, 
it will not also be thus hereafter." — 18. Quondam cithara tacentem, &c. 
" Apollo oftentimes arouses with the lyre the silent muse, nor always 
bends his bow." The idea intended to be conveyed is, that as misfortune 
is not to last forever, so neither are the gods unchanging in their anger 
toward man. Apollo stands forth as the representative of Olympus, pro- 
pitious when he strikes the lyre, offended when he bends the bow. — 
19. Suscitat musam. Equivalent, in fact, to edit sonos, pulsa cithara. 
The epithet tacentem refers merely to an interval of silence on the part 
of the muse, i. e., of anger on the part of the god. — 21. Animosus atque 
fortis. " Spirited and firm." 



Ode XL Addressed to Ouinctius, an individual of timid character, and 
constantly tormented with the anticipation of future evil to himself and 
his extensive possessions. The poet advises him to banish these gloomy 
thoughts from his mind, and give to hilarity the fleeting hours of a brief 
existence. 

1-19. 1. Quid bellicosus Cantaber, &c. Compare note on Ode ii., 6, 2. 
— 2. Hadria divisus objecto. " Separated from us by the intervening 
Adriatic." The poet does not mean that the foes here mentioned were 
in possession of the opposite shores of the Adriatic Sea ; such a supposi- 
tion would be absurd. He merely intends to quiet the fears of Q.uinctius 
by a general allusion to the obstacles that intervened. — 4. Nee trepides in 
usum, &c. " And be not solicitous about the wants of a life that asks 
but few things for its support." — 5. Fugit retro. For recedit. — 11. Quid 
ceternis minorem, &c. " Why dost thou disquiet thy mind, unable to take 
in eternal designs V i. e., to extend its vision beyond the bounds of human 
existence. — 14. Sic temere. "Thus at ease." — 15. Canos. Equivalent 
to albescentes. " B eginning to grow gray ." — 17. Euius. Bacchus. Com- 
pare note on Ode i., 18, 9. — 19. Restinguct ardentes, &c. " Will temper 
the cups of fiery Falernian with the stream that glides by our side." The 
ancients generally drank their wine diluted with water, on account of its 
strength. 



326 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XII. 

Ode XII. Addressed to Maecenas. The poet, having been requested 
by his patron to sing the exploits of Augustus, declines attempting so 
arduous a theme, and exhorts Maecenas himself to make them the subject 
of an historical narrative. 

1-11. 1. Nolis. " Do not "wish." The subjunctive is here employed as 
a softened form of the imperative. — Longa ferce bella Numantice. Nu- 
mantia is celebrated in history for offering so long a resistance to the Ro- 
man arms. It was situate near the som-ces of the River Durius, now the 
Douro, on a rising ground, and defended on three sides by very thick 
woods and steep declivities. One path alone led down into the plain, and 
this was guarded by ditches and palisades. It was taken and destroyed 
by the younger Africanus subsequently to the overthrow of Carthage. — 
2. Siculum mare. The scene of frequent and bloody contests between 
the fleets of Rome and Carthage. — 3. Mollibus citharce modis* " To the 
soft measures of my lyre." — 5. Scevos. " Fierce."— Nimium. " Impelled 
to unrestrained desire," i. e., to lewdness. Alluding to his attempt on the 
person of Hippodamia. Compare Braunhard : " Nimius mero, qui, vino 
largius poto calef actus, ad libidinem proclivior f actus est, anpaTTjc yevo- 
fievoc eTudv/uCJv." — 7. Telluris Juvenes. "The warrior-sons of earth." 
Referring to the giants, Tnyevelg. — 8. Periculum contremuit. "In 
trembling alarm apprehended danger." An active intransitive verb with 
the accusative. — 9. Pedestribus historiis. "In prose narrative." Com- 
pare the Greek tte^oc 2,6yoc. — 11. Melius. "With more success," i. e., 
than I can aspire to. — Ducta. "Led in triumph." — Vias. Referring to 
the streets of Rome through which the triumphal procession would pass, 
but in particular to the Via Sacra, which led up to the Capitol. 

13-28. 13. Domince Licymnice. " Of thy lady Licymnia." By Li- 
cymnia is here meant Terentia, the young and beautiful wife of Maecenas, 
and Horace, in speaking of her, employs, out of respect, a fictitious name, 
observing, at the same time, the rale of the ancient poets, namely, that the 
appellation substituted be the same in number and quantity of syllables 
as the one for which it is used ( Terentia, Licymnia). The epithet domince 
indicates respect. They who make Licymnia the name of a female friend 
of the poet himself, will find a difficulty to overcome in v. 21, seqq. — 
15. Bene mutuis Jidem amoribus. " Truly faithful to reciprocated love." 
— 17. Ferre pedem choris. " To join in the dance." — 18. Joco. "In sport- 
ive mirth." — Dare bracliia. Alluding to the movements of the dance, 
when those engaged in it either throw their arms around, or extend their 
hands to one another. — 19. Nitidis. "In fair array." — 21. Num tu, qua 
tenuit, &c. " Canst thou feel inclined to give a single one of the tresses 
of Licymnia for all that the rich Achaemenes ever possessed," &c. Crinc 
is put in the ablative as marking the instrument of exchange. — Achceme- 
nes. The founder of the Persian monarchy, taken here to denote the op- 
ulence and power of the kings of Persia in general. Achaemenes is sup- 
posed to be identical with Djemschid. — 22. Aut pinguis Phrygice Myg- 
donias opes. " Or the Mygdonian treasures of fertile Phrygia," i. e., the 
treasures (rich produce) of Mygdonian Phrygia. The epithet Mygdonian 
is applied to Phrygia, either in allusion to the Mygdones, a Thracian tribe 
who settled in this country, or with reference to one of the ancient mon- 
archs of the land. The former is probably the more correct opinion. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II., ODE XIII. 327 

Ode XTII. The poet, having narrowly escaped destruction from the fall- 
ing of a tree, indulges in strong and angry invectives against hoth the 
tree and the individual who planted and reared it. The subject naturally 
leads to serious reflections, and the bard sings of the world of spirits to 
which he had been almost a visitant. The poet alludes to this same acci- 
dent in the 17th ode of the present book (v. 28), and also in the 4th ode of 
the third book (v. 27), where he speaks of his celebrating the anniversary 
of his deliverance on the Calends of March, the date of the accident. 

1-11. 1. Ille et nefasto, &c. " O tree, whoever first planted thee, 
planted thee on an unlucky day, and with a sacrilegious hand reared thee 
for the ruin of posterity and the disgrace of the district." Pagus alludes 
to the village district of Mandela, to which Horace's Sabine farm belonged. 
With quicunque primum understand posuit te. Bentley reads Ilium 6 
for Ille et, and places a semicolon after pagi in the fourth line. The pas- 
sage, as altered by him, will then be translated as follows : " For my part, 
I believe that he whoever first planted thee," &c, and then in the fifth 
line, "I say, I believe that he both made away with the life of his parent," 
&c. — Nefasto die. Compare note on Ode ii., 3, 6. — 5. Crediderim. "For 
my part, I believe." The perfect subjunctive is here used with the force 
of a present, to express a softened assertion. — 6. Fregisse cervicem. 
"Strangled." Supply laqueo. — Et penetralia, &c. "And sprinkled the 
inmost parts of his dwelling with the blood of a guest slain in the night- 
season." To violate the ties of hospitality was ever deemed one of the 
greatest of crimes. — 8. Ille venena Colcka, &c. " He was wont to handle 
Colchian poisons, and to perpetrate whatever wickedness is any where 
conceived," &c, i. e., all imaginable wickedness. The zeugma in tracta- 
vit is worthy of notice. Observe the force of the aorist in tractavit, as in- 
dicating custom or habit. — Venena Colcka. The name and skill of Medea 
gave celebrity, among the poets, to the poisons of Colchis. Colcka for 
Colchica. — 11. Triste lignum. "Unlucky tree." Lignum marks con- 
tempt. — Caducum. Equivalent here to "quod prope casurum erat." 

13-18. 13. Quid quisque vitet, Sec. " Man is never sufficiently aware 
of the danger that he has every moment to avoid." — 14. Bosporum. Al- 
luding to the Thracian Bosporus, which was considered peculiarly dan- 
gerous by the early mariners on account of the Cyanean rocks at the en- 
trance of the Euxine. — 17. Sagittas et celeremfugam Parthi. Compare 
note on Ode i., 19, 11. — 18. Italum robur. " An Italian prison." The 
term robur appears to allude particularly to the well-known prison at 
Rome called Tullianum. It was originally built by Ancus Marcius, and 
afterward enlarged by Servius Tullius, whence that part of it which was 
under ground, and built by him, received the name of Tullianum. Thus 
VaiTo (L. L., 4) observes : " In hoc, pars quae sub terra Tullianum, ideo 
quod additum a Tullio rege." The full expression is " Tullianum ro* 
bur" from its walls having been originally of oak. In this prison, captive 
monarchs, after having been led through the streets of Rome in triumph, 
were confined, and either finally beheaded or starved to death. ♦ 

20-26. 20. Improvisa leti vis, &c. " The unforeseen attack of death 
has hurried off, and will continue to hurry off the nations of the world." — 
21 . Quam pcenefurvce, &c. " How near were we to beholding the realms 



328 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XIII. 

of sable Proserpina." — 22. Judicantem. "Dispensing justice." Plato, in 
his Gorgias (p. 524, A.), represents iEacus as judging the shades from 
Europe, and Rhadamanthus those from Asia, while Minos sat as supreme 
judge to hear appeals. The case of Horace, therefore, would have fallen 
under the jurisdiction of iEacus. — 23. Sedesque discretas piorum. "The 
separate abodes of the pious," i. c, the abodes of the good separated from 
those of the wicked. The allusion is to the Elysian Fields. — 24. JEoliis 
Jidibus querentem, &c. " Sappho, complaining on her iEolian lyre of the 
damsels of her native island." Sappho, the famous poetess, was born at 
Mytilene, in the island of Lesbos, and as she wrote in the iEolic dialect, 
which was that of her native island, Horace has designated her lyre by 
the epithet of " iEolian." — 26. Et te sonantem plenius aureo, &c. "And 
thee, Alcaeus, sounding forth in deeper strains, with thy golden quill, the 
hai'dships of ocean, the hardships of exile, the hardships of war." Alcaeus, 
a native of Mytilene, in the island of Lesbos, was contemporary with Sap- 
pho, Pittacus, and Stesichorus (Clinton's Fasti Hellenici, p. 5, 2d ed.), 
and famed as well for his resistance to tyranny and his unsettled life, as 
for his lyric productions. Having aided Pittacus to deliver his country 
from the tyrants which oppressed it, he quarrelled with this friend when 
the people of Mytilene had placed uncontrolled power in the hands of the 
latter, and some injurious verses which he composed against Pittacus 
caused himself and his adherents to be driven into exile. An endeavor 
to return by force of arms proved unsuccessful, and Alcaeus fell into the 
power of his former friend, who, forgetting all that had passed, generously 
granted him both life and freedom. In his odes Alcaeus treated of various 
topics. At one time he inveighed against tyrants ; at another, he deplored 
the misfortunes which had attended him, and the pains of exile ; while, 
on other occasions, he celebrated the praises of Bacchus and the goddess 
of love. He wrote in the JEolic dialect. 

29-39. 29. Utrumqve sacro, &c. " The disembodied spirits listen with 
admiration to each, as they pour forth strains worthy of being heard in 
sacred silence." At the ancient sacred rites the most profound silence 
was required from all who stood around, both out of respect to the deity 
whom they were worshipping, as also lest some ill-omened expression, 
casually uttered by any one of the crowd, should mar the solemnities of 
the day. Hence the phrase " sacred silence" became eventually equiva- 
lent to, and is here used generally as " the deepest silence." — 30. Sed ma- 
gis pugnas, &c. " But the gathering crowd, pressing with their shoulders 
to hear, drink in with more delight the narrative of conflicts and of tyrants 
driven from their thrones." The phrase " libit aure" (literally, " drink in 
with the ear") is remarkable for its lyric boldness. — 33. litis carminibus 
stupens. "Lost in stupid astonishment at those strains." — 34. Demittit. 
" Hangs down." — Bellua centiccps. Cerberus. Hesiod assigns him only 
fifty heads. ( Theog., 312.) Sophocles styles him "Atdov rpiicpavov ckv- 
/la/ca. {Track., 1114.) — 37. Quin et Prometheus, &c. "Both Prome- 
theus, too, and the father of Pelops, are cheated by the sweet melody into 
a forgaimlness of their sufferings." Decipitur laborum is a Graecism. 
By Pelopis parens is meant Tantalus. — 39. Orion. Consult note on Ode 
ill, 4, 71. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XV. 329 

Ode XIV. Addressed to a rich but avaricious friend, whom anxiety 
for the future debarred from every kind of present pleasure. The poet 
depicts, in strong and earnest language, the shortness of life, the certainty 
of death, and thus strives to inculcate his favorite Epicurean maxim, that 
existence should be enjoyed while it lasts. 

1-27. 1. Fug-aces labuntur anni. " Fleeting years glide swiftly by." 
— 3. Instanti. " Rapidly advancing." Pressing on apace. — 5. Non si 
trecenis, Sec. " No, my friend, (it will bring with it no delay), even though 
thou strive to appease the inexorable Pluto with three hundred bulls for 
every day that passes ; Pluto, who confines," &c. After non supply mo- 
ram afferet. — 7. Ter amplum Geryonen. " Geryon, monster of triple size." 
Alluding to the legend of Geryon slain by Hercules. — Tityon. Tityos, 
son of Terra, attempting to offer violence to Latona, was slain by the 
arrows of Apollo and Diana. — 9. Scilicet omnibus enaviganda. " That 
stream which must be traversed by us all." Observe the force of scilicet, 
which we have expressed by a repetition of the noun unda. — 10. Terra 
munere. " The bounty of the earth." — Reges. Equivalent here to divites, 
a common usage with Horace. — 12. Coloni. "Tenants." Compare the 
explanation of Orelli : " Qui agrum alienum colunt, vel mercede, vel pen- 
sionem domino solventes." — 18. Cocytos. One of the fabled rivers of the 
lower world. — Danai genus infame. Alluding to the story of the Danai- 
des. — 19. Damnatus longi laboris. " Condemned to eternal toil." An 
imitation of the Greek construction. Thus Karayvuodelc -ftavaTov. — 23. 
Invisas cupressus. " The odious cypresses." The cypress is here said 
to be the only tree that will accompany its possessor to the grave, in allu- 
sion to the custom of placing cypresses around the funeral piles and the 
tombs of the departed. A branch of cypress was also placed at the door 
of the deceased, at least if he was a person of consequence, to prevent the 
Pontifex Maximus from entering, and thereby being polluted. This tree 
was sacred to Pluto, because, when once cut, it was supposed never to 
grow again. Its dark foliage also renders it peculiarly proper for a fune- 
real tree. — 24. Brevem dominum. " Their short-lived master." — 25. Dig- 
nior. " More worthy of enjoying them." — 26. Servata centum clavibus. 
" Guarded beneath a hundred keys." Equivalent merely to diligentis- 
sime servata. — 27. Superbis pontijicum potiore ctenis. "Superior to that 
which is quaffed at the costly banquets of the pontiffs." The banquets of 
the pontiffs, and particularly of the Salii, were so splendid as to pass into 
a proverb. — Some editions read superbum, agreeing with pavimentum, 
and the phrase will then denote the tesselated pavements of antiquity. 
Orelli and others read superbo, agreeing with mero. 



Ode XV. The poet inveighs against the wanton and luxurious expen- 
diture of the age, and contrasts it with the strict frugality of earlier times. 

1-7. i. Jam. "Soon." — Regm moles. "Palace-like structures." Al- 
luding to the splendid dwellings or villas of the Roman nobility, scattered 
over Italy. — 3. Lucrino lacu. The Lucrine lake was in the vicinity of 
Baiae, on the Campanian shore. It was, properly speaking, a part of tha 
sea shut in by a dike thrown across a narrow inlet. The lake has entire- 
ly disappeared, owing to a subterraneous eruption which took place in 



330 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XVI. 

1538, whereby the hill called Monte Nuovo was raised, and the water 
displaced. This lake was famed for its oysters and other shell-fish. — 
Stagna. "Fish-ponds." Equivalent here to piscincd. — Platanusque 
ccelebs, Sec. " And the unwedded plane-tree shall take the place of the 
elms." The plane-tree was merely ornamental, whereas the elms were 
useful for rearing the vines. Hence the meaning of the poet is, that utility 
shall be made to yield to the mere gratification of the eye. The plane- 
tree was never employed for rearing the vine, and hence is called ccelebs, 
whereas the elm was chiefly used for this purpose. — 5. Violaria. " Beds 
of violets." — 6. Myrtus. Nominative plural, fourth declension. — Omnis 
copia narium. " All the riches of the smell," i. e., every fragrant flower. 
Literally, " all the abundance of the nostrils." — 7. Spargent olivetis odorem. 
"Shall scatter their perfume along the olive grounds," i.e., the olive shall 
be made to give place to the violet, the myrtle, and every sweet-scented 
plant. 

9-20. 9. Fervidos ictus. Understand solis. — 10. Non ita Romuli, Sec. 
" Such is not the rule of conduct prescribed by the examples of Romulus 
and the unshorn Cato, and by the simple lives of our fathers." As regards 
the epithet intonsi, which is intended to designate the plain and austere 
manners of Cato, consult note on Ode i., 12, 41. — 13. Privatus illis, &c. 
" Their private fortunes were small, the public resources extensive." — 
14. Nulla decempedis, &c. " No portico, measured for private individuals 
by rods ten feet in length, received the cool breezes of the North." The 
decempeda was a pole ten feet long, used by the agrimensores in meas- 
uring land. The allusion is to a portico so large in size as to be measured 
by rods of these dimensions, as also to the custom, on the part of the Ro- 
mans, of having those portions of their villas that were to be occupied in 
summer facing the north. The apartments intended for winter were turn- 
ed toward the south, or some adjacent point. — 17. Nee fortuitum, &c. 
" Nor did the laws, while they ordered them to adorn their towns at the 
public charge, and the temples of the gods with new stone, permit them 
(in rearing their simple abodes) to reject the turf which chance might have 
thrown in their way." The meaning of the poet is simply this : private 
abodes in those days were plain and unexpensive: the only ornamental 
structures were such as were erected for the purposes of the state or the 
worship of the gods. — 20. Novo saxo. The epithet novo merely refers to the 
circumstance of stone being in that eai-ly age a new (i. e., unusual) material 
for private abodes, and appropriated solely to edifices of a public nature. 



Ode XVI. All men are anxious for a life of repose, but all do not pur- 
sue the true path for attaining this desirable end. It is to be found neither 
in the possession of riches, nor in the enjoyment of public honors. The 
contented man is alone successful in the search, and the more so from his 
constantly remembering that perfect happiness is nowhere to.be found 
on earth. Such is a faint outline of this beautiful ode, and which proves, 
we trust, how totally unfounded is the criticism of Lord Kaimes [Elements, 
vol. i., p. 37), with reference to what he is pleased to consider its want of 
connection. 

1-15. l.Otium. "For repose." — Impotenti. "Stormy." The common 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.-— BOOK If., ODE XVI. 331 

text has inpatenti. We have given impotenti with Bentley and others. — 
2. Pressus. Understand periculo. The common reading is prensus. — Si- 
mul. For simul etc. — 3. Condidit Lunam. "Has shrouded the moon from 
view." — Certa. " With steady lustre." — 5. Thrace. The Greek nom- 
inative, Qpanrj, for Thracia. — 6. Medi pharetra decori. " The Parthians 
adorned with the quiver." Compare note on Ode i., 3, 51. — 7. Grosphe 
non gemmis, &c. In construing, repeat the term otium. " Repose, O 
Grosphus, not to he purchased by gems, nor by purple, nor by gold." — 
9. Gaza. " The wealth of kings." — Consularis lictor. " The lictor of the 
consul." E ach consul was attended by twelve lictors. It was one of their 
duties to remove the crowd {turbam submovere) and clear the way for the 
magistrates whom they attended. — 11. Curas laqueata circum, &c. "The 
cares that hover around the splendid ceilings of the great." Laqueata 
tecta is here rendered in general language. The phrase properly refers 
to ceilings formed into raised work and hollows by beams cutting each 
other at right angles. The beams and the interstices (lacus) were adorn- 
ed with rich carved work and with gilding or paintings. — 13. Vivitur par- 
vo bene, &c. " That man lives happily on scanty means, whose paternal 
salt-cellar glitters on his frugal board." In other words, that man is hap- 
py who deviates not from the mode of life pursued by his forefathers, who 
l'etains their simple household furniture, and whose dwelling is the abode 
not only of frugality, but of cleanliness. Vivitur is taken impersonally; 
understand UK. — 14. Salinum. Among the poor, a shell served for a salt- 
cellar; but all who were raised above poverty had one of silver, which 
descended from father to son and was accompanied by a silver plate or 
patten, which was used, together with the salt-cellar, in the domestic sac- 
rifices. — 15. Cupido sordidus. " Sordid avarice." 

17-26. 17. Quid brevi fortes, &c. "Why do we, whose strength is of 
short duration, aim at many things ? Why do we change our own for 
lands warming beneath another sun ? What exile from his country is an 
exile also from himself?" After mutamus understand nostra (scil. terra), 
the ablative denoting the instrument of exchange ; and as regards the 
meaning of the phrase brevi fortes oevo, compare the explanation of Braun- 
hard : " Quid nos, qui ad breve tempus Jioremus, valemus, et vivimus, mul- 
ta nobis proponimus," &c. — 19. Patrice quis exsul. Some commentators 
regard the expression patriae exsul as pleonastic, and connect patriae with 
the previous clause, placing after it a mark of interrogation, and making 
it an ellipsis for patriae sole. — 20. Sequoquefugit. Referring to the cares 
and anxieties of the mind. — 21. JEratas naves. "The brazen-beaked 
galleys." The ancient ships of war usually had their beaks covered with 
plates of brass. — Vitiosa cura. " Corroding care." — 23. Agente nimbos. 
"As it drives onward the tempests." — 25. Lostus in prcesens, &c. "Let 
the mind that is contented with its present lot dislike disquieting itself 
about the events of the future." — 26. Lento risu. " With a careless 
smile," i. e., with the calm smile of philosophic indifference. Lentus here 
is passionless, as opposed to violentus. The common reading is lotto. 

30-38. 30. Tithonum minuit. "Wasted away the powers of Titho- 
nus." — 32. Hora. " The changing fortune of the hour." (Compare Ruhn- 
ken, ad Veil. Paterc, ii., 18, p. 127.)— 34. Hinnitum. The last syllable 
being cut off' before apta by ecthlipsis and synalcepha, ni becomes the last 



332 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XVII. 

syllable of the verse, and may consequently be made short. — 35. Apia 
quadrigis. " Fit for the chariot." The poet merely wishes to express 
the generous properties of the animal. The ancients gave the preference 
in respect of swiftness to mares. The term quadriga properly denotes a 
chariot drawn by four horses or mares. The Romans always yoked the 
animals that drew their race-chariots abreast. Nero drove a decemjugis 
at Olympia, but this was an unusual extravagance. — Bis Afro murice 
tinctcz. Vestments twice dyed were called dibapha ((5i',(3a0a). The ob- 
ject of this process was to communicate to the garment what was deemed 
the most valuable purple, l'esembling the color of clotted blood, and of a 
blackish, shining appearance. The purple of the ancients was obtained 
from the juice of a shell-fish called murex, and found at Tyre, in Asia Mi- 
nor ; in Meninx, an island near the Syrtis Minor ; on the Gaetulian shore 
of the Atlantic Ocean, in Africa, and at the Tasnarian promontory in the 
Peloponnesus.— 37. Parva rura. Alluding to his Sabine farm. — 38. Spir- 
itum Graia, &c. " Some slight inspiration of the Grecian muse," i. e., 
some little talent for lyric verse. 



Ode XVII. Addressed to Maecenas, languishing under a protracted and 
painful malady, and expecting every moment a termination of his exist- 
ence. The poet seeks to call off the thoughts of his patron and friend 
from so painful a subject, and while he descants in strong and feeling lan- 
guage on the sincerity of his own attachment, and on his resolve to accom- 
pany him to the grave, he seeks, at the same time, to inspire him with 
brighter hopes, and with the prospect of recovery from the hand of disease. 

The constitution of Maecenas, naturally weak, had been impaired by 
effeminacy and luxurious living. " He had labored," observes Mr. Dun- 
lop, " from his youth under a perpetual fever ; and for many years before 
his death he suffered much from watchfulness, which was greatly aggra- 
vated by his domestic chagrins. Maecenas was fond of life and enjoy- 
ment, and of life even without enjoyment. He confesses, in some verses 
preserved by Seneca, that he would wish to live even under every accu- 
mulation of physical calamity. (Seneca, Epist., 101.) Hence he anx- 
iously resorted to different remedies for the cure or relief of this distress- 
ing malady. Wine, soft music sounding at a distance, and various other 
contrivances, were tried in vain. At length Antonius Musa, the imperial 
physician, obtained for him some alleviation of his complaint by means of 
distant symphonies and the murmuring of falling water. But all these 
resources at last failed. The nervous and feverish disorder with which 
he was afflicted increased so dreadfully, that for three years before his 
death he never closed his eyes." (History of Roman Literature, vol. iii., 
p. 42, Lond. ed.) 

Whether this ode was written shortly before his dissolution, or at some 
previous period, can not be ascertained, nor is it a point of much importance. 

1-14. 1. Qnerelis. Alluding to the complaints of Maecenas at the 
dreaded approach of death. Consult Introductory Remarks to this ode. — 
3. Obire. Understand mortem, or diem supremum. — 5. Mece partem ani- 
mal. "The one half of my existence." A fond expression of intimate 
friendship. — 6. Maturior vis. "Too early a blow," i. e., an untimely 
death. — Quid moror altera, &c. "Why do I, the remaining portion, lin- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XVIII. 333 

ger here behind, neither equally dear to myself, nor surviving entire V — 
8. Utramque ducet ruinam. "Will bring ruin to us each." — 10. Sacra- 
•mentum. A figurative allusion to the oath taken by the Roman soldiers, 
the terms of which were, that they would be faithful to their commander, 
and follow wherever he led, were it even to death. — 11. Utcunque. 
Equivalent to quandocunque. — 14. Gyas. One of the giants that attempt- 
ed to scale the heavens. He was hurled to Tartarus by the thunderbolts 
of Jove, and there lay prostrate and in fetters. Goettling reads Tvtjc, in 
Hesiod, Theog., 149, which would make the Latin form Gyes. We have 
followed Meinecke and others in giving Gyas. 

17-28. 17. Adspicit. " Presides over my existence." The reference 
is here to judicial astrology, according to which pretended science, the 
stars that appeared above the horizon at the moment of one's birth, as 
well as their particular positions with reference to each other, were sup- 
posed to exercise a decided influence upon, and to regulate the life of the 
individual. — 18. Pars violentior, &c. " The more dangerous portion of 
the natal hour." — 19. Capricornus. The rising and setting of Capricor- 
nus was usually attended with storms. (Compare Propertius, iv., 1, 107.) 
Hence the epithet aquosus is sometimes applied to this constellation. In 
astrology, Libra was deemed favorable, while the influence of Scorpius 
and Capricornus was regarded as malign. — 20. Utrumque nostrum, &c. 
" Our respective horoscopes agree in a wonderful manner." The term 
horoscope is applied in astrology to the position of the stars at the moment 
of one's birth. Mitscherlich explains the idea of the poet as follows : "In 
quocunque zodiaci sidere horoscopus mens fuerit inventus, licet diverso a 
tui horoscopi sidere, tamen horoscopus meus cum tuo quam maxime con- 
sentiat necesse est." — 21. Impio Saturno. "From baleful Saturn." — 22. 
Refulgens. " Shining in direct opposition." — 26. Lcetum ter crepuit so- 
num. "Thrice raised the cry of joy." Acclamations raised by the peo- 
ple on account of the safety of Maecenas. Compare note on Ode i., 20, 3. 
— 28. Sustulerat. For sustulis set. The indicative here imparts an air of 
liveliness to the representation, though in the conditional clause the sub- 
junctive is used. (Zumpt, § 519, b.) As regards the allusion of the poet, 
compare Ode ii., 13. 



Ode XVIII. The poet, while he censures the luxury and profusion of 
the age, describes himself as contented with little, acceptable to many 
friends, and far happier than those who were blessed with the gifts of for- 
tune, but ignorant of the true mode of enjoying them. 

1-7. 1. Aureum lacunar. "Fretted ceiling overlaid with gold." Com- 
pare note on Ode ii., 16, 11. — 3. Trabes Hymettian. "Beams of Hymettian 
marble." The term trabes here includes the architrave, frieze, cornice, &c. 
The marble of Hymettus was held in high estimation by the Romans. 
Some editions have Hymettias, and in the following line recisce, so that 
trabes recisai ultima Africa will refer to African marble, and Hymettias 
columnas to Hymettian wood ; but the wood of Hymettus does not appear 
to have been thought valuable by the Romans. — Ultima recisas Africa. 
Alluding to the Numidian marble. The kind most highly prized had a 
dark surface variegated with spots. — 6. Attali. Attalus the Third, famed 



334 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XVIII. 

for his immense riches, left the kingdom of Pergamus and all his treasures 
hy will to the Roman people ; at least, such was the construction which 
the latter put upon it. (Compare Duker, ad Flor., ii., 20.) After his 
death, Aristonicus, a natural son of Eumenes, father of Attalus (Livy, 
xlv., 19 ; Justin, xxxvi., 4), laid claim to the kingdom, hut was defeated 
hy the consul Perperna and earned to Rome, where he was put to death 
in prison. It is to him that the poet alludes under the appellation of hceres 
ignotus. — 7. Nee Laconicas mihi, &c. "Nor do female dependents, of no 
ignoble birth, spin for me the Spartan purple." The purple of Laconia, 
obtained in the vicinity of the Taenarian promontory, was the most highly 
prized. Compare note on Ode ii., 16, 35. By honestce clientce are meant 
female clients of free birth; not freed women, but citizens working for 
their patronus. 

9-22. 9. At fides et ingeni, &c. "But integrity is mine, and a liberal 
vein of talent." — 13. Potentem amicum. Alluding to Maecenas. — 14. Satis 
beatus, &c. " Sufficiently happy with my Sabine farm alone." — 15. Tru- 
ditur dies die. The train of thought appears to be as follows: Contented 
with my slender fortune, I am the less solicitous to enlarge it, when I re- 
flect on the short span of human existence. How foolishly then do they 
act, who, when day is chasing day in rapid succession, are led on by their 
eager avarice, or their fondness for display, to form plans on the very brink 
of the grave. — 16. Pergunt interire. "Hasten onward to their wane." — 
17. Tu secanda marmora, &c. " And yet thou, on the very brink of the 
grave, art bargaining to have marble cut for an abode." Directly opposed 
to locare, in this sense, is the verb redimere, " to contract to do any thing," 
whence the term redemtor, " a contractor." — 20. Marisque Baiis, &c. B aiae, 
on the Campanian shore, was a favorite residence of the Roman nobility, 
and adorned with beautiful villas. There were numerous warm springs 
also in its vicinity, which were considered to possess salutary properties 
for various disorders. — 21. Summovere. " To push farther into the deep," 
i. e., to erect moles on which to build splendid structures amid the waters. 
— 22. Parum locuples, &c. "Not i-ich enough with the shore of the main 
land," i. e., not satisfied with the limits of the land. 

23-40. 23. Quid? quod usque, &c. "What shall I say of this, that 
thou even removest the neighboring land-marks 1" i. e., why need I tell 
of thy removing the land-marks of thy neighbor's possessions ? The allu- 
sion is to the rich man's encroaching on the grounds of an inferior. This 
offence was the more heinous, since land-marks anciently were invested 
with a sacred character, as emblems of the god Terminus. — 24. Ultra 
salis. " Leapest over." The verb salio is here used to express the con- 
temptuous disregard of the powerful man for the rights of his dependents. 
Hence salis ultra may be freely rendered " contemnest." — 26. Avarus. 
"Prompted by cupidity." — 27. Ferens. "Beai-ing, each." — 28. Sordidos. 
" Squalid." In the habiliments of extreme poverty. — 29. Nulla certior 
tamen, &c. " And yet no home awaits the rich master with greater cer- 
tainty than the destined limit of rapacious Orcus." Fine beautifully marks 
the lastlimit of our earthly career. Some editions have sede instead of fine, 
and the use of the latter term in the feminine gender has been made prob- 
ably the ground for the change. But finis is used in the feminine by some 
of the best writers.— 32 Quid ultra tendis. "Why strivest thou for 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XIX. 335 

more 7" Death must overtake thee in the midst of thy course. — uEqua 
tellus. "The impartial earth." — 34. Regumque pueris. The allusion is 
to the wealthy and powerful. — Satelles Orci. Alluding to Charon. — 
35. Callidum Promethea. Alluding to some fabulous legend respecting 
Prometheus which has not come down to us. — 37. Tantali genus. Pelops, 
Atreus, Thyestes, Agamemnon, Orestes. — 40. Moratus. The common 
text has vocatus, for which we have given the elegant emendation of 
Withofius. Levare depends on vocatus. 



Ode XIX. Celebrating, in animated language, the praises of Bacchus, 
aud imitated, veiy probably, from some Greek dithyrambic ode. There 
is nothing, however, in the piece itself to countenance the opinion that it 
was composed for some festival in honor of Bacchus. 

1-20. 1. Carmina docentem. " Dictating strains," i. e., teaching how 
to celebrate his praises in song. Compare the Greek form of expression, 
diddoKsiv dptifia. As the strains mentioned in the text are supposed to 
have reference to the mysteries of the god, the scene is hence laid in re- 
motis rupibus, " amid rocks far distant from the haunts of men." — 4. Acutas. 
"Attentively listening." Literally, "pricked up to listen." — 5. Evoe ! 
The Greek ~E,vol- The poet now feels himself under the powerful in- 
fluence of the god, and breaks forth into the well-known cry of the Bac- 
chantes when they celebrate the orgies. — Recenti mens trepidat metu, 
&c. "My mind trembles with recent dread, and, my bosom being filled 
with the inspiration of Bacchus, is agitated with troubled joy." Both 
trepidat and Icetatur refer to mens, and turbidum is to be construed as 
equivalent to turbide. The arrangement of the whole clause is purpose- 
ly involved, that the words may, by their order, yield a more marked echo 
to the sense. — Gravi metuende tliyrso. Bacchus was thought to inspire 
with fury by hurling his thyrsus. — 9. Fas pervicaces, &c. " It is allowed 
me to sing of the stubbornly -raging Bacchantes," i. e., my piety toward 
the god requires that I sing of, &c. — 10. Vinique fontem, &c. The poet 
enumerates the gifts bestowed upon man in earlier ages by the miracu- 
lous powers of the god. At his presence all nature rejoices, and, under 
his potent influence, the earth, struck by the thyrsi of the Bacchantes, 
yields wine and milk, while honey flows from the trees. The imagery is 
here decidedly Oriental, and must remind us of that employed in many 
parts of the sacred writings. — 12. Iterare. " To tell again and again of." 
1 — 14. Honorem. Equivalent to ornamentum or decus. The allusion is to 
the crown of Ariadne {corona borealis), one of the constellations, consist- 
ing of nine stars. The epithet beatas, applied to Ariadne, refers to her 
having been translated to the skies, and made one of the " blessed" im- 
mortals. — Penihei. Alluding to the legend of Pentheus, king of Thebes, 
who was torn in pieces by his own mother and her sisters, and his palace 
overthrown by Bacchus. — 16. Lycurgi. Lycurgus, king of the Edones in 
Thrace, punished for having driven the infant Bacchus from his kingdom. 
— 18. Tu Jlectis amnes, &c. "Thou turnest backward the courses of 
rivers, thou sway est the billows of the Indian Sea." Alluding to the won- 
ders performed by Bacchus in his fabled conquest of India and other re- 
gions of the East. The rivers here meant are the Oi'ontes and Hydaspes. 
—18. Tu separatism &c. " On the lonely mountain tops, moist with wine, 



336 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XX. 

thou confinest, without harm to them, the locks of the Bacchantes with a 
knot of vipers," i. e., under thy influence, the Bacchantes tie up their locks, 
&c. — 20. Bistonidum. Literally, "of the female Bistones." Here, how- 
ever, equivalent to Baccharum. 

23-31. 23. Leonis unguibus. Bacchus was fahled to have assumed on 
this occasion the form of a lion. — 25. Quanquam, chords, &c. " Though 
said to be fitter for dances and festive mirth." — 26. Non sat idoneus. "Not 
equally well suited." — 27. Sed idem, &c. " Yet, on that occasion, thou, 
the same deity, didst become the arbiter of peace and of war." The poet 
means to convey the idea that the intervention of Bacchus alone put an 
end to the conflict. Had not Bacchus lent his aid, the battle must have 
been longer in its duration, and different perhaps in its issue. — 29. Insons. 
"Without offering to harm." Bacchus descended to the shades for the 
purpose of bringing back his mother Semele. — Aureo cornu decorus. A 
figurative illustration of the power of the god. The horn was the well- 
known emblem of power among the ancients. — 31. Et recedentis trilingui, 
&c. The power of the god triumphs over the fierce guardian of the shades, 
who allows egress to none that have once entered the world of spirits. 



Ode XX. The bard presages his own immortality. Transformed into 
a swan, he will soar away from the abodes of men, nor need the empty 
honors of a tomb. 

1-23. 1. Non usitata, &c. " A bard of twofold form, I shall be borne 
through the liquid air on no common, no feeble pinion." The epithet 
biformis alludes to his transformation from a human being to a swan, 
which is to take place on the approach of death. Then, becoming the 
favored bird of Apollo, he will soar aloft on strong pinions beyond the 
reach of envy and detraction. The common text has nee tertui, but we 
have read non tenui, as more forcible, with Mitscherlich, Doring, and 
others. — 4. Invidiaque major, " And, beyond the reach of envy." — 5. Pau- 
perum sanguis pare'ntum. " Though the offspring of humble parents." — 
6. Non ego quern vocas, &c. "I, whom thou salutest, O Maecenas, with 
the title of beloved friend, shall never die." Dilecte is here a quotation, 
and therefore follows vocas as a kind of accusative ; in other words, it is 
taken, as the grammarians express it, materially. The reading of this 
paragraph is much contested. According to that adopted in our text, the 
meaning of the poet is, that the friendship of Maecenas will be one of his 
surest passports to the praises of posterity. — 9. Jam jam residunt, &c. 
" Now, even now, the rough skin is settling on my legs." The transforma- 
tion is already begun : my legs are becoming those of a swan. — 11. Su- 
perna. "Above." The neuter of the adjective used adverbially. Quod 
ad superna corporis membra attinet. — Nascunturque leves plumee. " And 
the downy plumage is forming." — Notior. The common text has ocior, 
which appears objectionable in a metrical point of view, since the word, 
as it stands in the common text, presents a solitary instance of a vowel in 
hiatu between the iambic and dactylic parts of the verse. From the na- 
ture, also, and succession of the metrical ictus, the final letter of Dcedaleo 
is left even without the pretence of ictus to support it as a long syllable. 
Bcntley conjectures tutior, but this seems too bold a change. — 14. Bospori. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., ODE XX. 337 

Consult note on Ode ii., 13, 14. — 15. Syrtesqne Gcetulas. Cousult note on 
Ode i., 22, 4. — Canorti* ales. " A bird of melodious note." Consult note 
on Ode i., 6, 2. — 16. Hyperboreosque campos. "And the Hyperborean 
fields," i. e., the farthest plains of the north. More literally, "the plains 
beyond the northern blast." — 17. Et qui dissimulat, &c. Alluding to the 
Parthian. The Marsi were regarded as the bravest portion of the Ro- 
man armies, and hence Marsce is here equivalent to Roman<z. Consult 
note on Ode i., 2, 39. — 18. Dacus. Consult note on Ode i., 35, 9.— 19. Ge- 
loni. Consult note on Ode ii., 9, 23. — Peritus Iber. "The learned Span- 
iard." The Spaniards imbibed a literary taste from the Romans, as these 
last had from the Greeks. — 20, Rhodanique potor. "And he who quaffs 
the waters of the Rhone." The native of Gaul.— 22. Turpes. "Unman- 
ly." — 23. Svpervacuos. The poet will need no tomb: death will never 
claim him for his own, since he is destined to live forever in the praises 
of posterity. 

P 



BOOK III. 



Ode I. The general train of thought in this beautiful Ode is simply as 
follows : True happiness consists not in the possession of power, of public 
honors, or of extensive riches, but in a tranquil and contented mind. 

1-4. 1. Odi profanum vulgus, &c. " I hate the uninitiated crowd, and 
I keep them at a distance." Speaking as the priest of the Muses, and be- 
ing about to disclose their sacred mysteries (in other words, the precepts 
of true wisdom) to the favored few, the poet imitates the form of language 
by which the uninitiated and profane were directed to retire from the 
mystic rites of the gods. The rules of a happy life can not be compre- 
hended and may be abused by the crowd. — 2. Favetc Unguis. " Preserve 
a religious silence." Literally, " favor me with your tongues." We have 
here another form of words, by which silence and attention were enjoin- 
ed on the true worshippers. This was required, not only from a principle 
of religious respect, but also lest some ill-omened expression might casual- 
ly fall from those who were present, and mar the solemnities of the oc- 
casion. Compare the Greek ev^n/ietTc — Carmina non prius audita. 
" Strains before unheard." There appears to be even here an allusion to 
the language and forms of the mysteries in which new and important 
truths were promised to be disclosed. — 4. Virginibus puerisque canto. 
The poet supposes himself to be dictating his strains to a chorus of virgins 
and youths. Stripped of its figurative garb, the idea intended to be con- 
veyed will be simply this : that the bard wishes his precepts of a happy 
life to be carefully treasured up by the young. 

5-14. 5. Regum timendorttm, &c. The poet now unfolds his subject. 
Kings, he observes, are elevated far above the ordinary ranks of men, but 
Jove is mightier than kings themselves, and can in an instant humble 
their power in the dust. Royalty, therefore, carries with it no peculiar 
claims to the enjoyment of happiness. — In proprios greges. "Over their 
own flocks." Kings are the shepherds of their people. — 9. Cuncta super- 
cilio moventis. "Who shakes the universe with his nod." Compare 
Homer, II. , i., 528. — 9. Est ut viro vir, &c. " It happens that one man 
arranges his trees at greater distances in the trenches than another," 
i. e., possesses wider domains. The Romans were accustomed to plant 
their vines, olive-trees, &c, in trenches or small pits. Some editions have 
Esto for Est : " Grant that one man," &c, or " suppose that." — 10. Hie 
generosior descendat, &c. "That this one descends into the Campus Mar- 
tius a nobler applicant for office." — 12. Moribus hie meliorque jama, &c. 
Alluding to the novushomo, or man of ignoble birth. — 14. Jkqua lege Ne- 
cessitas, Sec. " Still, Necessity, by an impartial law, draws forth the lots 
of the high and the lowly; the capacious urn keeps in constant agitation 
the names of all." Necessity is here represented holding her capacious 
urn containing the names of all. She keeps the urn in constant agitation, 
and the lots that come forth from it every instant are the signals of death 
to the individuals whose names are inscribed on them. The train of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE I. 339 

thought, commencing with the third stanza, is as follows : Neither exten- 
sive possessions, nor elevated birth, nor purity of character, nor crowds 
of dependents, are in themselves sufficient to procure lasting felicity, since 
death sooner or later must close the scene, and bring all our schemes of 
interest and ambition to an end. 

: 17-31. 17. Destrictus ensis. An allusion to the well-known story of 
Damocles. The connection in the train of ideas between this and the pre- 
ceding stanza is as follows : Independently of the stern necessity of death, 
the wealthy and the powerful are prevented by the cares of riches and 
ambition from attaining to the happiness which they seek. — 18. Non Sicu- 
Ice dapes, &c. "The most exquisite viands will create no pleasing relish 
in him, over whose impious neck," &c. The expression Siculce dapes is 
equivalent here to exquisitissimce epulce. The luxury of the Sicilians in 
their banquets became proverbial. — 20. Avium citharaeque cantus. "The 
melody of birds and of the lyre." — 24. Non Zcphyris agitata Tempe. 
"She disdains not Tempe, fanned by the breezes of the west." Tempe 
is here put for any beautiful and shady vale. Consult note on Ode i., 7, 4. 
— 25. Desiderantem quod satis est, &c. According to the poet, the man 
" who desires merely what is sufficient for his wants," is free from all the 
cares that bring disquiet to those who are either already wealthy, or are 
eager in the pursuit of gain. His repose is neither disturbed by ship- 
wrecks, nor by losses in agi-icultural pursuits. — Arcturi. Arcturus is a 
star of the first magnitude, in the constellation of Bootes, near the tail of 
the Great Bear (apKToc, ovpu). Both its rising and setting were accom- 
panied by storms. — 28. Ha&di. The singular for the plural. The Hazdi, 
or kids, are two stars on the arm of Auriga. Their rising is attended by 
stormy weather, as is also their setting. — 30. Mendax. "Which disap- 
points his expectations." Compare Epist., i., 7, 87 : " Spem mentita se- 
ges." — Arbore. Taken collectively, but still with a particular reference 
to the olive. — Aquas. "'The excessive rains." — 31. Torrentia agros si- 
dera. "The influence of the stars parching the fields." Alluding partic- 
ularly to Sirius, or the dog-star, at the rising of which the trees were apt 
to contract a kind of blight, or blast, termed sideratio, and occasioned by 
the excessive heat of the sun. Compare note on Ode i., 17, 17. 

33-47. 33. Contracta pisces, &c. In order to prove how little the mere 
possession of riches can minister to happiness, the poet now adverts to 
the various expedients practiced by the wealthy for the purpose of ban- 
ishing disquiet from their breasts, and of removing the sated feelings that 
continually oppressed them. They erect the splendid villa amid the wa- 
ters of the ocean, but fear, and the threats of conscience, become also its 
inmates. They journey to foreign climes, but gloomy care accompanies 
them by sea and by land. They array themselves in the costly purple, 
but it only hides an aching heart; nor can the wine of Falernus, or the 
perfumes of the East, bring repose and pleasure to their minds. "Why, 
then," exclaims the bard, " am I to exchange my life of simple happiness 
for the splendid but deceitful pageantry of the rich ?" — 34. Jactis in altum 
molibus. "By the moles built out into the deep." Consult note on Ode 
ii., 18, 20. — Frequens redemtor cum famulis. "Many a contractor with 
his attendant workmen." Consult note on Ode ii., 18, 18. — 35. Ccementa. 
By c&menta are here meant rough and broken stones, as they come from 



340 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE II. 

the quarry, used for the purpose of filling up, and of no great size. — 36. 
Terras fastidiosus. " Loathing the land," i. e., weary of the land, and 
hence building, as it were, on the sea. Compare Ode ii., 18, 22.: "Parurn 
locuples continente ripa." — 37. Timor el Mince. "Fear and the threats 
of conscience."— 41. Phrygius lapis. Referring to the marble of Synnada, 
in Phrygia, which was held in high estimation by the Romans. It was 
of a white color, variegated with red spots, and is now called paonazzetto. 
It was used by Agrippa for the columns of the Pantheon. — 42. Purpura- 
rum sidere clarior usus. " The use of purple coverings, brighter than any 
star." With purpurarum supply vestium, the reference being to the ves- 
tes stragulce, and construe clarior as if agreeing with vestium in case. — 
43. Falerna vitis. Consult note on Ode i., 20, 9. — 44. Achcemeniumve cos- 
tum. " Or Eastern nard." Achcemenium is equivalent literally to Persi- 
cum (i. e., Parthicum). Consult notes on Ode ii., 12, 21, and i., 2, 22. — 
45. Invidendis. " Only calculated to excite the envy of others." — Novo 
ritu. " In a new style of magnificence." — 47. Cur valle permutem Sabina. 
" Why am I to exchange my Sabine vale for more burdensome riches 1" 
i. e., for riches that only bring with them a proportionate increase of care 
and trouble. Valle, as marking the instrument of exchange, is put in the 
ablative. 



Ode II. The poet exhorts his luxurious countrymen to restore the strict 
discipline of former days, and train up the young to an acquaintance with 
the manly virtues which once graced the Roman name. 

1-17. 1. Angustam amice, &c. "Let the Roman youth, robust of 
frame, learn cheerfully to endure, amid severe military exercise, the hard 
privations of a soldier's life." The expression amice pati is somewhat 
analogous to the Greek aya~T]~C)c fyipeLv, to bear a thing kindly, i. e., with 
patience and good will. The common text has amici. — Puer. The Ro- 
man age for military service commenced after sixteen. — 5. Sub divo. 
"In the open air," i. e., in the field. — Trepidis in rebus. "In the midst 
of dangers," i. e., when danger threatens his country. The poet means, 
that, when his country calls, the young soldier is to obey the summons 
with alacrity, and to shrink from no exposure to the elements. — 7. Matrona 
bellantis tyranni. " The consort of some warring monarch." Bellantis 
is here equivalent to cum Populo Romano bellum gerentis. — 8. Et adulta 
virgo. "And his virgin daughter, of nubile years." — 9. Suspiret, eheu! 
ne rudis agminum, &c. " Heave a sigh, and say, Ah ! let not the prince, 
affianced to our line, unexperienced as he is in arms, provoke," &c. By 
spousus regius is here meant a young lover of royal origin, betrothed to 
the daughter. — 13. Dulce et decorum, &c. Connect the train of ideas as 
follows : Bravely, then, let the Roman warrior contend against the foe, 
remembering that "it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country." — 
17. Virhts repulsee nescia, &c. The Roman youth must not, however, 
confine his attention to martial prowess alone. He must also seek after 
true virtue, and the firm precepts of true philosophy. When he has suc- 
ceeded in this, his will be a moral magistracy, that lies not in the gift of 
the crowd, and in aiming at which he will never experience a disgraceful 
repulse. His will be a feeling of moral worth, which, as it depends not 
on the breath of popular favor, can neither be given nor taken away by the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE III. 341 

fickle multitude. — Secures. A figurative allusion to the axes and fasces 
of the lictors, the emblems of office. 

21-31. 21. Virtus recludens, Sec. The poet mentions another incite- 
ment to the possession of true virtue, the immortality which it confers. — 
22. Negata via. "By a way denied to others," i. e., by means peculiarly 
her own. — 23. Coetusque vulgares, &c. "And, soaring on rapid pinion, 
spurns the vulgar herd and the cloudy atmosphere of earth." As regards 
the force of the epithet udam here, compare the explanation of Orelli : 
" Crasso aere obsitam, ac propterea minime dignam in qua virtus more- 
tur." — 25. Est et fideli, &c. Imitated from Simonides : eari nai oiyac 
uKivdwov yipac- This was a favorite apophthegm of Augustus. [Plut., 
Apoph., t. ii., p. 207, Fr.) Thus far the allusion to virtue has been general 
in its nature. It now assumes a more special character. Let the Roman 
youth learn in particular the sure reward attendant on good faith, and the 
certain punishment that follows its violation. — 26. Qui Cereris sacrum, 
&c. Those who divulged the mysteries were punished with death, and 
their property was confiscated. — 29. P/iaselon. The phaselus (fyaarjAoc) 
was a vessel rather long and narrow, apparently so called from its resem- 
blance to the shape of a phaselus, or kidney-bean. It was chiefly used 
by the Egyptians, and was of various sizes, from a mere boat to a vessel 
adapted for a long voyage. It was built for speed, to which more atten- 
tion seems to have been paid than to its strength, whence the epithetyVa- 
gilem here applied to it by Horace. — 30. Incesto addidit integrum. "In- 
volves the innocent with the guilty." — 31. Raro Antecedentem scelestum, 
6cc. "Rarely does punishment, though lame of foot, fail to overtake the 
wicked man moving on before her," i.e., justice, though often slow, is sure. 



Ode III. The ode opens with the praises of justice and persevering 
firmness. Their recompense is immortality. Of the truth of this remark 
splendid examples are cited, and, among others, mention being made of 
Romulus, the poet dwells on the circumstances which, to the eye of ima- 
gination, attended his apotheosis. The gods are assembled in solemn 
conclave to decide upon his admission to the skies. Juno, most hostile 
before to the line of iEneas, now declares her assent. Satisfied with past 
triumphs, she allows the founder of the Eternal City to participate in the 
joys of Olympus. The lofty destinies of Rome are also shadowed forth, 
and the conquest of nations is promised to her arms. But the condition 
which accompanies this expression ofherwillis sternly mentioned. The 
city of Troy must never rise from its ashes. Should the descendants of 
Romulus rebuild the detested city, the vengeance of the goddess will 
again be exerted for its downfall. 

It is a conjecture of Faber's (Epist., ii., 43) that Horace wishes, in the 
present ode, to dissuade Augustus from executing a plan he had at this 
time in view, of transferring the seat of empire from Rome to Ilium, and 
of rebuilding the city of Priam. Suetonius (Vit. Jul.) speaks of a similar 
project in the time of Caesar. Zosimus also states that, in a later age, 
Constantine actually commenced building a new capital in the plain of 
Troy, but was soon induced by the superior situation of Byzantium to 
abandon his project. (Zos., ii., 30.) 



342 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE III. 

1-22. 1. Justum et tenacem, &c. " Not the wild fury of his fellow-citi- 
zens ordering evil measures to be pursued, nor the look of the threaten- 
ing tyrant, nor the southern blast, the stormy ruler of the restless Adriatic, 
nor the mighty hand of Jove wielding his thunderbolts, shakes from his 
settled purpose the man who is just and firm in his resolve." In this no- 
ble stanza, that firmness alone is praised which rests on the basis of in- 
tegrity and justice. — 2. Prava jubentium. Equivalent, in fact, to " iniquas 
leges fereutium." The people were szidjubere leges, because the formula 
by which they were called upon to vote ran thus : Velitis, jubeatis Qui- 
rites 1 {Braunhard, ad loc.) — 7. Si fractus illabatur orbis, &e. "If the 
shattered heavens descend upon him, the ruins will strike him remaining 
a stranger to fear." — 9. Hac arte. " By this rule of conduct," i. e., by in- 
tegrity and firmness of purpose. — Vagus Hercules. " The roaming Her- 
cules." — 12. Purpureo ore. Referring either to the dark-red color of the 
nectar, or to the Roman custom of adorning on solemn occasions, such as 
triumphs, &c, the faces of the gods with vermilion. — 13. Hac merentem. 
" For this deserving immortality." — 14. Vexere. " Bore thee to the skies." 
Baccbus is represented by the ancient fabulists as returning in triumph 
from the conquest of India and the E ast in a chariot drawn by tigers. He 
is now described as having ascended in this same way to the skies by a 
singular species of apotheosis. — 16. Martis equis, &c. Observe the ele- 
gant variety of diction in the phrases arces attigit igneas, quos inter Au- 
gustus recumbens, vexere tigres, and Acheronta fugit, all expressive of 
the same idea, the attaining of immortality. According to the legend, 
Mars carried off his son to heaven on the nones of duinctilis, and during a 
thunder-storm. Compare Ovid, Fast., ii., 495 ; Met., xiv., 816. — 17. Gra- 
tum elocuta, &c. " After Juno had uttered what was pleasing to the gods 
deliberating in council." — 18. Ilion, Ilion, &c. An abrupt but beautiful 
commencement, intended to portray the exulting feelings of the triumph- 
ant Juno. The order of construction is as follows : Judex fatalis incestus- 
que, et mulier peregrina, vertit in pulverem Ilion, Ilion, damnatum mihi 
castceque Minervce, cum populo etfraudulento duce, ex quo Laomedon des- 
tituit deos pacta mercede. — 19. Fatalis incestusque judex, &c. "A judge, 
the fated author of his country's ruin, and impure in his desires, and a fe- 
male from a foreign land." Alluding to Paris and Helen, and the legend 
of the apple of discord. — 21. Ex quo. "From the time that," i.e., ever 
since. Supply tempore. — Destituit deos, &c. "Defrauded the gods of 
their stipulated reward." Alluding to the fable of Laomedon's having 
refused to Apollo and Neptune their promised recompense for building 
the walls of Troy. — 22. Mihi caxtaque damnatum Minerva?. " Consigned 
for punishment to me and the spotless Minerva." Condemned by the 
gods, and given over to these two deities for punishment. The idea is 
borrowed from the Roman law by which an insolvent debtor was deliver- 
ed over into the power of his creditors. 

25-48. 25. Splendst. " Displays his gaudy person." It is simplest to 
make Lacana adulters the genitive, depending on kospes. Some, how- 
ever, regard it as the dative, and, joining it with splendet, translate, " Dis- 
plays his gaudy person to the Spartan adulteress." — 29. Nostris ductum 
seditionibus. "Protracted by our dissensions." — 31. Invisum nepotem. 
Romulus, grandson to Juno through his father Mars. — Troia sacerdos. 
Ilia. — 34. Discere. "To learn to know." The temmon text has ducere, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE IV. 343 

"to quaff." — 37. Dum lo?igus inter, &c. "Provided a long tract of ocean 
rage between Ilium and Rome." Provided Rome be separated from the 
plain of Troy by a wide expanse of intervening waters, arid tbe Romans 
rebuild not the city of their forefathers. Consult Introductory Remarks. 
— 38. Exsules. The Romans are here meant, in accordance with the pop- 
ular belief that they were the descendants ofiEneas and the Trojans, and 
exiles, consequently, from the land of Troy, the abode of their forefathers. 
— 39. Qualibet in parte. "In whatever (other) quarter it may please 
them to dwell." — 40. Busto insultet. " Trample upon the tomb." — 42. 
Catulos celent. " Conceal therein their young." Catulus is properly tbe 
young of the dog, and is then applied generally to the young of any ani- 
mal. — 43. Fulgens. "In all its splendor.'' — 44. Dare jura. "To give 
laws." — 45. Horrenda. "An object of dread." — 46. Medius liquor. "The 
intervening waters." — 48. Arva. Understand ^Egypti. 

49-70. 49. Aurum irrepertum spernerefortior. "More resolute in de- 
spising the gold as yet unexplored in the mine," i. e., the gold of the mine. 
Observe the Graecism in spernerefortior. Compare, as regards the idea 
intended to be conveyed, the explanation of Orelli : " Nulla prorsus ctt- 
piditate accendi ad auri venas investigandas." — 51. Quam cogere, <fcc. 
"Than in bending it to human purposes, with a right hand plundering 
every thing of a sacred character." The expression omne sacrum rapi- 
ente dextra is only another definition for boundless cupidity, which re- 
spects not even the most sacred objects. Among these objects gold is 
enumerated, and with singular felicity. It should be held sacred by man ; 
it should be allowed to repose untouched in the mine, considering the 
dreadful evils that invariably accompany its use. — 53. Quicunque mundo, 
&.c. "Whatever limit bounds the world." More literally, "whatever 
limit has placed itself in front for the world," i. e., in that particular quar- 
ter. (Compare Orelli, ad loc.) — 54. Visere gestiens, &c. "Eagerly de- 
siring to visit that quarter, where the fires of the sun rage with uncon- 
trolled fury, and that, where mists and rains exercise continual sway." 
We have endeavored to express the zeugma in debacckentur, without 
losing sight, at the same time, of the peculiar force and beauty of the term. 
The allusion is to the torrid and frigid zones. Supply the ellipsis in the 
text as follows : visere earn partem qua parte, &c. — Hac lege. " On this 
condition." — Nimium pit. " Too piously affectionate (toward their parent 
city)." The pious affection here alluded to is that which, according to 
ancient ideas, was due from a colony to its parent city. — 61. Alite lugubri. 
"Under evil auspices." — 62. Fortuna. "The evil fortune." — 65. Murus 
aeneus. "A brazen wall," i. e., the strongest of ramparts. — 66. Auctore 
Phcebo. As in the case of the former city. Auctore is here equivalent to 
conditore. — 70. Dcsine pervicax, &c. " Cease, bold one, to relate the dis- 
courses of the gods, and to degrade lofty themes by lowly measures." 



Ode TV. The object of the poet, in this ode, is to celebrate the praises 
of Augustus for his fostering patronage of letters. The piece opens with 
an invocation to the Muse. To this succeeds an enumeration of the bene- 
fits conferred on the bard, from his earliest years, by the deities of Heli- 
con, under whose protecting influence, no evil, he asserts, can ever ap- 
proach him. The name of Augustus is then introduced. If the humble 



344 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE IV. 

poet is defended from harm by the daughters of Mnemosyne, much more 
will the exalted Caesar experience their favoring aid ; and he will also give 
to the world an illustrious example of the beneficial effects resulting from 
power when controlled and regulated by wisdom and moderation. 

1-20. 1. Die longum melos. " Give utterance to a long melodious 
Strain." — Regina. A general term of honor, unless we refer it to Hesiod, 
Theog., 79, where Calliope is described as itpocfyepeaTdTT] (nracrewv 
(Movcrauv). — 3. Voce acuta. "With clear and tuneful accents." — 4. Fid- 
ibus citharaque. ~Fovjidibus citharce. "On the strings of Apollo's lyre." 
— 5. Auditis ? "Do you hear her?" The poet fancies that the Muse, 
having heard his invocation, has descended from the skies, and is pouring 
forth a melodious strain. Hence the question, put to those who are sup- 
posed to be standing around, whether they also hear the accents of the 
goddess. Fea, one of the modern commentators on Horace, gives on con- 
jecture Audiris ? in the sense of " Are you hear! by me V " Do you an- 
swer my invocation V — Amabilis insania. " A fond phrensy." — 7. Amamce 
quos et, &c. A beautiful zeugma. " Through which the pleasing waters 
glide and refreshing breezes blow." — 9. Fabulosce. " Celebrated in fa- 
ble." — Vulture. Mons Vultur, now Monte Voltore, was situate to the 
south of Venusia, and was, in fact, a mountain ridge, separating Apulia 
from Lucania. As it belonged, therefore, partly to one of these countries, 
and partly to the other, Horace might well use the expression Altricis 
extra limen Apulice, when speaking of the Lucanian side of the mountain. 
— Apulo. Observe that the initial vowel is long in this word, but short 
in Apulice in the next line. Some, therefore, read here Appulo ; but for 
this there is no need, since the Latin poets not unfrequently vaiy the 
quantity of proper or foreign names. Thus we have Prtdmus and Przd- 
mides ; Sicdnus and Sicdnia ; 1 talus and Italia ; Bdtdvus and Bd'dvus. 
— 10. Altricis Apulice. " Of my native Apulia." — 11. Ludo fatigatumque 
somno. "Wearied with play and oppressed with sleep." — 13. Mir urn, 
quod foret, &c. "Which might "well be a source of •wonder," &c. — 
14. Celsce nidum Acherontice. "The nest of the lofty Acherontia." 
Acherontia, now Acerenza, was situated on a hill difficult of access, south 
of Forentum, in Apulia. Its lofty situation gains for it from the poet the 
beautiful epithet of nidus. — 15. Saltusque Bantinos. Bantia, a town of 
Apulia, lay to the southeast of Venusia. — 16. Forenti. Forentum, now 
Forenza, lay about eight miles south of Venusia, and on the other side 
of Mount Vultur. The epithet humilis, " lowly," has reference to its sit- 
uation near the base of the mountain. — 20. Non sine dis animosus. " De- 
riving courage from the manifest protection of the gods." The deities 
hei-e alluded to are the Muses. 

21-36. 21. Vester, Camcence. "Under your protection, ye Muses." — 
In arduos tollor Sabinos. "I climb unto the lofty Sabines," i. e., the 
lofty country of the Sabines. The allusion is to his farm in the mount- 
ainous Sabine territory. — 23. Prameste. Preeneste, now Palcestmna, was 
Eituate about twenty-three miles from Rome, in a southeast direction. 
The epithet frigidum, in the text, alludes to the coolness of its tempera- 
ture. — Tibur snpinum. "The sloping Tibur." This place was situated 
on the slope of a hill. Consult note on Ode i., 7, 13. — 24. Liquids Baice. 
"Baice with its waters." Consult note on Ode ii., 18, 20. — 26. Pkilijypis 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE IV. 345 

versa acies retro. " The army routed at Philippi." Consult " Life of 
Horace," p.xviii, and note on Ode ii., 7, 9. — 27. Devota arbor. "The ac- 
cursed tree." Consult Ode ii., 13. — 28. Palinurus. A promontory on the 
coast of Lucania, now Capo di Palinuro. Tradition ascribed the name 
to Palinurus, the pilot of iEneas. {Virgil, JEn., vi., 380.) It was noted 
for shipwrecks. — 29. Utcunque. Put for quandocnnque. — 30. Bosporum. 
Consult note on Ode ii, 13, 14. — 32. Littoris Assyrii. The epithet Assyrii 
is here equivalent to Syrii. The name Syria itself, which has been 
transmitted to us by the Greeks, is a corruption or abridgment of Assyria, 
and was first adopted by the Ionians who frequented these coasts after 
the Assyrians of Nineveh had made this country a part of their empire. 
The allusion in the text appears to be to the more inland deserts, the 
Syria Palmy renos solitv dines of Pliny, H. N., v., 24. — 33. Britannos hos- 
pitibus feros. Acron, in his scholia on this ode, informs us that the Britons 
were said to sacrifice strangers. St. Jerome informs us that they were 
cannibals. (Adv. Jovin., ii., 201.) — 34. Concanvm. The Concani were a 
Cantabrian tribe in Spain. As a proof of their ferocity, the poet mentions 
their drinking the blood of horses intermixed with their liquor. — 35. Ge- 
lonos. Consult note on Ode ii., 9, 23. — 36. Scylhicum amnem. The 
Tanais, or Don. 

37-64. 37. CcBsarem altum. "The exalted Caesar." — 38. Fessas co- 
hortes abdidit oppidis. Alluding to the military colonies planted by Au- 
gustus, at the close of the civil wars. Some editions have reddidit for 
abdidit, which will then refer merely to the disbanding of his forces. — 
40. Pierio antro. A figurative allusion to the charms of literary leisure. 
Pieria was a region of Macedonia directly north of Thessaly, and fabled 
to have been the first seat of the Muses, who are hence called Pierides. 
— 41. Vos lene consilium, &c. " You, ye benign deities, both inspire 
Caesar with peaceful counsels, and rejoice in having done so." A com- 
plimentary allusion to the mild and liberal policy of Augustus, and his pa- 
tronage of letters and the arts. In reading metrically consilium et must 
be pronounced consil-yet. — 44. Fulmine sustulerit corusco. " Swept away 
with his gleaming thunderbolt." — 50. Fidens brachiis. " Proudly trusting 
in their might." Proudly relying on the strength of their arms. — 51. Fratres. 
Otus and Ephialtes. The allusion is now to the giants, who attempted 
to scale the heavens. — 52. Pelion. Mount Pelion, a range in Thessaly 
along a portion of the eastern coast, and to the south of Ossa. — Olympo. 
Olympus, on the coast of northern Thessaly, separated from Ossa by the 
vale of Tempe. — 53. Sed quid Typhdeus, &c. Observe that Typhoeus is a 
trisyllable, in Greek Tvcpuevc. The mightiest of the giants are here 
enumerated. The Titans and giants are frequently confounded by the 
ancient writers. — 58. Hinc avidus stelit, &c. " In this quarter stood Vul- 
can, burning for the fight; in that, Juno, with all a matron's dignity." 
In illustration of avidus here, compare the Homeric XiXaiojuevoc 'Ko'kkp.OLO. 
The term matrona, analogous here to itorvia, and intended to designate 
the majesty and dignity of the queen of heaven, conveyed a much strong- 
er idea to a Roman than to a modern ear. — 61. Rore puro Castaliai. " In 
the limpid waters of Castalia." The Castalian fount, on Parnassus, was 
sacred to Apollo and the Muses. — 63. Lycice dumeta. "The thickets of 
Lycia." Lycia was one of the principal seats of the worship of the sun- 
god. — Natalem silvam. "His natal wood," on Mount Cynthus, in the 



346 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE V. 

island of Delos. — 64. Delius et Patareus Apollo. "Apollo, god of Delos 
and of Patara." Literally, "the Delian and Patarean Apollo." The city 
of Patara, in Lycia, was situate on the southern coast, below the mouth 
of the Xanthus. It was celebrated for an oracle of Apollo, and that deity 
was said to reside here during six months of the year, and during the re- 
maining six at Delos. (Virg., ^En., iv., 143. Serv., ad loc.) 

65-79. 65. Vis consili expers, &c. "Force devoid of judgment sinks 
under its own weight," i. e., the efforts of brute force, without wisdom, 
are of no avail. — 66. Temperatam. " When under its control," i. e., when 
regulated by judgment. Understand consilio. — Provehunt in majus. "In- 
crease." — Animo moventes. "Meditating in mind." — 69. Gyas. Gyas, 
Cottus, and Briareus, sons of Coelus and Terra, were hurled by their father 
to Tartarus. Jupiter, however, brought them back to the light of day, and 
was aided by them in overthrowing the Titans. Such is the mythological 
narrative of Hesiod. (Theog., 617, seqq.) Horace evidently confounds 
this cosmogonical fable with one of later date. The Centimani ('E/ca- 
Toyxeipsc) are of a much earlier creation than the rebellious giants, and 
fight on the side of the gods ; whereas, in the present passage, Horace 
seems to identify one of their number with these very giants. — 71. Orion. 
The well-known hunter and giant of early fable. — 73. Injecta monstris. 
A Graecisni for se injectam esse dolet, &c. "Earth grieves at being cast 
upon the monsters of her own production." An allusion to the overthrow 
and punishment of the giants. {Tnyevelc.) Enceladus was buried under 
Sicily, Polybotes under Nisyrus, torn off by Neptune from the isle of Cos, 
Otus under Crete, &c. (Apollod., i., 6, 2.) — Partus. The Titans are now 
meant, who were also the sons of Terra, and whom Jupiter hurled to Tar- 
tarus. — 75. Nee peredit impositam, &c. " Nor has the rapid fire ever eaten 
through iEtna placed upon (Enceladus)," i. e., eaten through the mass of 
the mountain so as to reduce this to ashes, and free him from the superin- 
cumbent load. More freely, "nor is Enceladus lightened of his load." 
Pindar (Pyth., i., 31) and iEschylus {Prom. V., 373) place Typhoeus under 
this mountain. — 77. Tityi. Tityos was slain by Apollo and Diana for at- 
tempting violence to Latona. — 78. Ales. The vulture. — Nequitiee addi- 
tus custos. " Added as the constant punisher of his guilt." Literally, 
" added as a keeper to his guilt," nequitiee being properly the dative. 
— 79. Amatorem Piritlwum. "The amorous Pirithous," i. e., who sought 
to gain Proserpina to his love. Pirithous, accompanied by Theseus, de- 
scended to Hades for the purpose of carrying off Proserpina. He was 
seized by Pluto, and bound to a rock with, "countless fetters" (trecentis 
cateuis). His punishment, however, is given differently by other writers. 



Ode V. Accoi-ding to Dio Cassius (liv., 8), when Phraates, the Parthian 
monarch, sent ambassadors to treat for the recovery of his son, then a 
hostage in the hands of the Romans, Augustus demanded the restoration 
of the standards taken from Crassus and Antony. Phraates at first re- 
fused, but the fear of a war with the Roman emperor compelled him at 
length to acquiesce. The ode therefore opens with a complimentary al- 
lusion to the power of Augustus, and the glory he has acquired by thus 
wresting the Roman standards from the hands of the Parthians. The 
bard then dwells for a time upon the disgraceful defeat of Crassus, after 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE V. 347 

which the noble example of Regulus is introduced, and a tacit comparison 
is then made during the rest of the piece between the high-toned princi- 
ples of the virtuous Roman and the strict discipline of Augustus. 

1-3. 1. Ccelo tonantem, &c. ""We believe from his thundering that 
Jove reigns in the skies." — 2. Prcesens divus, &c. Having stated the 
common grounds on which the belief of Jupiter's divinity is founded, name- 
ly, his thundering in the skies, the poet now proceeds, in accordance with 
the flattery of the age, to name Augustus as a " deity upon earth" (prtesens 
divus), assigning, as a proof of this, his triumph over the nations of the 
farthest east and west, especially his having wrested from the Parthians, 
by the mere terror of his name, the standards so disgracefully lost by Cras- 
sus and Antony. — 3. Adjectis Britannis, &c. "The Britons and the for- 
midable Parthians being added to his sway." According to Strabo, some 
of the princes of Britain sent embassies and presents to Augustus, and 
placed a large portion of the island under his control. It was not, how- 
ever, reduced to a Roman province until the time of Claudius. "What 
Horace adds respecting the Parthians is adorned with the exaggeration 
of poetry. This nation was not, in fact, added by Augustus to the empire 
of Rome ; they only surrendered, through dread of the Roman power, the 
standards taken from Crassus and Antony. 

5-12. 5. Milesne Crassi, &c. " Has the soldier of Crassus lived, a de- 
graded husband, with a barbarian spouse V An allusion to the soldiers 
of Crassus made captives by the Parthians, and who, to save their lives, 
had intermarried with females of that nation. Hence the peculiar force 
of vixit, which is well explained by one of the scholiasts : " uxores a vic- 
toribus acceperant, ut viiam mererentur." To constitute a lawful mar- 
riage among the Romans, it was required that both the contracting parties 
be citizens and free. There was no legitimate marriage between slaves, 
nor was a Roman citizen permitted to marry a slave, a barbarian, or a 
foreigner generally. Such a connection was called connubium, not malri- 
monium. — 7. Proh curia, inversique mores! "Ah! senate of my coun- 
try, and degenerate principles of the day !" The poet mourns over the 
want of spirit on the part of the senate, in allowing the disgraceful defeat 
of Crassus to remain so long unavenged, and over the stain fixed on the 
martial character of Rome by this connection of her captive soldiery with 
their barbarian conquerors. Such a view of the subject carries with it a 
tacit but flattering eulogium on the successful operations of Augustus. — 
8. Consenuit. Nearly thirty years had elapsed since the defeat of Cras- 
sus, B.C. 53.-9. Sub rege Medo. "Beneath a Parthian king."— Marsus 
et Apulus. The Marsians and Apulians, the bravest portion of the Ro- 
man armies, are here taken to denote the Roman soldiers generally. On 
the quantity of Apulus, consult note' on Ode iv., 9, of the present book. — 
10. Anciliorum. The ancilia were " the sacred shields" carried round in 
procession by the Salii or priests of Mars. — Et nominis et togce. "And 
of the name and attire of a Roman." The toga was the distinguishing 
part of the Roman dress, and the badge of a citizen. — 11. JEternceque 
Vestce. Alluding to the sacred fire kept constantly burning by the vestal 
virgins in the temple of the goddess. — 12. Incolumi Jove et urbe Roma. 
"The Capitol of the Roman city being safe," i. e., though the Roman power 
remains still superior to its foes. Jove is here put for Jove Capitolino, 
equivalent, in fact, to Capitolio. 



348 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE V. 

13-38. 13. Hoc caverat, &c. The example of Regulus is now cited, 
who foresaw the evil effects that would result to his country, if the Roman 
soldier was allowed to place his hopes of safety any where hut in arms. 
Hence the vanquished commander recommends to his countrymen not to 
accept the terms offered by the Carthaginians, and, by receiving back the 
Roman captives, establish a precedent pregnant with rain to a future 
age. The soldier must either conquer or die ; he must not expect that, 
by becoming a captive, he will have a chance of being ransomed and thus 
restored to his country. — 14. Dissentientis condition ibus, &cc. "Dissent- 
ing from the foul terms proposed by Carthage, and a precedent pregnant 
with ruin to a future age." Alluding to the terms of accommodation, of 
which he himself was the bearer, and which he advised his countrymen 
to reject. The Carthaginians wished peace and a mutual ransoming of 
prisoners. — 17. Si non perirent, &c. "If the captive youth were not to 
perish unlamented." The common reading is periret, where the arsis 
lengthens the final syllable of periret. — 20. Militibus. "From our sol- 
diery." — 23. Portasque non clusas, Sec. "And the gates of the foe stand- 
ing open, and the fields once ravaged by our soldiery now cultivated by 
their hands." Regulus, previous to his overthrow, had spi-ead terror to the 
very gates of Carthage. But now her gates lie open in complete security. 
— 25. Auro repensus, &c. Strong and hitter irony. " The soldier, after be- 
ing ransomed by gold, will no doubt return a braver man!" — 28. Medicata 
fuco. ""When once stained by the dye." — 29. Vera virtus. "True valor." 
— 30. Deterioribus. Understand animis. " In minds which have become 
degraded by cowardice." — 35. Iners. "With a coward's spirit." — Ti- 
inuitque mortem, Sec. "And has feared death from that very quarter, 
whence, with far more propriety, he might have obtained an exemption 
from servitude." He should have trusted to his arms ; they would have 
saved him from captivity. Vitam is here equivalent to salutem. There 
must be no stop after mortem. The common text has a period after mor- 
tem, and reads Hie in place of Hinc, in the next line. — 33. Pacem et duello 
miscuit. " He has confounded peace, too, with war." He has surrender- 
ed with his arms in his hands, and has sought peace in the heat of action 
from his foe by a tame submission. Observe the old form duello for bello. 

40-56. 40. Probrosis altior Italice ruinis. "Rendered more glorious 
by the disgraceful downfall of Italy." — 42. Ut capitis minor. "As one no 
longer a freeman." Among the Romans, any loss of liberty or of the 
rights of a citizen was called Deminutio capitis. — 45. Donee labantcs, 
&c. "Until, as an adviser, he confirmed the wavering minds of the fa- 
thers by counsel never given on any previous occasion," i. e., until he set- 
tled the wavering minds of the senators by becoming the author of advice 
before unheard. Regulus advised the Romans strenuously to prosecute 
the war, and leave him to his fate. — 49. Atqui sciebat, &c. There is con- 
siderable doubt respecting the story of the sufferings of Regulus. — 52. 
JReditus. The plural here beautifully marks his frequent attempts to re- 
turn, and the endeavors of his relatives and friends to oppose his design. 
Abstract nouns are frequently used in the plural in Latin, where our own 
idiom does not allow of it, to denote a repetition of the same act, or the 
existence of the same quality in different subjects. — 53. Longa negotia. 
*f The tedjous concerns." — 55. Venafranos in agros. Consult note on Ode 
ii., 6, 16.— 56. Lacedmmonium Tarentum. Consult note on Ode ii., 6, 11. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE VI. 349 

Ode VI. Addressed to the corrupt and dissolute Romans of his age, 
and ascribing the national calamities which had befallen them to the an- 
ger of the gods at their abandonment of public and private virtue. To 
heighten the picture of present corruption, a view is taken of the simple 
manners which marked the earlier days of Rome. 

Although no mention is made of Augustus in this piece, yet it would 
seem to have been written at the time when that emperor was actively 
engaged in restraining the tide of public and private corruption ; when, 
as Suetonius informs us {Vit. Aug., 30), he was rebuilding the sacred edi- 
fices which had either been destroyed by fire or suffered to fall to ruin ; 
while by the Lex Julia, "De adultei'iis," and the Lex Papia-Poppaea, 
"De maritandis ordinibus," he was striving to reform the moral condition 
of his people. Hence it may be conjectured that the poet wishes to cele- 
brate, in the present ode, the civic virtues of the monarch. 

1-11. 1. Delicto, majorum, &c. "Though guiltless of them, thou sh alt 
atone, O Roman, for the crimes of thy fathers." The crimes here alluded 
to have reference principally to the excesses of the civil wars. The 
offences of the parents are visited on their children. — 3. JEdcs. "The 
shrines." Equivalent here to delubra. — 4. Fceda nigro, &c. The statues 
of the gods in the temples were apt to contract impurities from the smoke 
of the altars, &c. Hence the custom of annually washing them in running 
water or the nearest sea, a rite which, according to the poet, had been 
long interrupted by the neglect of the Romans. — 5. Imperas. "Thou 
holdest the reins of empire." — 6. Hinc omne principium, &c. " From, 
them derive the commencement of every undertaking, to them ascribe its 
issue." In metrical reading, pronounce principium hue, in this line, as if 
written princip-yuc. — 8. Hesperice. Put for Italia. Consult note on Ode 
i., 36, 4. — 9. Monosses et Pacori manus. Alluding to two Parthian com- 
manders who had proved victorious over the Romans. Monceses, more 
commonly known by the name of Surena, is the same that defeated Cras- 
sus. Pacorus was the son of Orodes, the Parthian monarch, and defeated 
Didius Saxa, the lieutenant of Marc Antony. — 10. Non auspeicatos contu- 
Ait impetus. "Have crushed our inauspicious efforts." — 11. Et adjecisse 
prcedam, &c. "And proudly smile in having added the spoils of Romans 
to their military ornaments of scanty size before." By torques are meant, 
among the Roman writers, golden chains, which went round the neck, 
bestowed as military rewards. These, till now, had been the only orna- 
ment or prize of the Parthian soldier. The meaning is, in fact, a figurative 
one. The Parthians, a nation of inferior military fame before this, now 
exult in their victories over Romans. 

13-45. 13. Occupatam seditionibus. "Embroiled in civil dissensions." 
According to the poet, the weakness consequent on disunion had almost 
given the capital over into the hands of its foes. — 14. Dacus et JEthiops. 
An allusion to the approaching conflict between Augustus and Antony. 
By the term u^Etkiops are meant the Egyptians generally. As regards 
the Dacians, Dio Cassius (51, 22) states that they had sent ambassadors 
to Augustus, but, not obtaining what they wished, had thereupon inclined 
to the side of Antony. According to Suetonius ( Vit. Aug., 21), their incur- 
sions were checked by Augustus, and three of their leaders slain. — 17. 
Nuplias inquinavere. " Have polluted the purity of the nuptial compact." 



350 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE VIII. 

Compare the account given by Heineccius of the Lex Julia, " De adulte- 
rio," and the remarks of the same writer relative to the laws against this 
offence prior to the time of Augustus. (Antiq. Rom., lib. 4, tit. 18, § 51, 
ed. Haubold, p. 782.) Consult, also, Suetonius, Vit. Aug., 34. — 20. In pa- 
triam populumque. The term patriam contains an allusion to public ca- 
lamities, while populum, on the other hand, refers to such as are of a pri- 
vate nature, the loss of property, of rank, of character, &c. — 21. His parent- 
ibus. " From parents such as these." — 23. Cecidit. " Smote." — 25. Rus- 
ticorum militum. The best portion of the Roman troops were obtained 
from the rustic tribes, as being most inured to toil. — 26. Sabellis legioni- 
bus. The simple manners of earlier times remained longest in force 
among the Sabines and the tribes descended from them. — 30. Etjuga de- 
meret, &c. Compare the Greek terms fiovXvGie and [3ov2.vt6c- — 32. Agens. 
"Bringing on." Restoring. — 33. Damnos a dies. " Wasting time." Dies 
is most commonly masculine when used to denote a particular day, and 
feminine when it is spoken of the duration of time. 



Ode VIII. Horace had invited Maecenas to attend a festal celebration 
on the Calends of March. As the Matronalia took place on this same day, 
the poet naturally anticipates the surprise of his friend on the occasion. 
" Wonderest thou, Maecenas, what I, an unmarried man, have to do with 
a day kept sacred by the matrons of Rome ? On this very day my life was 
endangered by the falling of a tree, and its annual return always brings 
with it feelings of grateful recollection for my providential deliverance." 

1-10. 1. Martiis coelebs, &c. " Maecenas, skilled in the lore of either 
tongue, dost thou wonder what I, an unmarried man, intend to do on the 
Calends of March, what these flowers mean, and this censer," &c, i. e. t 
skilled in Greek and Roman antiquities, especially those relating to 
sacred rites. — 7. Libero. In a previous ode (ii., 17, 27) the bard attributes 
his preservation to Faunus, but now Bacchus is named as the author of 
his deliverance. There is a peculiar propriety in this. Bacchus is not 
only the protector of poets, but also, in a special sense, one of the gods of 
the country and of gardens, since to him are ascribed the discovery and 
culture of the vine and of apples. (Theocr., ii., 120. Warton, ad loc. 
Athenceus, iii., 23.) — Dies festtis. Consult note on Ode ii., 3, 6. — 10. Cor- 
ticem adstrictum, &c. " Shall remove the cork, secured with pitch, from 
the jar which began to drink in the smoke in the consulship of Tullus." 
Amphorce, the dative, is put by a Graecism for ab amphora. When the 
wine-vessels were filled, and the disturbance of the liquor had subsided, 
the covers or stoppers were secured with plaster, or a coating of pitch 
mixed with the ashes of the vine, so as to exclude all communication 
with the external air. After this, the wines were mellowed by the ap- 
plication of smoke, which was prevented, by the ample coating of pitch 
or plaster on the wine-vessel, from penetrating so far as to vitiate the 
genuine taste of the liquor. Previously, however, to depositing the am- 
phorae in the wine-vault or apotheca, it was usual to put upon them a 
label or mark indicative of the vintages, and of the names of the consuls 
in authority at the time, in order that, when they were taken out, their 
age and growth might be easily recognized. If by the consulship of Tul- 
lus, mentioned in the text, be meant that of L. Volcatius Tullus, who had 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE IX. 351 

M. iEmilius Lepidus for his colleague, A.U.C. 688, and if the present ode, 
as would appear from verse 17, seqq., was composed A.U.C. 734, the wine 
offered by Horace to his friend must have been more than forty-six years 
old. 

13-25. 13. Sume Maecenas, &c. " Drink, dear Maecenas, a hundred 
cups in honor of the preservation of thy friend." A cup drained to the 
health or in honor of any individual, was styled, in the Latin idiom, his 
cup (ejus poculum) ; hence the language of the text, cyathos amid. The 
meaning of the passage is not, as some think, " do thou drink at thy home, 
I being about to drink at mine ;" but it is actually an invitation on the 
part of the bard. — Cyathos centum. Referring merely to a large number. 
—15. Perfer in lucem. "Prolong till daylight." — 17. Mitte civiles, &c 
" Dismiss those cares, which, as a statesman, thou feelest for the welfare 
of Rome." An allusion to the office of Prcefectus urbis, which Meecenas 
held during the absence of Augustus in Egypt. — 18. Daci Cotisonis agmen. 
The inroads of the Dacians, under their king Cotiso, were checked by 
Lentulus, the lieutenant of Augustus. (Suet., Vit. Aug., 21. Flor., iv., 
12, 18.) Compare, as regards Dacia itself, the note on Ode i., 35, 9. — 
19. Medus infestus sibi. " The Parthians, turning their hostilities against 
themselves, are at variance in destructive conflicts." Consult note on 
Ode i., 26, 3. Orelli joins sibi luctuosis. Dillenburger explains the clause 
by infestus sibi, sibi luctuosis, making it an example of the construction 
&7rd koivov. The construction, however, which we have adopted, is in 
every point of view preferable. — 22. Sera dom-itus catena. " Subdued 
after long-protracted contest." The Cantabrians were reduced to subjec- 
tion by Agrippa the same year in which this ode was composed (A.U.C. 
734), after having resisted the power ofthe Romans, in various ways, for 
more than two hundred years. Consult note on Ode ii., 6, 2. — 23. Jam 
Scythce laxo, &c. " The Scythians now think of retiring from our frontiers, 
with bow unbent." By the Scythians are here meant the barbarous 
tribes in the vicinity of the Danube, but more particularly the G-eloni, 
whose inroads had been checked by Lentulus. Consult note on Ode ii., 
9, 23. — 25. Negligens ne qua, &c. " Refraining, amid social retirement, 
from overweening solicitude, lest the people any where feel the pressure 
of evil, seize with joy the gifts of the present moment, and bid adieu for a 
time to grave pursuits." The common text has a comma after laboret, 
and in the 26th line gives Parce privatus nimium cavere. The term neg- 
ligens will then be joined in construction with parce, and negligens parce 
will then be equivalent to parce alone, " Since thou art a private person, 
be not too solicitous lest," &c. The epithet privatus, as applied by the 
poet to Maecenas, is then to be explained by a reference to the Roman 
usage, which designated all individuals, except the emperor, as privali. 
The whole reading, however, is decidedly bad. According to the lection 
adopted in our text, negligens cavere is a Greecism for negligens cavendi. 



Ode IX. A beautiful Amoebean ode, representing the reconciliation of 
two lovers. The celebrated modern scholar Scaliger regarded this ode, 
and the third of the fourth book, as the two most beautiful lyric produc- 
tions of Horace. (Seal., Poet., 6.) 



352 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XI. 

2-24. 2. Potior. " More favored." — 3. Dnbat. "Was accustomed to 
throw." — 4. Persarum vigui, &c. " I lived happier than the monarch of 
the Persians," i. e., I was happier than the richest and most powerful of 
kings. — 6. Alia. " For another." — 7. Multi nominis. " Of distinguished 
fame." — 8. Ilia. The mother of Romulus and Remus. — 10. Dulces docta 
modos, &c. "Skilled in sweet measures, and mistress of the lyre." — 
12. Animce superstiti. "Her surviving soul." — 13. Tor ret face mutua. 
"Burns with the torch of mutual love." — 14. Thurini Ornyti. " Of the 
Thurian Omytus." Thurii was a city of Lucania, on the coast of the Si- 
nus Tarentinus, erected by an Athenian colony, near the site of Sybaris, 
which had been destroyed by the forces of Crotona. — 17. Prisca Venus. 
"Our old affection.'' — 18. Diductos. "Us, long parted." — 21. Sidere pvl- 
chrior. " Brighter in beauty than any star." — 22. Levior cortice. " Light- 
er than cork." -Alluding to his inconstant and fickle disposition. — Im- 
probo. " Stormy." — 24. Tecum vivere amem, &c. " Yet with thee I shall 
love to live, with thee I shall cheerfully die." Supply tamen, as required 
by quamquam which precedes. 



Ode XL Addressed to Lyde, an obdurate fair one. Horace invokes 
Mercury, the god of music and of rhetoric, to aid him in subduing her 
aversion. 

1-22. 1. Te magistro. "Under thy instruction." — 2. Amphion. Am- 
phion, son of Jupiter and Antiope, was fabled to have built the walls of 
Thebes by the music of his lyre, the stones moving of themselves into 
their destined places. Eustathius, however, ascribes this to Amphion 
conjointly with his brother Zethus. — 3. Testudo. " O shell." Consult 
note on Ode i., 10, 6. — Resonare seplem, &c. " Skilled in sending forth 
sweet music with thy seven strings." Callida resonare by a Graecism 
for callida in resonando. — 5. Nee loquax olim, &c. " Once, neither vocal 
nor gifted with the power to please, now acceptable both to the tables of 
the rich and the temples of the gods." — 9. Tit potes tigres, &c. An allu- 
sion to the legend of Orpheus. — Comites. "As thy companions," i. e., in 
thy train. — 12. Blandienti. " Soothing his anger by the sweetness of thy 
notes." — 16. Aidce. " Of Pluto's hall." Orpheus descends with his lyre 
to the shades, for the purpose of regaining his Eurydice. — 13. Furiale ca- 
put. " His every head, like those of the Furies." — 14. y^Estuet. "Rolls 
forth its hot volumes." — 15. Teter. " Deadly," " pestilential." — Sanies. 
"Poisonous matter." — 18. Stetit urna paulum., &c. "The vase of each 
stood for a moment dry," i. e., the Danaides ceased for a moment from 
their toil. — 22. Et inane lymphs, &c. "And the vessel empty of water, 
from its escaping through the bottom." Dolium is here taken as a gen- 
eral term for the vessel, or receptacle, which the daughters of Danaus 
were condemned to fill, and the bottom of which, being perforated with 
numerous holes, allowed the water constantly to escape. 

26-48. 26. Nam quid potuere majus, &c. "For, what greater crime 
could they commit ?" Understand scelus. — 29. Una de multis. Alluding 
to Hypermnestra, who spared her husband Lynceus.— Face nuptiali dig- 
na. At the ancient marriages, the bride was escorted from her father's 
house to that of her husband amid the light of torches. — 30. Perjurumfuit 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XII. 353 

in parentem, Sec. " Proved gloriously false to her perjured parent." The 
Danaides were bound by an oath, which their parent had imposed, to de- 
stroy their husbands on the night of their nuptials. Hyperrnnestra alone 
broke that engagement, and saved the life of Lynceus. The epither^>er- 
jurum, as applied to Danaus, alludes to his violation of good faith toward 
his sons-in-law. — 31. Virgo. Consult Heyne, ad Apollod., ii., 1, 5. — Unde. 
" From a quarter whence," i. e., from one from whom. — 35. Socerum et 
sceleslas, Sec. " Escape by secret flight from thy father-in-law and my 
wicked sisters." Falle is here equivalent to the Greek Xude. — 37. Nactce. 
" Having got into their power." — 39. Neque intra claustra tenebo. "Nor 
will I keep thee here in confinement," i.e., nor will I keep thee confined 
in this thy nuptial chamber until others come and slay thee. — 43. Me pater 
scevis, Sec. Hyperrnnestra was imprisoned by her father, but afterward, 
on a reconciliation taking place, was reunited to Lynceus. — 47. Memorem 
querelam. "A mournful epitaph, recording the story of our fate." 



Ode XII. The bard laments the unhappy fate of Neobule, whose affec- 
tion for the young Hebrus had exposed her to the angry chidings of an 
offended relative. 

1-10. 1. Miserarum est. " It is the part of unhappy maidens," i. e., 
unhappy are the maidens who, &c. — Dare ludum. " To indulge in." Lit- 
erally, " to give play to." — 2. Lavere. The old stem-conjugation, and the 
earlier form for lavare. — Aut exanimari, Sec. " Or else to be half dead 
with alarm, dreading the lashes of an uncle's tongue," i. e., or, in case 
they do indulge the tender passion, and do seek to lead a life of hilarity, 
to be constantly disquieted by the dread of some morose uncle who chances 
to be the guardian of their persons. The severity of paternal uncles was 
proverbial. Compare Erasmus, Chil., p. 463, ed. Steph., " Ne sis patruus 
miki," and Ernesti, Clav. Cic, s. v. Patruus. — 4. Operosceque Minerva, 
studium. " And all inclination for the labors of Minerva." Literally, 
"all affection for the industrious Minerva." — 5. Liparei. "Of Lipara." 
Lipara, now Lipari, the largest of the Insulae ^Eolias, or Vulcania?, off the 
coasts of Italy and Sicily. — 6. Unctos humeros. The ancients anointed 
themselves previously to their engaging in gymnastic exercises, and 
bathed after these were ended. The arrangement of the common text is 
consequently erroneous, in placing the line beginning with Simul unctos 
after segni pede victtis. — 7. Belleropkonte. Alluding to the fable of Bel- 
lerophon and Pegasus. In Belleropkonte the last syllable is lengthened 
from the Greek, Be?.Aepo(j)6vT7i- — 8. Catus jaculari. A Graecism for catus 
jaculandi. — 10. Celer arcto latitanlem, Sec. "Active in surprising the 
boar that lurks amid the deep thicket." Celer excipere for celer in ex- 
cipiendo or ad excipiendum. 



Ode XIII. A sacrifice is promised to the fountain of Bandusia and an 
immortalizing of it in verse. 

1-15. 1. Ofons Bandusice. The common text has Blandnsite, but the 
true form of the name is Bandusice, as given in many MSS. Fea cites 
also an ecclesiastical record in its favor {Privileg. Paschalis II., anni 



354 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XIV. 

1103, ap. Ughell. Ital. Sacr., torn. 7, col. 30, ed. Ven., 1721), in the follow- 
ing words : " In Bandusino fonte apud Venusiam," and, a little after, 
"cum aliis ecclesiis de castello Bandusii." From this it would appear 
that the true Bandusian fount was near Venusia, in Apulia ; and it has 
been conjectured that the poet named another fountain, on his Sabine 
farm, and which he here addresses, after the one near Venusia, which he 
had known in early boyhood. — 2. Dulci digne me.ro, &c. The nymph of 
the fountain is to be propitiated by a libation, and by garlands hung around 
the brink. — Splendidior vitro. " Clearer than glass." — 3. Donaberis. 
" Thou shalt be gifted," i. e., in sacrifice. — 6. Frustra. Sc. cctas eum Ve- 
neri et pradiis destinat. — Nam gelidos injiciet, &c. The altars on which 
sacrifices were offered to fountains, were placed in their immediate vicini- 
ty, and constructed of turf. — 9. Te Jlagrantis atrox, &c. "Thee the 
fierce season of the blazing dog-star does not atfect." Literally, "knows 
not how to affect." Consult note on Ode i., 17, 7. — 13. Fies nobilium tu 
quoque fontium. " Thou too shalt become one of the famous fountains." 
By the nobiles forties are meant Castalia, Hippocrene, Dirce, Arethusa, 
&c. The construction's nobilium fontium is imitated from the Greek. 
— 14. Me dicente. " While I tell of," i. e., while I celebrate in song. — 
15. Loquaces lympha tuce. "Thy prattling waters." 



Ode XIV. On the expected return of Augustus from his expedition 
against the Cantabri. The poet proclaims a festal day in honor of so 
joyous an event, and while the consort and the sister of Augustus, accom- 
panied by the Roman females, are directed to go forth and meet their 
prince, he himself proposes to celebrate the day at his own abode with 
wine and festivity. 

"What made the return of the emperor peculiarly gratifying to the Ro- 
man people was the circumstance of his having been attacked by sick- 
ness during his absence, and confined for a time at the city of Tarraco. 

1-6. 1. Herculis ritu, &c. "Augustus, O Romans, who so lately was 
said, after the manner of Hercules, to have sought for the laurel to be 
purchased only with the risk of death, now," &c. The conquests of Au- 
gustus over remote nations are here compared with the labors of the fa- 
bled Hercules, and as the latter, after the overthrow of Geryon, returned 
in triumph from Spain to Italy, so Augustus now comes from the same 
distant quarter victorious over his barbarian foes. The expression morte 
venalem petiisse laurum refers simply to the exposure of life in the achiev- 
ing of victory. Compare the remark of Acron : " Mortis contemtu laus 
victories qiiceritur et triu7iiphi." — 5. Unico gaudens mulier marito, &c. 
" Let the consort who exults in a peerless husband, go forth to offer sacri- 
fices to the just deities of heaven." The allusion is to Livia, the consort 
of Augustus. As regards the passage itself, two things are deserving of 
attention : the first is the use of unico, in the sense of praestantissimo, on 
which point consult Heinsius, ad Ovid, Met., iii., 454 ; the second is the 
meaning we must assign to operata, which is here taken by a poetic id- 
iom for ut operelur. On the latter subject compare Tibullus, ii., 1, 9, ed. 
Heyne ; Virgil, Gcorg., i., 335, ed. Heyne, and the comments of Mitscher- 
lich and During on the present passage. — 6. Justis divis. The gods are 
here styled "just" from their granting to Augustus the success which his 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XVI. 355 

valor deserved. This, of course, is mere flattery. Augustus was never 
remarkable either for personal bravery or military talents, 

7-28. 7. Soror clari ducis. Octavia, the sister of Augustus. — Decora 
supplice vitta. " Adorned with the suppliant fillet," i. e., bearing, as be- 
comes them, the suppliant fillet. According to the scholiast on Sophocles 
(CEd. T., 3), petitioners among the Greeks usually carried boughs wrap- 
ped around with fillets of wool. Sometimes the hands were covered with 
these fillets, not only among the Greeks, but also among the Romans. — 
9. Virginum. " Of the young married females," whose husbands were 
returning in safety from the war. (Compare, as regards this usage of 
Virgo, Ode ii., 8, 23; Virg., Eel., vi., 47; Ov., Her., i, 115.) — Nuper. 
Referring to the recent termination of the Cantabrian conflict. — 10. Vos, 
O pueri, &c. " Do you, ye boys, and yet unmarried damsels, refrain from 
ill-omened words." Virum is here the genitive plural, contracted for 
virorum. Some editions read expertce, and make virum the accusative, 
by which lection puellce jam virum experts is made to refer to those but 
lately married. — 14. Tumultum. The term properly denotes a war in 
Italy or an invasion by the Gauls. It is here, however, taken for any dan- 
gerous war either at home or in the vicinity of Italy. — 17. Pete unguentum 
et coronas. Consult note on Ode i., 17, 27. — 18. Et cadum Marsi, &c. 
" And a cask that remembers the Marsian war," i. e., a cask containing old 
wine made during the period of the Marsian or Social war. This war pre- 
vailed from B.C. 91 to B.C. 88, and if the present ode was written B.C. 23, 
as is generally supposed, the contents of the cask must have been from sixty- 
five to sixty-eight years old. — 19. Spartacum si qua, &c. " If a vessel of 
it has been able in any way to escape the roving Spartacus." With qua 
understand ratione. Qua for aliqua, in the nominative, violates the metre. 
Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator, who headed the gladiators and slaves in 
the Servile war, B.C. 73-71. Four consular armies were successively 
defeated by this daring adventurer. He was at last met and completely 
routed by the praetor Crassus. He " roved" from Campania to Mutina, 
and thence into lower Italy, until he was defeated by Crassus near Petilia 
in Lucania. — 21. Argutcs. "The tuneful," i. e., the sweet-singing. — 
22. Myrrheum. " Perfumed with myrrh." Some commentators errone- 
ously refer this epithet to the dark color of the hair. — 27. Hoc. Alluding 
to the conduct of the porter. — Ferrem. For tulissem. — 28. Consule Planco. 
Plancus was consul with M. iEmilius Lepidus, B.C. 41, A.U.C. 712, at 
which period Horace was about twenty-three years of age. 



Ode XVI. This piece turns on the poet's favorite topic, that happiness 
consists not in abundant possessions, but in a contented mind. 

1-19. 1. Inclusam Danaen. The story of Danae and Acrisius is well 
known. — Turris aenea. Apollodorus merely mentions a brazen cham- 
ber, constructed under ground, in which Danae was immured (ii., 4, 1). 
Later writers make this a tower, and some represent Danae as having 
been confined in a building of this description when about to become a 
mother. (Heyne, ad Apollod., 1. c.) — 3. Tristes. "Strict." Equivalent 
to sever <b. — Munierant. "Would ce^•tainly have secured." Observe the 
peculiar force of the indicative, taking the place of the ordinary muniis* 



356 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XVI. 

sent. (Zumpt,§ 519, b.) — 4. Adulter is. For amatoribus. Compare Orelli: 
"Etiam de Us dicitur quivirginum castitati insidiantur." — 5. Acrisium. 
Acrisius was father of Danae, and king of Argos in the Peloponnesus. — 
6. Custodem ■pavidum. Alluding to his dread of the fulfillment of the ora- 
cle. — 7. Fore enim, &c. Understand sciebant. — 8. Converso in pretium. 
"Changed into gold." By the term pretium in the sense of aurum, the 
poet hints at the true solution of the fable, the bribery of the guards. — 
9. Ire amat. " Loves to make its way." Amat is here equivalent to the 
Greek <pi?iEi, and much stronger than the Latin solet. — 10. Saxa. "The 
strongest barriers." — 11. Auguris Argivi. Amphiaraus is meant. Poly- 
nices bribed Eriphyle with the golden collar of Harmonia to persuade 
Amphiaraus her husband to accompany him in the expedition of Adrastus 
against Thebes, although the prophet was well aware that no one of the 
leaders but Adrastus would return alive. Amphiaraus was swallowed up 
by an opening of the earth; and, on hearing of his father's death, his son 
Alcmeeon, in obedience to his parent's injunction, slew his mother Eri- 
phyle. The necklace proved also the cause of destruction to Alcmaeon at 
a later day. — 12. Ob lucrum. " From a thirst for gold." — 14. Vir Macedo. 
Philip, father of Alexander. Compai : e the expression of Demosthenes, 
Muneddv uvrjp. How much this monarch effected by bribery is known to 
all. — 15. Munera navium, &c. Horace is thought to allude here to Meno- 
dorus, or Menas, who was noted for frequently changing sides in the war 
between Sextus Pompeius and the triumvirs. Compare Epode, iv., 17. 
— 16. Scevos. "Rough." Some, however, make seevos here equivalent 
to fortes. — 17. Crescentem sequitur, &c. The connection in the train of 
ideas is this : And yet, powerful as gold is in triumphing over difficulties, 
and in accomplishing what, perhaps, no other human power could effect, 
still it must be carefully shunned by those who wish to lead a happy life, 
for "care ever follows after increasing riches as well as tlie craving desire 
for more extensive possessions." — 19. Late conspicuum, &c. " To raise 
the far conspicuous head," i. e., to seek after the splendor and honors 
which wealth bestows on its votaries, and to make these the source of 
vainglorious boasting. 

22-43. 22. Plura. For tanto plura. — Nil cupieniium, &c. The rich 
and the contented are here made to occupy two opposite encampments. — 
23. Nudus. " Naked," i. e., divested of every desire for more than fortune 
has bestowed. Compare the explanation of Braunhard : "Pauper, et in 
paupertate sua sibi placens." — 24. Linquere gestio. "I take delight in 
abandoning." — 25. Contemtce dominus, Sec. "More conspicuous as the 
possessor of a fortune contemned by the gi-eat." — 30. SegeLis certa fides 
mecB. " A sure reliance on my crop," i. e., the certainty of a good crop. — 
31. Fulgeutem imperio, &c. "Yield a pleasure unknown to him who is 
distinguished for his wide domains in fertile Africa." Literally, " escapes 
the observation of him who," &c. Fallit is here used for the Greek Xav- 
davet. As regards the expression/e/-^7is Africa;, consult note on Ode i., 
1, 10. — 32. Sorte beatior. " Happier in lot am I." Understand sum. The 
common text places a period after beatior, and a comma after fallit, a 
harsh and inelegant reading, even if it be correct Latin. — 33. Calabrm, 
&c. An allusion to the honey of Tarentum. Consult note on Ode ii., 6, 
14, — 34. Nee Latstrygonia Bacchus, &c. " Nor the wine ripens for me in 
a Laestrygonian jar." An allusion to the Formian wine. Formice was 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XVII. 357 

regarded by the ancients as having been the abode and capital of the Lae- 
strygones. Compare note on Ode i., 20, 11. — 35. Gallicis pascuis. The 
pastures of Cisalpine Gaul are meant. — 37. Importuna lamen, &c. "Yet 
the pinching of contracted means is far away." Consult note on Ode i., 
12, 43. — 39. Contracto melius, &c. " 1 shall extend more wisely my hum- 
ble income by contracting my desires, than if I were to join the realm of 
Alyattes to the Mygdonian plains," i. e., than if Lydia and Phrygia were 
mine. Alyattes was King of Lydia and father of Croesus, who was so 
famed for his riches. As regards the epithet " Mygdonian" applied to 
Phrygia, consult note on Ode ii., 12, 22. — 43. Bene est. Understand ei. 
" Happy is the man on whom the deity has bestowed with a sparing hand 
what is sufficient for his wants." 



Ode XVII. The bard, warned by the crow of to-morrow's storm, ex- 
horts his friend L. ^Elius Lamia to devote the day, when it shall arrive, to 
joyous banquets. 

The individual to whom this ode is addressed had signalized himself in 
the war with the Cantabri as one of the lieutenants of Augustus. His 
family claimed descent from Lamus, son of Neptune, and the most an- 
cient monarch of the Laestrygones, a people alluded to in the preceding 
ode (v. 34). 

1-16. 1. Vetusto nobilis, &c. " Nobly descended from ancient Lamus." 
— 2. Priores hinc Lamias denominates. " That thy earlier ancestors of 
the Lamian line were named from him." We have included all from line 
2 to 6 within brackets, as savoring strongly of interpolation, from its awk- 
ward position. It is thrown entirely out by Sanadon. — 3. Et nepotum, 
&c. "And since the whole race of their descendants, mentioned in re- 
cording annals, derive their origin from him as the founder of their house." 
The Fasti were public registers or chronicles, under the care of the Pon- 
tifex Maximus and his college, in which were marked, from year to year, 
what days were fasti and what nefasti. In the Fasti were also recorded 
the names of the magistrates, particularly of the consuls, an account of 
the triumphs that were celebrated, &c. Hence the splendor of the La- 
mian line in being often mentioned in the annals of Rome. — 6. Formia- 
rum. Consult note on Ode iii., 16, 34. — 7. Et innantern, &c. "And the 
Liris, where it flows into the sea through the territory of Minturnae." The 
poet wishes to convey the idea that Lamus ruled, not only over Formiae, 
but also over the Minturnian territory. In expressing this, allusion is 
made to the nymph Marica, who had a grove and temple near Minturnae, 
and the words Marica litora are used as a designation for the region 
around the city itself. Minturnae was a place of great antiquity, on the 
banks of the Liris, and only three or four miles from its mouth. The 
country around abounded with marshes. The nymph Marica was fabled 
by some to have been the mother of Latinus, and by others thought to 
have been Circe. — 9. Late tyrannus. " A monarch of extensive sway." 
Tyrannus is used here in the earlier sense of the Greek rvpavvoc. — 12. 
Aquae augur comix. Compare Ovid, Am., ii., 6, 34 : " Pluvice graculus 
augur aqua." — 13. Annosa. Hesiod (Fragm., 50) assigns to the crow, 
for the duration of its existence, nine ages of men. — Dum potis. " While 
you can," i. e., while the weather will allow you, and the wood is still 



358 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XIX. 

dry. Supply es. — 14. Cras geniurrt mero, &c. "On the morrow, tboa 
shalt honor thy genius with wine." According to the popular belief of 
antiquity, every individual had a genius (daifiov), or tutelary spirit, which 
was supposed to take care of the person during the whole of life.— 16. 
Operum solutis. " Released from their labors." A Graecism for ab opere 
solutis. 



Ode XVIII. The poet invokes the presence of Faunus, and seeks to 
propitiate the favor of the god toward his fields and flocks. He then de- 
scribes the rustic hilarity of the day, made sacred, at the commencement 
of winter, to this rural divinity. Faunus had two festivals {Faunalia) : 
one on the Nones (5th) of December, after all the produce of the year had 
been stored away, and when the god was invoked to protect it, and to 
give health and fecundity to the flocks and hei'ds ; and another in the be- 
ginning of the spring, when the same deity was propitiated by sacrifices, 
that he might preserve and foster the grain committed to the earth. Thi3 
second celebration took place on the Ides (13th) of February. 

1-15. 1. Fauno. Consult note on Ode i., 17, 2. — 2. Lenis incedas. 
" Mayest thou move benignant." — Abeasque parvis, &c. "And mayest 
thou depart propitious to the little nurslings of my farm," i. e., lambs, kids, 
calves, &c. The poet invokes the favor of the god on these, as being more 
exposed to the casualties of disease. — 5. Pleno anno. "At the close of 
every year." Literally, "when the year is full." — 7. Vetus ara. On 
which sacrifices have been made to Faunus for many a year. A pleasing 
memorial of the piety of the bard. — 10. Nonce Decembres. Consult Intro- 
ductory Remarks. — 11. Festus in pratis, &c. "The village, celebrating 
thy festal day, enjoys a respite from toil in the grassy meads, along with 
the idle ox." — 13. Inter audaces, &c. Alluding to the security enjoyed by 
the flocks, under the protecting care of the god. — 14. Spargit agrestes, 
&c. As in Italy the trees do not shed their leaves until December, the 
poet converts this into a species of natural phenomenon in honor of Fau- 
nus, as if the trees, touched by his divinity, poured down their leaves to 
cover his path. It was customary among the ancients to scatter leaves 
and flowers on the ground in honor of distinguished personages. Compare 
Virgil, Eclog., v., 40: " Spargite humum foliis." — 15. Gaudet invisam, 
&c. An allusion to the rustic dances which always formed part of the 
celebration. 



Ode XIX. A party of friends, among whom was Horace, intended to 
celebrate, by a feast of contribution (epavoc), the recent appointment of 
Murena to the office of augur. Telephus, one of the number, -was con- 
spicuous for his literary labors, and had been for some time occupied in 
composing a history of Greece. At a meeting of these friends, held, as a 
matter of course, in order to make arrangements for the approaching ban- 
quet, it may be supposed that Telephus, wholly engrossed with his pur- 
suits, had introduced some topic of an historical nature, much to the an- 
noyance of the bard. The latter, therefore, breaks out, as it were, with 
an exhortation to his companion to abandon matters so foreign to the sub- 
ject under discussion, and attend to things of more immediate importance. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK III., ODE XIX. 359 

Presently, fancying himself already in the midst of the feast, he issues his 
edicts as symposiarch, and regulates the number of cups to be drunk in 
honor of the Moon, of Night, and of the augur Murena. Then, as if impa- 
tient of delay, he bids the music begin, and orders the roses to be scatter- 
ed. The ode terminates with a gay allusion to Telephus. 

1-11. 1. Inacko. Consult note on Ode ii., 3, 21. — 2. Codrus. The last 
of the Athenian kings, who sacrificed his life when the Dorians invaded 
Attica. If we believe the received chronology, Iiiachus founded the king- 
dom of Argos about 1856 B.C., and Codrus was slain about 1070 B.C. The 
interval, therefore, will be 786 years. — 3. Genus JEacL The jEacidae, or 
descendants of iEacus, were Peleus, Telamon, Achilles, Teucer, Ajax, &c. 
— 5. Chium cadum. "A cask of Chian wine." The Chian is described 
by some ancient writers as a thick, luscious wine, and that which grew 
on the craggy heights of Ariusium, extending three hundred stadia along 
the coast, is extolled by Strabo as the best of the Greek wines. — 6. Mer- 
cemur. "We may buy." — Quis aquam temperet ignibus. Alluding to 
the hot drinks so customary among the Romans. Orelli, Braunhard, Dil- 
lenburger, and others, make the allusion to be to the preparing of warm 
baths, the party being a picnic one, and one individual furnishing the 
wine, another house-room and warm baths before supper. The arrange- 
ment, however, of quis aquam temperet ignibus before quo prcebente do- 
mum, and not after this clause, seems to militate against this mode of ex- 
plaining. — 7. Quota. Supply hora. — 8. Pelignis caream frigoribus. " I 
may free myself from Pelignian colds," i. e., may fence myself against the 
cold, as piercing as that felt in the country of the Peligni. The territory 
of the Peligni was small and mountainous, and was separated from that 
of the Marsi, on the west, by the Apennines. It was noted for the cold- 
ness of its climate. — 9. Da lunce propere nov&, &c. " Boy, give me quick- 
ly a cup in honor of the new moon." Understand poculum, and consult 
note on Ode iii., 8, 13. — 10. Auguris Murence. This was the brother of 
Terentia, the wife of Maecenas. — 11. Tribus aut novem, &c. "Let our 
goblets be mixed with three or with nine cups, according to the temper- 
aments of those who drink." In order to understand this passage, we 
must bear in mind that the poculum- was the goblet out of which each 
guest drank, while the cyathus was a small measure used for diluting the 
wine with water, or for mixing the two in certain proportions. Twelve 
of these cyathi went to the sextarius. Horace, as symposiarch, or master 
of the feast, issues his edict, which is well expressed by the imperative 
form miscentor, and prescribes the proportions in which the wine and wa- 
ter are to be mixed on the present occasion. For the hard drinkers, 
therefore, among whom he classes the poets, of the twelve cyathi that 
compose the sextarius, nine will be of wine and three of water ; while 
for the more temperate, for those who are friends to the Graces, the pro- 
portion, on the contrary, will be nine cyathi of water to three of wine. 
In the numbers here given there is more or less allusion to the mystic no- 
tions of the day, as both three and nine were held sacred. 

13-27. 13. Musas impares. " The Muses, uneven in number." — 14. At- 
tonitus vates. " The enraptured bard." — 18. Berecyntice. Consult note 
on Ode i., 30, 5. The Berecyntian or Phrygian flute was of a crooked 
form, whence ifc is sometimes, called cornu.— 21. Parcentes dexteras. 



360 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXI. 

"Sparing hands," i. e., not liberal with the wine, flowers, perfumes, &c. 
— 24. Vicina. " Our fair young neighbor." — Non habilis. "Ill suited," 
i. e., in point of years. — 25. Spissa te nitidum coma, &c. The connection 
is as follows : The old and morose Lycus fails, as may well be expected, 
in securing the affections of her to whom he is united. But thee, Tele- 
phus, in the bloom of manhood, thy Rhode loves, because her years are 
matched with thine. — 26. Puro. "Bright." — 27. Tempestiva. " Of nu- 
bile years." 



Ode XXI. M. Valerius Messala Corvinus having promised to sup with 
the poet, the latter, full of joy at the expected meeting, addresses an am- 
phora of old wine, which is to honor the occasion with its contents. To 
the praise of this choice liquor succeed encomiums on wine in general. 
The ode is thought to have been written A.U.C. 723, B.C. 31, when Cor- 
vinus was in his first consulship. 

1-11. 1. O nata mecum, &c. " O jar, whose contents were brought 
into existence with me during the consulship of Manlius." Nata, though 
joined in grammatical construction with testa, is to be construed as an 
epithet for the contents of the vessel. Manlius Torquatus was consul 
A.U.C. 689, B.C. 65, and Messala entered on his first consulate A.U.C. 
723 ; the wine, therefore, of which Horace speaks, must have been thirty- 
four years old. — 4. Seu facilem, pia, somnum. " Or, with kindly feelings, 
gentle sleep." The epithet pia must not be .taken in immediate construc- 
tion with testa. — 5. Quocunque nomine. Equivalent to in quemcunque 
Jinem, "for whatever end." — 6. Movcri digna bono die. "Worthy of be- 
ing moved on a festal day," i. e., of being moved from thy place on a day 
like this, devoted to festivity. — 7. Descende. The wine is to come down 
from the horreum, or airodrjKT). Consult note on Ode iii., 28, 7. — 8. Lan- 
guidiora. "Mellowed by age." — 9. Quanquam Socraticis madet ser- 
monibus. "Though he is well-steeped in lore of the Socratic school," 
i. e., has drunk deep of the streams of philosophy. The term madet con- 
tains a figurative allusion to the subject of the ode. — 10. Sermonibus. 
The method of instruction pursued by Socrates assumed the form of famil- 
iar conversation. The expression Socraticis sermonibns, however, refers 
more particularly to the tenets of the Academy, that school having been 
founded by Plato, one of the pupils of Socrates. — Horridus. " Sternly." 
! — 11. Narrator et prisci Catonis, &c. " Even the austere old Cato is re- 
lated to have often warmed under the influence of wine." As regards the 
idiomatic expression Catonis virtus, consult note on Ode i., 3, 36. The 
reference is to fcfae elder Cato, not to Cato of Utica, and the poet speaks 
merely of the enlivening effects of a cheerful glass, of which old Cato is said 
to have been fond. 

13-23. 13. Tu lene tormentum, &c. " Thou frequently appliest gentle 
violence to a rugged temper," i. e., thou canst subdue, by thy gentle vio- 
lence, dispositions cast in the most rugged mould. — 14. Sapientium. " Of 
the guarded and prudent." — 15. Jocoso Lyao. "By the aid of sportive 
Bacchus." — 18. Et addis cornua pauperi. "And addest confidence to 
him of humble means." Pauper implies a want, not of the necessaries, 
but of the comforts of life. The expression cornua addis is one of a pro- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIII. 361 

verbial character, the horn being symbolical of confidence and power. 
Consult note on Ode ii., 19, 29. — 19. Post te. "After tasting of thee." — 
20. Apices. "Tiaras." A particular allusion to the costume of Par tin a 
and the East. — Militum. " Of foes in hostile array." — 21. Lata. "Pro- 
pitious." — 22. Segnes nodum solvere. " Slow to loosen the bond of union." 
A Graecism for segnes ad solvendum nodum. The mention of the Graces 
alludes here to the propriety and decorum that are to prevail throughout 
the banquet. — 23. Vivozque lucernes. "And the living lights." — Producei.i. 
" Shall prolong." The expression te producent is equivalent, in fact, to 
convivium producent. 



Ode XXIII. The bard addresses Phidyle, a resident in the country, 
whom the humble nature of her offerings to the gods had filled with deep 
solicitude. He bids her be of good cheer, assuring her that the value of 
every sacrifice depends on the feelings by which it is dictated, and that 
one of the simplest and lowliest kind, if offered by a sincere and pious 
heart, is more acceptable to heaven than the most costly oblations. 

1-20. 1. Supinas mantis. " Thy suppliant hands." Literally, "thy 
hands with the palms turned upward." This was the ordinary gesture 
of those who offered up prayers to the celestial deities. — 2. Nascent? luna. 
" At the new moon," i. e., at the beginning of every month. The allusion 
is to the old mode of computing by lunar months. — 3. Placaris. The final 
syllable of this tense is common : here it is long. (Consult Anihon's Lat. 
Pros., p. 94, note.) — Et hornafruge. "And with a portion of this year's 
produce." — 5. Africum. Consult note on Ode i., 1, 15. Some commenta- 
tors make the wind here mentioned identical with the modern Sirocco.— 
6. Sterilem robiginem. "The blasting mildew." — 7. Dulces alumni. 
"The sweet nurslings of my farm." Compare Ode in., 18, 3.-8. Pomi- 
fero grave tempus anno. " The sickly season in the fruit-yielding period 
of the year," i. e., in the autumn. As regai'ds the poetic usage by which 
annus is frequently taken in the sense of a part, not of the whole year, 
compare Virgil, Eclog., iii., 57 ; Hot:, Epod., ii., 39 ; Statins, Sylv., i., 3, 
8 ) & c . — g. Nam quae, nivali, &c. The construction is as follows : Nam 
victima, diis devota, quae pascitur nivali Algido, inter quercus et ilices, 
aut crescit in Albanis herbis, tinget cervice secures pontijicum. The idea 
involved from the 9th to the 16th verse is this : The more costly victims 
shall fall for the public welfare ; thou hast need of but few and simple of- 
ferings to propitiate for thee the favor of the gods. — Algido. Consult note 
on Ode i., 21, 6. — 11. Albanis in herbis. "Amid Alban pastures." Al- 
luding to the pastures around Mons Albanus and the ancient site of Alba 
Longa. — 13. Cervice. "With the blood that streams from its wounded 
nec k." — Te nihil attinet, &c. " It is unnecessary for thee, if thou crown thy 
little Lares with rosemary and the brittle myrtle, to seek to propitiate 
their favor with the abundant slaughter of victims." The Lares stood in 
the atrium or hall of the dwelling. On festivals they were crowned with 
garlands, and sacrifices were offered to them. Consult note on Ode i., 7, 
11. — 16. Fragili. The epithet fragilis here means, in fact, "whose little 
stalks are easily broken." — 17. Immunis. "Without a gift." Equiva- 
lent to liber a munere, the reference being to one who needs no gift to 
offer, since his life and conduct are unstained by guilt. Hence arises the 

Q 



362 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIV. 

more general meaning of " i?moceut." (Orelli, ad loc.) — 18. Non sumtuosa 
blandior hostia, &c. " Not rendered more acceptable by a costly sacri- 
fice, it is wont to appease," &c, i. e., it appeases the gods as effectually 
as if a costly sacrifice were offered. — 20. Farre pio et saliente mica. 
"With the pious cake and the crackling salt." Alluding to the salted 
cake {mola salsa), composed of bran or meal mixed with salt, which was 
sprinkled on the head of the victim. 



Ode XXIV. The bard inveighs bitterly against the luxury and licen- 
tiousness of the age, and against the unprincipled cupidity by which they 
were constantly accompanied. A contrast is drawn between the pure 
and simple manners of barbarian nations and the unbridled corruption of 
his countrymen, and Augustus is implored to save the empire by inter- 
posing a barrier to the inundation of vice. 

1-15. 1. Intactis opulentior, &c. The construction is as follows : 
" Licet, opulentior intactis thesauris Arabum et divitis Indies, occupes 
omne Tyrrhenum et Apulicum mare tuis emmentis, tamen si dira Neces- 
sitasjigit, &c. " Though, wealthier than the yet unrifled treasures of the 
Arabians and of rich India, thou coverest with thy structures all the Tus- 
can and Apulian Seas, still, if cruel Destiny once fixes her spikes of ada- 
mant in thy towering pinnacles, thou wilt not free thy breast from fear, 
thou wilt not extricate thy life from the snares of death." The epithet 
intactus, applied to the treasures of the East, refers to their being as yet 
free from the grasp of Roman power. — 3. Caementis. The term c&menta 
literally means " stones for filling up." Here, however, it refers to the 
structures reared on these artificial foundations. — 4. Tyrrhenum, omne, 
&c. The Tyrrhenian denotes the lower, the Apulian the upper or Adriatic 
Sea. — 6. Summis verticibus. We have given here the explanation of 
Orelli, which seems the most reasonable : " Dum homo ille locuples as- 
sidue moles jacit, cedesque exstruit, necopinato supervenit 'Elfiapfiivn 
('A-vdyKT]), clavosque suos, quibus nihil resistere potest, in tedium culmine 
jfigit, domino veluti acclamans : Hucusque nee ultra: adestjam tibi ter- 
minus fatalis !" Bentley, however, takes verticibus to denote the heads 
of spikes, so that summis verticibus will mean, according to him, "up to 
the very head," and the idea intended to be conveyed by the poet will be 
" sic clavos figit necessitas summis verticibus, ut nulla vi evelli possint." 
— 9. Carnpestres melius Scythes, &c. " A happier life lead the Scythians, 
that roam along the plains, whose wagons drag, according to the custom 
of the race, their wandering abodes." An allusion to the Scythian mode 
of living in wagons, along the steppes (campi) of Tartary. — 10. Rite. " Ac- 
cording to the custom of the race." Compare the explanation of Doring : 
u utfert eorum mos et vita ratio." — 11. Rigidi Getas. " The hardy Getae." 
The Getae originally occupied the tract of country which had the Danube 
to the north, the range of Haemus to the south, the Euxine to the east, 
and the Crobyzian Thracians to the west. It was within these limits that 
Herodotus knew them. Afterward, however, being dislodged, probably 
by the Macedonian arms, they crossed the Danube, and pursued their 
Nomadic mode of life in the steppes between the Danube and the Tyras, 
or Dniester. — 12. Immetata jugera. " Unmeasured acres," i. e., unmark- 
ed by boundaries. Alluding to the land being in common. The term im- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIV. 363 

melata is what the grammarians term a airaf; Xeybjievov, since it occurs 
only in this passage of Horace. — Liberas fruges et Cerercm. "A harvest 
free to all." Cererem is here merely explanatory of fruges. — 14. Nee cul- 
tura placet, &c. " Nor does a culture longer than an annual one please 
them." Alluding to their annual change of abode. Compare Caesar's ac- 
count of the Germans, B. G., vi., 22. — 15. Defunctumque laboribus, &c. 
" And a successor, upon equal terms, relieves him who has ended his la- 
bors of a year." 

17-40. 17. Illic matre carentibus, &c. " There the wife, a stranger to 
guilt, treats kindly the children of a previous marriage, deprived of a 
mother's care," i. e., is kind to ber motherless step-children. — 19. Dotata 
conjux. "The dowered spouse." — 20. Nitido adultero. "The gaudy 
adulterer." — 21. Dos est magna parentium, &c. A noble sentence, but 
requiring, in order to be clearly understood, a translation bordering upon 
paraphrase. "With them, a rich dowry consists in the virtue instilled 
by parental instruction, and in chastity, shrinking from the addresses of 
another, while it firmly adheres to the marriage compact, as well as in 
the conviction that to violate this compact is an offence against the laws 
of heaven, or that the punishment due to its commission is instant death." 
— 27. Pater Urbium subscribi statuis. " To be inscribed on the pedestals 
of statues as the Father of his country." An allusion to Augustus, and to 
tbe title of Pater Patrice conferred on him by the public voice. — 28. In- 
domitam licentiam. " Our hitherto ungovernable licentiousness." — 
30. Clarus postgenitis. "Illustrious for tbis to after ages." — Quaienus. 
" Since." — 31. Virtutem incolumem. "Merit, while it remains with us," 
i. e., illustrious men, while alive. — 32. Invidi. Compare the remark of 
the scholiast, " Vere enim per invidiam Jit, ut boni viri, cum amissi sint, 
desiderentur." — 34. Culpa. "Crime." — 35. Sine moribus. "Without 
public morals to enforce them." — 36. Si nequefervidis, &c. An allusion 
to the torrid zone. Consult note on Ode i., 22, 22. — 38. Nee Boreas finiti- 
mum latus. "Nor the region bordering on the North." — 40. Horrida cal- 
lidi, &.c. " If the skillful mariners triumph over the stormy seas ? If 
narrow circumstances, now esteemed a great disgrace, bid us," &c. 

45-58. 45. Vel nos in Capitolium, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this : If we sincerely repent of thejtaxury and vice that have tar- 
nished the Roman name, if we desire another and a better state of things, 
let us either cany our superfluous wealth to the Capitol and consecrate it 
to the gods, or let us cast it as a thing accursed into the nearest sea. The 
words in Capitolium are thought by some to contain a flattering allusion 
to a remarkable act on the part of Augustus, in dedicating a large amount 
of treasure to the Capitoline Jove, exceeding 16,000 pounds' weight of 
gold, besides pearls and precious stones. (Suet., Aug., 30.) — 46. Faven- 
Hum. " Of our applauding fellow-citizens." — 47. In mare proximum. 
Things accursed were wont to be thrown into the sea, or the nearest run- 
ning water. — 49. Materiem. "The germs." — 51. Eradenda. "Are to be 
eradicated." — 52. Teneraz nimis. " Enervated by indulgence." — 54. Nes- 
cit equo, rudis, &c. " The free-born youth, trained up in ignorance of 
manly accomplishments, knows not how to retain his seat on the steed, 
and fears to hunt." Among the Romans, those who were born of pai'ents 
that had always been free were styled ingenui. — 57. Grosco trocho. The 



364 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK III., ODE XXV. 

trochus {rpoxoc) was a circle of brass or iron, set round with rings, and 
with which young men and boys used to amuse themselves. It was bor- 
rowed from the Greeks, and resembled the modem hoop. — 58. Seu malis. 
"Or, if thou prefer." — Vetita legibus alea. All games of chance were 
forbidden among the Romans except at the celebration of the Saturnalia. 
These laws, however, were not strictly observed. 

59-62. 59. Peijura patris fides. "His perjured and faithless parent." 
— 60. Consortem socium, et hospitem. " His partner and guest-customer." 
Consortem socium is equivalent to sortis socium, sors being the capital 
which each brings in. By hospitem is meant a guest, and, at the same 
time, customer.— 61. Indignoque pecuniam, &c. "And hastens to amass 
wealth for an heir unworthy of enjoying it." — 62. Scilicet improba crescunt 
divitim, &c. " Riches, dishonestly acquired, increase, it is true, yet some- 
thing or other is ever wanting to what seems an imperfect fortune in the 
eyes of its possessor." 



Ode XXV. A beautiful dithyrambic ode in honor of Augustus. The 
bard, full of poetic enthusiasm, fancies himself borne along amid woods 
aud wilds, to celebrate, in some distant cave, the praises of the monai'ch. 
Then, like another Bacchanalian, he awakes from the trance-like feelings 
into which he had been thrown, and gazes with wonder upon the scenes 
that lie before him. An invocation to Bacchus succeeds, and allusion is 
again made to the strains in which the praises of Augustus are to be 
poured forth to the world. 

1-19. 1. Tui plenum. " Full of thee," i. e., of thy inspiration. — Quce 
nemora. Supply the preposition from the clause which follows. — 3. Velox 
mente nova. " Moving swiftly under the influence of an altered mind." 
Nova refers to the change wrought by the inspiration of the god. Quibus 
antris, &c. The construction is as follows : " In quibus antris audiar 
meditans inserere, &c. — 5. Meditans inserere. "Essaying to enroll." Med- 
itans refers to exercise and practice, on the part of the bard, before a full 
and perfect effort is publicly made. — 6. Consilio Jovis. Alluding to the 
twelve Dii Consentes or Majores. — 7. Dicam insigne, &c. " I will send 
forth a lofty strain, new, as yet unuttered by other lips." The pleonastic 
turn of expression in "recens, adhuc indictum cne alio," accoi'ds with the 
wild and irregular nature of the whole piece. — 8. Non secus injugis, &c. 
"So the Bacchanal, awaking from sleep, stands lost in stupid astonish- 
ment on the mountain tops, beholding in the distance the Hebrus, and 
Thrace white with snow, and Rhodope traversed by barbarian foot." The 
poet, recovering from the strong influence of the god, and surveying with 
alarm the arduous nature of the theme to which he has dared to approach, 
compares himself to the Bacchant, whom the stem power of the deity 
that she serves has driven onward, in blind career, through many a strange 
and distant region. Awakening from the deep slumber into which ex- 
hausted nature had at length been compelled to sink, she finds herself, 
when returning recollection comes to her aid, on the remote mountain 
tops, far from her native scenes, and gazes in silent wonder on the pros- 
pect before her : the dark Hebrus, the snow-clad fields of Thrace, and the 
chain of Rhodope rearing its summits to the skies. Few passages can be 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXVII. 365 

cited from any ancient or modern writer containing more of the true spirit 
of poetry. — 10. Hebrum. The modern name of the Hebrus is the Maritza. 
— 12. Rhodopen. Rhodope, now Despoto-Dagk, a Thracian chain, lying 
along the northeastern borders of Macedonia. — Ut mihi devio, &c. " How 
it delights me, as I wander far from the haunts of men." — 13. Vacuum 
nanus. "The lonely grove." — 14. O Naiadum potens, &c. "O god of 
the Naiads and of the Bacchantes, powerful enough to tear up," &c. — 
19. O Lencee. " O god of the wine-press." The epithet Lenoeus comes 
from the Greek Aqvaiog, which is itself a derivative from Tirjvoe, " a wine- 
press." Mitschevlich well explains the concluding idea of this ode, which 
lies couched under the figurative language employed by the bard : " Ad 
argumentum carminis ; si postrema transferas, erit : ProjectissimcB qui- 
dem audacim est, Augustum cdebrare ; sed aleajacta esto." 



Ode XXVII. Addressed to Galatea, whom the poet seeks to dissuade 
from the voyage which she intended to make during the stormy season 
of the year. The train of ideas is as follows : "I will not seek to deter 
thee from the journey on which thou art about to enter, by recounting evil 
omens ; I will rather pray to the gods that no danger may come nigh 
thee, and that thou mayest set out under the most favorable auspices. 
Yet, Galatea, though the auguries forbid not thy departure, think, I en- 
treat, of the many perils which at this particular season are brooding over 
the deep. Beware lest the mild aspect of the deceitful skies lead thee 
astray, and lest, like Europa, thou become the victim of thy own impru- 
dence." The poet then dwells upon the story of Europa, and with this 
the ode terminates. 

1-15. I. Impios parree, &c. "May the ill-omened cry of the noisy 
screech-owl accompany the wicked on their way." The leading idea in 
the first three stanzas is as follows : Let evil omens accompany the wick- 
ed alone, and may those that attend the departure of her for whose safety 
I am solicitous, be favorable and happy ones. — 2. Agro Lanuvino. Lanu- 
vium was situate to the right of the Appian Way, on a hill commanding 
an extensive prospect toward Antium and the sea. As the Appian Way 
was the direct route to the port of Brundisiurn, the animal mentioned in 
the text would cross the path of those who travelled in that direction. — 
5. Rumput et serpens, Sec. " Let a serpent also interrupt the journey just 
begun, if, darting like an arrow athwart the way, it has terrified the 
horses." Mannus means properly a small horse or nag, and is thought to 
be a term of Gallic origin. The reference is here to draught horses, or 
those harnessed to the chariot. — 7. Ego cut timebo, &c. The construction 
is as follows : Providus auspex, suscitabo prece Mi, cui ego timebo, osci- 
nem corvum ab ortu solis, antequam avis divina imminentum imbrium 
repetat stantes paludes. " A provident augur, I will call forth by prayer, 
on account of her for whose safety I feel anxious, the croaking raven from 
the eastern heavens, before the bird that presages approaching rains shall 
revisit the standing pools." Among the Romans, birds that gave omens 
by their notes were called Oscines, and those from whose flight auguries 
were drawn received the appellation of Prcepetes. Hence oscinem means 
here, more literally, " giving omens by its cry." The cry of the raven, 
when heard from the east, was deemed favorable. — 10. Imbrium divina 



366 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXVII. 

avis imminentum. The crow is here meant. — 13. Sis licet felix. " Mayesfc 
thou be happy." The train of ideas is as follows : I oppose not thy wishes, 
Galatea. It is permitted thee, as far as depends on me, or on the omens 
which I am taking, to be happy wherever it may please thee to dwell. — 
15. Lcevus picus. " A wood-pecker on the left." When the Romans 
made omens on the left unlucky, as in the present instance, they spoke 
in accordance with the Grecian custom. The Grecian augurs, when they 
made observations, kept their faces toward the north; hence they had the 
east or lucky quarter of the heavens on their right hand, and the west on 
their left. On the contrary, the Romans, making observations with their 
faces to the south, had the east upon their left hand, and the west upon 
their right. Both sinister and lcevus, therefore, have, when we speak 
Romano more, the meaning of lucky, fortunate, &c, and the opposite im- 
port when we speak Grceco more. 

17-39. 17. Quanto trepidet tumultu, &c. "With what a loud and 
stormy noise the setting Orion hastens to his rest," i. e., what tempests 
are preparing to burst forth, now that Orion sets. Consult note on Ode i., 
28, 21. — 19. Novi. Alluding to his own personal experience. He knows 
the dangers of the Adriatic because he has seen them. — Et quid albus 
peccet Iapyx. " And how deceitful the serene Iapyx is." As regards 
the epithet albus, compare Ode i., 7, 15 ; and, with regard to the term 
Iapyx, consult note on Ode i., 3, 4. — 21. Ccecos motus. " The dark com- 
motions." — 24. Verbere. "Beneath the lashing of the surge." Under- 
stand Jluctuum. — 25. Sic. " With the same rashness." — Europe. The 
Greek form for Europa. — 26. At scalentem belluis, &c. " But, though bold 
before, she now grew pale at the deep teeming with monsters, and at the 
fraud and danger that every where met the view." The tenn fraudes, 
in this passage, denotes properly danger resulting to an individual from 
fraud and artifice on the part of another, a meaning which we have en- 
deavored to express. — 28. P allv.it. This verb here obtains a transitive 
force, because an action is implied, though not described in it. — Audax. 
Alluding to her rashness, at the outset, in trusting herself to the back of 
the bull. — 30. Debitce Nymphis. " Due to the nymphs," in fulfillment of 
a vow. — 31. Node sublustri. " Amid the feebly-illumined night." The 
stars alone appearing in the heavens. — 33. Centum potentem urbibus. 
Compare Homer, II., ii., 649 : KpijTnv itcaTo/UTrohiv. — 34. Pater, O relic- 
turn, &c. " Father! O title abandoned by thy daughter, and filial affec- 
tion, triumphed over by frantic folly !" Nomen is in apposition with pater, 
and filial is the dative for the ablative. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 38. Vigilans. 
"In my waking senses." — 39. An vitio carentem, &c. "Or, does some 
delusive image, which a dream, escaping from the ivory gate, brings with 
it, mock me, still free from the stain of guilt ?" In the Odyssey (xix., 562, 
seqq.), mention is made of two gates through which dreams issue, the one 
of horn, the other of ivory : the visions of the night that pass through the 
former are true ; through the latter, false. To this poetic imagery Horace 
here alludes. 

47-75. 47. Modo. " But a moment ago." — 48. Monstri. A mere ex- 
pression of resentment, and not referring, as some commentators have sup- 
posed, to the circumstance of Jove's having been concealed under the 
form of the animal, since Europa could not as yet be at all aware of this. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXVIII. 3G7 

— 49. Impudens liqui, &c. "Shamelessly have I abandoned a father's 
roof; shamelessly do I delay the death that I deserve." — 54. Tenercs 
prcedce. The dative, by a Gnecism, for the ablative. — Succus. " The 
tide of life." — 55, Speciosa. "While still in the bloom of early years," 
and hence a more inviting prey. So nuda in the 52d line. — 57. Vilis 
Europe. She fancies she hears her father upbraiding her, and the address 
of the angry parent is continued to the word pellex in the 66th line. — Pater 
urget absens. A pleasing oxymoron. The father of Europa appears as 
if present to her disordered mind, though in reality far away, and angrily 
urges her to atone for her dishonor by a voluntary and immediate death. 
"Thy father, though far away, angrily urging thee, seems to exclaim." 
The student will mark the zeugma in urget, which is here equivalent 
to acriter insistens clamat. — 59. Zona bene te secuta. "With the girdle 
that has luckily accompanied thee." — 61. Acuta leto. " Sharp with death," 
i. e., on whose sharp projections death may easily be found. — 62. Tepro- 
cellae crede veloci. " Consign thyself to the rapid blast," {. e., plunge head- 
long down. — 67. Remisso arcu. As indicative of having accomplished his 
object. — 69. Ubi lusit satis. "When she had sufficiently indulged her 
mirth." — 70. Irarum calid&que rixce. The genitive, by a Graecism, fur 
the ablative. — 71. Quum tibi invisus, &c. Venus here alludes to the in- 
tended appearance of Jove in his proper form. — 73. Uxor invicti Jovis, 
&c. " Thou knowest not, it seems, that thou art the bride of resistless 
Jove." The nominative, with the infinitive, by a Graecism, the reference 
being to the same person that forms the subject of the verb. — 75. Sectus 
orbis. " A division of the globe." Literally, " the globe being divided." 



Ode XXVIII. The poet, intending to celebrate the Neptunalia, or festi- 
val of Neptune, bids Lyde bring the choice Caecuban and join him in song. 
The female to whom the piece is addressed is thought to have been the 
same with the one mentioned in the eleventh ode of this book, and it is 
supposed, by most commentators, that the entertainment took place under 
her roof. We are inclined, however, to adopt the opinion, that the day 
was celebrated in the poet's abode, and that Lyde was now the superin- 
tendent of his household. 

1-16. 1. Festo die Neptuni. The Neptunalia, or festival ot Neptune, 
took place on the fifth day before the Kalends of August (28th July). — 

2. Reconditum. " Stored far away in the wine-room." Alluding to old 
wine laid up in the farther part of the crypt. Compare Ode ii., 3, 8. — 

3. Lyde strenua. " My active Lyde." Some commentators, by a change 
of punctuation, refer strenua, in an adverbial sense, to prome. — 4. Muni- 
Iceque adhibe, &c. "And do violence to thy guarded wisdom," i. e., bid 
farewell, for this once, to moderation in wine. The poet, by a pleasing 
figure, bids her storm the camp of sobriety, and drive away its accustomed 
defenders. — 5. Inclinare sentis, &c. " Thou seest that the noontide is in- 
clining toward the west," i. e., that the day begins to decline. — 7. Parcis 
deripere horreo, &c. " Dost thou delay to hurry down from the wine-room 
the lingering amphora of the consul Bibulus?" i. e., which contains wine 
made, as the mark declares, in the consulship of Bibulus (A.U.C. 695, B.C. 
59). The wine, therefore, would be, according to Orelli, about thirty -five 
years old. The epithet cessantem beautifully expresses the impatience 



338 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIX. 

or the poet himself. — The lighter wines, or such as lasted only from one 
vintage to another, were kept in cellars ; but the stronger and more dura- 
ble kinds were transferred to another apartment, which the Greeks called 
UTTodTJKT}, or 7Tidd)v, and the poet, on the present occasion, horreum. With 
the Romans it was generally placed above the fumarium, or drying- 
kiln, in order that the vessels might be exposed to such a degree of smoke 
as was calculated to bring the wines to an early maturity. — 9. Invicem. 
'-In alternate strain." The poet is to chant the praises of Neptune, and 
Lyde those of the Nereids. — 10. Virides. Alluding to the color of the sea. 
— 12. Cynthia. Diana. An epithet derived from Mount Cynthus in De- 
les, her native island. — 13. Summo carmine, &e. "At the conclusion of 
the strain, we will sing together of the goddess who," &c. The allusion 
is ro "Venus. — Guidon. Consult note on Ode i., 30, 1. — 14. Fulgentes Cyc- 
lopias. "The Cyclades, conspicuous from afar." Consult note on Ode i., 
14, 20. — Paphon. Consult note on Ode i., 30, 1. — 15. Junctis oloribus. 
" With her yoked swans." In her car drawn by swans. — 16. Dictlur 
merita, &c. " Night, too, shall be celebrated, in a hymn due to her praise." 
The term ncsnia is beautifully selected here, though much of its peculiar 
m janing is lost in a translation. As the natnia, or funeral dirge, marked 
the close of existence, so here the expression is applied to the hymn that 
eaJs the banquet, and whose low and plaintive numbers invite to repose. 



Ode XXIX. One of the most beautiful lyric productions of all antiqui- 
ty. The bard invites his patron to spend a few days beneath his humble 
roof, far from splendor and affluence, and from the noise and confusion of 
a crowded capital. He bids him dismiss, for a season, that anxiety for 
the public welfare in which he was but too prone to indulge, and tells him 
to enjoy the blessings of the present hour, and leave the events of the fu- 
ture to the wisdom of the gods. That man, according to the poet, is alone 
truly happy, who can say, as each evening closes around him, that he has 
enjoyed in a becoming manner the good things which the day has be- 
stowed ; nor can even Jove himself deprive him of this satisfaction. The 
surest aid against the mutability of fortune is conscious integrity, and he 
who possesses this need not tremble at the tempest that dissipates the 
wealth of the trader. 

1-19. 1. Tyrrhena regum progenies. "Descendant of Etrurian rulers." 
Consult note on Ode i., 1, 1. — Tibi. " In resei-ve for thee." — 2. Non ante 
verso. " Never as yet turned to be emptied of any part of its contents," 
i. c., as yet unbroached. The allusion is to the simplest mode practiced 
among the Romans for drawing off the contents of a wine-vessel, by inclin- 
ing it to one side, and thus pouring out the liquor. — 4. Balanus. " Per- 
fume." The name balanus, or myrobalanum, was given by the ancients 
to a species of nut, from which a valuable unguent or perfume was ex- 
tracted. — 5. Eripe te mora. "Snatch thyself from delay," i. e., from every- 
thing in the city that may seek to detain thee there — from all the engross- 
ing cares of public life. — 6. Ut semper-vdnm. We have followed here the 
very neat emendation of Hardinge, which has received the commenda- 
tions of many eminent English scholars. The common text has ne sem- 
per udum, which involves an absurdity. How could Maecenas, at Rome, 
contemplate Tibur, which was twelve or sixteen miles off? — Tibur. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIX. 369 

Consult note on Ode i., 7, 13. — JEsulce declive solum. "The sloping- soil 
of iEsula." This town is supposed to have stood in the vicinity of Tibur, 
and from the language of the poet must have been situate on the slope of 
a hill. — 8. Telegoni juga parricidce. Alluding to the ridge of hills on 
which Tusculum was situated. This city is said to have been founded 
by Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe, who came hither after having 
killed his father without knowing him. — 9. Fastidiosam. "Productive 
only of disgust." The poet entreats his patron to leave for a season that 
" abundance," which, when uninterrupted, is productive only of disgust. — 
10. Molem propinquam, Sec. Alluding to the magnificent villa of Maece- 
nas, on the Esquiline Hill, to which a tower adjoined remarkable for its 
height. — 11. Beatce Roma. "Of opulent Rome." — 13. Vices. "Change." 
— 14. Parvo sub tare. "Beneath the humble roof." — 15. Sine aulceis et 
ostro. " Without hangings, and without the purple covering of the couch." 
Literally, " without hangings and purple." The aulcea, or hangings, were 
suspended from the cielings and side-walls of the banqueting rooms. — 16. 
Sollicitam explicuere fronlem. " Are wont to smooth the anxious brow," 
i. e., to remove or unfold the wrinkles of care. Explicuere has here the 
force of an aorist, and is equivalent to explicare solent. — 17. Clarus An- 
dromedce pater. Cepheus ; the name of a constellation near the tail of the 
Little Bear. It rose on the 9th of July, and is here taken by the poet to 
mark the arrival of the summer heats. — Occultum ostendit ignem. Equiv- 
alent to oritur. — 18. Procyon. A constellation rising just before the dog- 
star. Hence its name Upoicvov (izpo, ante, and kvuv, canis), and its Latin 
appellation of antecanis. — 19. Stella vesani Leonis, A star on the breast 
of Leo, rising on the 24th of July. The sun enters into Leo on the 20th 
of the same month. 

22-64. 22. Horridi dumeta Silvani. "The thickets of the rough Sil- 
vanus." The epithet horridus refers to his crown of reeds and the rough 
pine-branch which he carries in his hands. This deity had the care of 
groves and fields. — 24. Ripa taciturna. A beautiful allusion to the still- 
ness of the atmosphere. — 25. Tu civitatem quis deceat status, Sec. "Thou, 
in the mean time, art anxiously considering what condition of affairs may 
be most advantageous to the state." Alluding to his office of Prarfectus 
Urbis. — 27. Seres. The name by which the inhabitants of China were 
known to the Romans. — Regnata Bactra Cyro. " Bactra, ruled over by 
an Eastern king." Bactra, the capital of Bactriana, is here put for the 
whole Parthian empire. — 28. Tanaisque discors. " And the Tanais, whose 
banks are the seat of discord." Alluding to the dissensions among the 
Parthiaus. Consult note on Ode iii., 8, 19. — 29. Prudens futuri, Sec. "A 
wise deity shrouds in gloomy night the events of the future, and smiles if 
a mortal is solicitous beyond the law of his being." — 32. Quod adesi me- 
mento, Sec. " Remember to make a proper use of the present hour." — 
33. Cetera. "The future." Referring to those things that are not un- 
der our control, but are subject to the caprice of fortune or the power of 
destiny. The mingled good and evil which the future has in store, and 
the vicissitudes of life generally, are compared to the course of a stream, 
at one time troubled, at another calm and tranquil. — 41. IUe potens sui, 
Sec. "That man will live master of himself." — 42. In diem. "Each 
day." — 43. Vixi. " I have lived," i. e., I have enjoyed, as they should be 
enjoyed, the blessings of existence. — 44. Occupato. A zeugma operates 



370 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXX. 

in this verb : in the first clause it has the meaning of " to shroud," in the 
second "to illumine." — 46. Quodcunque retro est. "Whatever is gone 
by." — 47. Diffinget infectumque reddet. " Will he change and undo." — 
49. Scevo Iceta negotio, &c. " Exulting in her cruel employment, and per- 
sisting in playing her haughty game." — 53. Manentem. " While she re- 
mains." — 54. Resigno quae dedit. "I resign what she once bestowed." 
Resigno is here used in the sense oirescribo, and the latter is a term bor- 
rowed from the Roman law. When an individual borrowed a sum of 
money, the amount received and the borrower's name were written in 
the banker's books ; and when the money was repaid, another entry was 
made. Hence scribere nummos, "to borrow ;" rescribere, "to pay back." 
— Mea virtute me involvo. The wise man wraps himself up in the mantle 
of his own integrity, and bids defiance to the storms and changes of for- 
tune. — 57. Non est meum. " It is not for me." It is no employment of 
mine. — 59. JEt votis pacisci. " And to strive to bargain by my vows." — 
62. Turn. " At such a time as this." — 64. Aura geminusque Pollux. 
"A favoring breeze, and the twin-brothers Castor and Pollux." Consult 
note on Ode i., 3, 2. 



Ode XXX. The poet's presage of immortality. It is generally sup- 
posed that Horace intended this as a concluding piece for his odes, and 
with this opinion the account given by Suetonius appears to harmonize, 
since we are informed by this writer, in his life of the poet, that the fourth 
book of odes was added, after a long interval of time, to the first three 
books, by order of Augustus. 

1-16. 1. Exegi monimentum, &c. "I have reared a memorial of my- 
self more enduring than brass." Compare the beautiful lines of Ovid, at 
the conclusion of the Metamorphoses : "Jamque opus exegi quod nee Jovis 
ira, nee ignes," &c. — 2. Regalique situ, &c. " And loftier than the regal 
structure of the pyramids." — 3. Imber edax. " The corroding shower." — 
4. Innumerabilis annorum series, &c. " The countless series of years, 
and the flight of ages." — 7. Libitinam. Libitina, at Rome, was worship- 
ped as the goddess that presided over funerals. When Horace says 
that he will escape Libitina, he means the oblivion of the grave. Libitina 
and Venus were regarded as one and the same deity, so that we have 
here, as elsewhere, a union of the power that creates with that which 
destroys. — Usque recens. "Ever fresh," i. e., ever blooming with the 
fresh graces of youth. — 8. Dum Capitolium, &c. On the ides of every 
month, according to Varro, solemn sacrifices were offered up in the Capi- 
tol. Hence the meaning of the poet is, that so long as this shall be done, 
so long will his fame continue. To a Roman the Capitol seemed destined 
for eternity. — 10. Dicar. To be joined in construction with princeps de- 
duxisse. " I shall be celebrated as the first that brought down," &c. — 
Aufidus. A very rapid stream in Apulia, now the Ofanto. — 11. Et qua 
pauper aquce, &c. "And where Daunus, scantily supplied with water, 
ruled over a rustic population." The allusion is still to Apulia (the epi- 
thet being merely transferred from the country to the early monarch of the 
same), and the expression pauper aqua refers to the summer heats of that 
country. Consult note on Ode i., 22, 13.— 12. Regnavit populorum. An 
imitation of the Greek idiom, i/p^e "kativ. — Ex humili potens. "I, be- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXX. 371 

come powerful from a lowly degree." Alluding to the humble origin and 
subsequent advancement of the bai'd. — 13. JEolium carmen. A general 
allusion to the lyric poets of Greece, but containing, at the same time, a 
more particular reference to Alcasus and Sappho, both writers in the 
iEolic dialect. — 14. Deduxisse. A figure borrowed from the leading down 
of streams to irrigate the adjacent fields. The stream of lyric verse is 
drawn down by Horace from the heights of Grecian poesy to irrigate and 
refresh the humbler literature of Rome. — 15. Delphica lauro. "With 
the Delphic bay," i. e., with the bay of Apollo. — 16. Volens. "Propi- 
tiously." 



BOOK IV. 



Ode II. The Sygarnbri, Usipetes, and Tenctheri, who dwelt beyond 
the Rhine, having made frequent inroads into the Roman territory, Au- 
gustus proceeded agaiust them, and, by the mere terror of his name, com- 
pelled them to sue for peace. (Dio Cassius, 54, 20, vol. i., p. 750, ed. Rei- 
mar.) Horace is therefore requested by lulus Antonius, the same year 
in which this event took place (A.U.C. 738), to celebrate in Pindaric strain 
the successful expedition of the emperor and his expected return to the 
capital. The poet, however, declines the task, and alleges want of talent 
as an excuse ; but the very language in which this plea is conveyed 
shows how well qualified he was to execute the undertaking from which 
he shrinks. 

. lulus Antonius was the younger son of Marc Autony and Fulvia, and 
was brought up by his stepmother Octavia at Rome, and after his father's 
death (B.C. 30) received great marks of favor from Augustus, through Oc- 
tavia's influence. Augustus married him to Marcella, the daughter of Oc- 
tavia by her first husband C. Marcellus, conferred upon him the praetor- 
ship in B.C. 13, and the consulship in B.C. 10. In consequence, however, 
of his adulterous intercourse witb Julia, the daughter of Augustus, he was 
condemned to death by the emperor in B.C. 2, but seems to have antici- 
pated his execution by a voluntary death. He was also accused of aim- 
ing at the empire. 

1-11. 1. JEmulari. "To rival." — 2. lule. To be pronounced as a 
dissyllable, yu-le. Consult Remarks on Sapphic Verse, p. lxviii— Ceratis 
ope Dcedalea. " Secured with wax by Dsedalean art." An allusion to the 
well-known fable of Daedalus and Icarus. — 3. Vitreo daturus, &c. "Des- 
tined to give a name to the sparkling deep." Vitreo is here rendered by 
some " azure," but incorrectly; the idea is borrowed from the sparkling 
of glass. — 5. Monte. "From some mountain." — 6. Notas ripas. "Its ac- 
customed banks." — 7. Fervet immensusgue, &c. "Pindar foams, and rolls 
on unconfined with a mighty depth of expression." (Osborne, ad loc.) 
The epithet immensus refers to the rich exuberance, and profundo ore to 
the sublimity of the bard. — 9. Donandus. "Deserving of being gifted." 
— 10. Seu per audaces, Sec. Horace here proceeds to enumerate the sev- 
eral departments of lyric verse, in all of which Pindar stands pre-eminent. 
These are, 1 . Dithyrambics ; 2. Pceans, or hymns and encomiastic effu- 
sions ; 3. Epinicia (k-xivLKia), or sougs of victory, composed in honor of 
the conquerors at the public games ; 4. Epicedia (eniicfjdeLa), or funeral 
songs. Time has made fearful ravages in these celebrated productions : 
all that remain to us, with the exception of a few fragments, are forty-five 
of the trnviKiq g<7//ara— 10. Nova verba. " Strange forms of expression," 
i. e., new and daring forms of style. Compare the explanation of Mitsch- 
erlich : " Compositions, junctur a, significatu denique innovata, cum novo 
orationis habitu atque structura," and also that of Doring: "Nova sen- 
tentiarum lumina, nove effictas g randisonarum verborum formulas." 
Horace alludes to the peculiar licence enjoyed by dithyrambic poets, and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE II. 373 

more especially by Pindar, of forming novel compounds, introducing novel 
arrangements in the structure of their sentences, and of attaching to terms 
a boldness of meaning that almost amounts to a change of signification. 
Hence the epithet "daring" (audaces) applied to this species of poetry. 
Dithyrambics were originally odes in praise of Bacchus, and their very 
character shows their Oriental origin. — 11. Numeris lege solutis. "In 
unshackled numbers." Alluding to the privilege enjoyed by dithyrambic 
poets, of passing rapidly and at pleasure from one measure to another. 

13-32. 13. Seu deos, regesve, &c. Alluding to the Paeans. The reges, 
deorum sanguinem, are the heroes of earlier times; and the reference to 
the centaurs and the chimaera calls up the recollection of Theseus, Piri- 
thous, and Bellerophon. — 17. Sive quos Elea, Sec. Alluding to the Epi- 
nicia. — Elea palma. " The Elean palm," i. e., the palm won at the Olym- 
pic games, on the banks of the Alpheus, in Elis. Consult note on Ode 
i., 1, 3. — 18. Caslestes. "Elevated, in feeling, to the skies." — Equumve. 
Not only the conquerors at the games, but their horses also, were cele- 
brated in song and honored with statues. — 19. Centum potiore signis. 
"Superior to a hundred statues." Alluding to one of his lyric effusions. 
— Flebili. "Weeping." Taken in an active sense. The allusion is now 
to the Epicedia, or funeral dirges. — Juvenemve. Strict Latinity requires 
that the enclitic be joined to the first word of a clause, unless that be a 
monosyllabic preposition. The present is the only instance in which Hor- 
ace deviates from the rule. — 22. Et vires animumque, &c. "And extols 
his strength, and courage, and unblemished morals to the stars, and res- 
cues him from the oblivion of the grave." Literally, "envies dark Orcus 
the possession of him." — 25. Multa Dirc&um. "A swelling gale raises 
on high the Dircsean swan." An allusion to the strong poetic flight of 
Pindar, who, as a native of Thebes in Bceotia, is here styled "Dircaean," 
from the fountain of Dirce situate near that city, and celebrated in the 
legend of Cadmus. — 27. Ego apis Matinee, Sec. " I, after the nature and 
habit of a Matinian bee." Consult note on Ode i., 28, 3. — 29. Per laborem 
plurimum. " With assiduous toil." — 31. Tiburis. Alluding to his villa 
at Tibur. — 32. Fingo. The metaphor is well kept up by this verb, which 
has peculiar reference to the labors of the bee. 

33-59. 33. Majore poeta plectro. " Thou, Antonius, a poet of loftier 
strain." Antonius distinguished himself by an epic poem in twelve books, 
entitled Diomedeis. — 34. Quandoque. For quandocunque. — 35. Per sar 
crum clivum. "Along the sacred ascent." Alluding to the Via Sacra, 
the street leading up to the Capitol, and by which triumphal processions 
were conducted to that temple. — 36. Fronde. Alluding to the laurel 
crown worn by commanders when they triumphed. — Sygambros. The 
Sygambri inhabited at first the southern side of the Lupia or Lippe. 
They were afterward, during this same reign, removed by the Romans 
into Gaul, and had lands assigned them along the Rhine. Horace here 
alludes to them before this change of settlement took place. — 39. In 
aurum priscum. "To their early gold," i. e., to the happiness of the 
Golden Age. — 43. Forumque litibus orbum. "And the forum free from 
litigation." The courts of justice were closed at Rome not merely in 
cases of public mourning, but also of public rejoicing. This cessation of 
business was called Justitium. — 45. Tvm. Alluding to the expected 



374 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE III. 

triumphal entry of Augustus.. No triumph, however, took place, as the 
emperor avoided one by coming privately into the city. — Mem vocis bona 
pars accedet. " A large portion of my voice shall join the general cry." 
— 46. O sol palcher. " O glorious day." — 49. Tuque dum procedis, &c. 
" And while thou art moving along in the train of the victor, we will often 
raise the shout of triumph ; the whole state will raise the shout of 
triumph." The address is to Antonius, who will form part of the tri- 
umphal procession, while the poet will mingle in with, and help to swell 
the acclamations of the crowd. With civitas omnis understand dicet. — 
53. Te. Understand solvent, " shall free thee from thy vow." Alluding 
to the fulfillment of vows offered up for the safe return of Augustus. — 
55. Largis herbis. " Amid ahundant pastures." — 56. In mea vota. "For 
the fulfillment of my vows." — 57. Curvatos ignes. " The bending fires 
of the moon when she brings back her third rising," i. e., the crescent of 
the moon when she is three days old. The comparison is between the 
crescent and the horns of the young animal. — 59. Qua notam duxit, &c. 
"Snow-white to the view where it bears a mark; as to the rest of its 
body, of a dun color." The animal is of a dun color, and bears a conspi- 
cuous snow-white mark, probably on his forehead. — Niveus videri. A 
Grsecism, the infinitive for the latter supine. 



Ode III. The bard addresses Melpomene, as the patroness of lyric 
verse. To her he ascribes his poetic inspiration, to her the honours which 
he enjoys among his countrymen ; and to her he now pays the debt of 
gratitude in this beautiful ode. 

1-24. 1. Quern tu, Melpomene, Sec. " Him on whom thou, Melpomene, 
mayest have looked with a favoring eye, at the hour of his nativity." — ■ 
3. Labor Isthmius. " The Isthmian contest." The Isthmian, celebrated 
at the Isthmus of Corinth, in honor of Neptune, are here put for any games. 
— 4. Clarabit pugilem. " Shall render illustrious as a pugilist." — 5. Curru 
Achaico. " In a Grecian chariot." An allusion to victory in the chariot- 
race. The whole of lower Greece was at this time called Achaia by the 
Romans, so that the allusion here is to the Grecian games in general. 
— 6. Res bellica. " Some warlike exploit." — Deliis foliis . "With the De- 
lian leaves," i. e., with the bay, which was sacred to Apollo, whose natal 
place was the Isle of Delos. — 8. Quod regum tumidas, &c. "For hav- 
ing crushed the haughty tin-eats of kings." — 10. Prafluunt. ~F or pr&le?-- 
fluunt. "Flow by." The common text has perfiuunt, "flow through." 
The reference is to the waters of the Anio. Consult, as regards Tibur 
and the Anio, the note on Ode i., 7, 13.— 12. Fingent yEolio, &c. Tho 
idea meant to be conveyed is this, that the beautiful scenery around 
Tibur, and the peaceful leisure there enjoyed, will enable the poet to cul- 
tivate his lyric powers with so much success as, under the favoring in- 
fluence of the Muse, to elicit the admiration both of the present and com- 
ing age. As regards the expression ^Eolio carmine, consult note on Ode 
iii., 30, 13. — 13. Romce, principis urbium, &c. " The offspring of Rome, 
queen of cities." By the "offspring of Rome" are meant the Romans 
themselves. — 17. O testudinis aureas, Sec. " O Muse, that rulest the 
sweet melody of the golden shell." Consult notes on Odes iii., 4, 40, and 
i., 10, 6. — 20. Cycni nonum. " The melody of the dying swan." Consult 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE IV. 375 

note on Ode i., 6, 2. — 22. Quod monstror. " That I am pointed out." — 

23. Romano: fidicen lyrce. " As the minstrel of the Roman lyre." — 

24. Quod spiro. " That I feel poetic inspiration." 



Ode IV. The Raeti and Vindelici having made frequent inroads into 
the Roman territory, Augustus resolved to inflict a signal chastisement on 
these barbarous tribes. For this purpose, Drusus Nero, then only twenty- 
three years of age, a son of Tiberius Nero and Livia, and a step-son con- 
sequently of the emperor, was sent against them with an army. The ex- 
pedition proved eminently successful. The young prince, in the very first 
battle, defeated the Raeti at the Tridentine Alps, and afterward, in con- 
junction with his brother Tiberius, whom Augustus had added to the war, 
met with the same good fortune against the Vindelici, united with the 
remnant of the Raeti and with others of their allies. (Compare Dio Cas- 
sius, liv., 22; Veil. Patcrc, ii., 95.) Horace, being ordered by Augustus 
{Sueton., Vit. Horat.) to celebrate these two victories in song, composed 
the present ode in honor of Drusus, and the fourteenth of this same book 
in praise of Tiberius. The piece we are now considering consists of three 
divisions. In the first, the valor of Drusus is the theme, and he is com- 
pared by the poet to a young eagle and lion. In the second, Augustus is 
extolled for his paternal care of the two princes, and for the correct cul- 
ture bestowed upon them. In the third, the praises of the Claudian line 
are sung, and mention is made of C. Claudius Nero, the conqueror of Has- 
drubal, after the victory achieved by whom, over the brother of Hannibal, 
Fortune again smiled propitious on the arms of Rome. 

1-21. 1. Qualem ministrum, &c. The order of construction is as fol- 
lows : Qualem olim juventas et patrius vigor propulit nido inscium labo- 
rum alitem ministrum ftilminis, cui Jupiter, rex deorum, permisit regnum 
in vagas aves, expertus (eum) fidelem in fiavo Ganymede, vernique venti, 
nimbis jam remotis, docuere paventom insolitos nisus ; mox vividus im- 
petus, Sec, (talem) Vindelici videre Drusum gerentem bella sub Ratis 
Alpibus. " As at first, the fire of youth and hereditary vigor have im- 
pelled from the nest, still ignorant of toils, the bird, the thunder-bearer,- to 
whom Jove, the king of gods, has assigned dominion over the wandering 
fowls of the air, having found him faithful in the case of the golden-haired 
Ganymede, and the winds of spring, the storms of winter being now re- 
moved, have taught him, still timorous, unusual darings; presently a fierce 
impulse, &c, such did the Vindelici behold Drusus waging war at the 
foot of the Radian Alps." — Alitem. Alluding to the eagle. The ancients 
believed that this bird was never injured by lightning, and they therefore 
made it the thunder-bearer of Jove. — Vernique. The eagle hatches her 
eggs toward the end of April. — 12. Amor dapis atque pugnce. " A desire 
for food and fight." — 14. Fulvas matris ab ubere, &c. "A lion just wean- 
ed from the dug of its tawny dam." — 16. Dente novo peritura. " Doomed 
to perish by its early fang." — 17. Rastis Alpibus. The Raetian Alps ex- 
tended from the St. Gothard, whose numerous peaks bore the name of 
Adula, to Mount Brenner in the Tyrol. — 18. Vindelici. The country of 
the Vindelici extended from the Lacus Brigantinus (Lake of Constance) 
to the Danube, while the lower part of the CEnus, or Inn, separated it 
from Noricum. — Quibus mos Unde deductus, &c. "To whom from what 



376 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE IV. 

source the custom be derived, which, through every age, arms their right 
hands against the foe with an Amazonian battle-axe, I have omitted to 
inquire." The awkward and prosaic turn of the whole clause, from quibus 
to omnia, has very justly caused it to be suspected as an interpolation: 
we have therefore placed the whole within brackets. — 20. Amazonia se- 
curi. The Amazonian battle-axe was a double one, and, besides its 
edges, it had a sharp projection, like a spike, on the top. — 21. Obarmet. 
The verb obarmo means " to arm against another." 

24-33. 24. Consiliis juvenis revictce. " Subdued, in their turn, by the 
skillful operations of a youthful warrior." Consult Introductory Remarks. 
25. Sensere, quid mens, &c. "Felt what a mind, what a disposition, duly 
nurtured beneath an auspicious roof — what the paternal affection of Au- 
gustus toward the young Neros could effect." The Vindelici at first be- 
held Drusus waging war on the Raeti, now they themselves were destined 
to feel the prowess both of Drusus and Tiberius, and to expei'ience the 
force of those talents which had been so happily nurtured beneath the 
roof of Augustus. — 29. Fortes creantur fortibus . The epithet fortis ap- 
pears to be used here in allusion to the meaning of the term Nero, which 
was of Sabine origin, and signified "courage," "firmness of soul." — 30. 
Patrum virtus. "The spirit of their sires." — 33. Doctrina sed vim, &c. 
The poet, after conceding to the young Neros the possession of hereditary 
virtues and abilities, insists upon the necessity of proper culture to guide 
those powers into the path of usefulness, and hence the fostering care of 
Augustus is made indirectly the theme of praise. The whole stanza may 
be translated as follows : " But it is education that improves the powers 
implanted in us by nature, and it is good culture that strengthens the 
heart : whenever moral principles are wanting, vices degrade the fair en- 
dowments of nature." It is evident from this passage that Horace was 
familiar with the true notion of education, as a moral training directed to 
the formation of character, and not merely the communication of knowl- 
edge. (Osborne, ad loc.) 

37-64. 37. Quid debeas, O Roma, Neronibus, &c. We now enter on 
the third division of the poem, the praise of the Claudian line, and the 
poet carries us back to the days of the second Punic war, and to the vic- 
tory achieved by C. Claudius Nero over the brother of Hannibal.— 38. Me- 
taurum Jlumen. The term Metaurum is hei-e taken as an adjective. The 
Metaurus, now Metro, a river of Umbzia, emptying into the Adriatic, was 
rendered memorable by the victory gained over Hasdrubal by the consuls 
C. Claudius Nero and M. Livius Salinator. The chief merit of the victory 
was due to Claudius Nero, for his bold and decisive movement in march- 
ing to join Livius. Had the intended junction taken place between Has- 
drubal and his brother Hannibal, the consequences would have been most 
disastrous for Rome. — 39. Pulcher Me dies. 4, That glorious day." Pul- 
cher may also be joined in construction with Latio, " rising fair on L atium ." 
According to the first mode of interpretation, however, Latio is an abla- 
tive, tenebris fugatis Latio, "when darkness was dispelled from Latium." 
— 41. Adorea. Used here in the sense of victoria. It properly means a 
distribution of corn to an army, after gaining a victory. — 42. Dirus per 
urbes, &c. " From the time that the dire son of Afric sped his way 
through the Italian cities, as the flame does through the pines, or the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE V. 377 

southeast wind over the Sicilian waters." By dims Afer Hannibal is 
meant. — 45. Laboribus. Equivalent here to prceliis. — 47. Tumulty,. Con- 
sult note on Ode iii., 14, 14. — 48. Deos habuere rectos. " Had their gods 
again erect." Alluding to a general renewing of sacred rites, which had 
been interrupted by the disasters of war. — 50. Cervi. "Like stags." — 
51. Quos opimus fallere, &c. "Whom to elude by flight is a glorious 
triumph." The expression fallere et effugere may be compared with the 
Greek idiom Xadovrac Qevyetv, of which it is pi-obably an imitation. — 
53. Qua cremato fortis, &c. " Which bravely bore from Ilium, reduced 
to ashes." — 57. Tonsa. "Shorn of its branches." — 58. Nigra feraci fron- 
dis, &c. " On Algidus, abounding with thick foliage." Consult note on 
Ode i., 21, 6. — 62. Vinci dolentem. "Apprehensive of being overcome." 
— 63. Colchi. Alluding to the dragon that guarded the golden fleece. — 
64. Echioniave Thebce. "Or Echionian Thebes." Echion was one of 
the number of those that sprung from the teeth of the dragon when sown 
by Cadmus, and one of the five that survived the conflict. Having aided 
Cadmus in building Thebes, he received from that prince his daughter 
Agaue. 

65-74. 65. Pulchrior evenit. "It comes forth more glorious than be- 
fore." Orelli adopts exiet, given by Meinecke from Valart, as more in ac- 
cordance with the futures proruet and geret, which follow. But there is 
no good classical authority for such a form. We meet with it only in 
Tertullian (adv. Jud., 13), and so redies in Apuleius (Met., p. 419). In Ti- 
bullus (i., 4, 27) we must change transiet to transiit. — 66. Integrum. 
"Hitherto firm in strength." — 68. Conjugibus loquenda. "To be made a 
theme of lamentation by widowed wives." Literally, "to be talked of by 
wives." Some prefer conjugibus as a dative. The meaning will then 
be, " to be related by the victors to their wives," i. e., after they have re- 
turned from the war. — 70. Occidit, occidit, &c. "Fallen, fallen is all our 
hope." — 73. Nil Claudia non perficient manus. "There is nothing now 
which the prowess of the Claudian line will not effect," i. e., Rome may 
now hope for every thing from the prowess of the Claudii. We can not 
but admire the singular felicity that marks the concluding stanza of this 
beautiful ode. The future glories of the Claudian house are predicted by 
the bitterest enemy of Rome, and our attention is thus recalled to the 
young Neros, and the martial exploits which had already distinguished 
their career. — 74. Quas et benigno numine, &c. " Since Jove defends 
them by his benign protection, and sagacity and prudence conduct them 
safely through the dangers of war." 



Ode V. Addressed to Augustus, long absent from his capital, and in- 
voking his return. 

1-24. 1. Divis orte bonis. " Sprung from propitious deities." Allud- 
ing to the divine origin of the Julian line, for Augustus had been adopted 
by Julius Caesar, and this latter traced his descent from Venus through 
lulus and iEneas. — 2. Abes jam nirnium diu. " Already too long art thou 
absent from us." Augustus remained absent from his capital for the space 
of nearly three years, being occupied with settling the affairs of Gaul (from 
A.U.C. 738 to 741). — 5. Lucem redde tua, &c. " Auspicious prince, restore 



378 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE V. 

the light of thy presence to thy country." — 8. Et soles melius nitent. 
"And the beams of the sun shine forth with purer splendor." — 10. Car- 
pathii maris. Consult note on Ode i., 35, 8. — 11. Cunctantem spatio, Sec. 
"Delaying longer than the annual period of his stay." — 12. Vocat. " In- 
vokes the return of." — 15. Desideriis icte Jidelibus . "Pierced with faith- 
ful regrets." — 17. Etenim. Equivalent to nal yap. " And no wonder she 
does so, for," &c. — Tuta. The common text has rura, for which we have 
given tuta, the ingenious emendation of Bothe, thus avoiding the awk- 
wardness of having rura in two consecutive lines. The blessings of 
peace, here described, are all the fruits of the rule of Augustus ; and 
hence, in translating, we may insert after etenim the words "by thy 
guardian care." — 18. Almaque Faustitas. " And the benign favor of heav- 
en," i. e., benignant prosperity. — 19. Volitant. "Pass swiftly," i. e., are 
impeded in their progress by no fear of an enemy. — 20. Culpari metuit 
fides. " Good faith shrinks from the imputation of blame." — 21. Nullis 
polluitur, &c. Alluding to the Lex Julia " de Adultei'io," passed by Au- 
gustas, and his other regulations against the immorality and licentious- 
ness which had been the order of the day. — 22. Mos et lex maculosum, Sec. 
" Purer morals and the penalties of the law have brought foul guilt to sub- 
jection." Augustus was invested by the senate repeatedly for five years 
with the office and title of Magister morum. — 23. Simili prole. " For an 
offspring like the father." — 24. Culpam Poznaprem.it comes. "Punish- 
ment presses upon guilt as its constant companion." 

25-38. 25. Quis Parthum paveat, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this : The valor and power of Augustus have triumphed over the 
Parthians, the Scythians, the Germans, and the Cantabri; what have we, 
therefore, now to dread ? As regards the Parthians, consult notes on Ode 
i., 26, 3, and iii., 5, 3. — Gelidum Scythen. " The Scythian, the tenant of 
the North." By the Scythians are here meant the bai'barous tribes in the 
vicinity of the Danube, but more particularly the Geloni. Their inroads 
had been checked by Lentulus, the lieutenant of Augustus. — 26. Qui*', 
Germania quos horrida, &c. "Who, the broods that horrid Germany 
brings forth." The epithet horrida has reference, in fact, to the wild and 
savage appearance, as well of the country as of its inhabitants. — 29. Con- 
dit quisque diem, Sec. " Each one closes the day on his own hills." Un- 
der the auspicious reign of Augustus, all is peace; no war calls off the 
vine-dresser from his vineyai-d, or the husbandman from his fields. — 
30. Viduas ad arbores. " To the widowed trees." The elms have been 
widowed by the destruction of the vineyards in the civil wars. — 31. Et 
alteris te mensis, Sec. "And at the second table invokes thee as a god." 
The cosna of the Romans usually consisted of two parts, the mens a prima, 
or first course, composed of different kinds of meat, and the mensa secunda 
or altera, second course, consisting of fruits and sweetmeats. The wine 
was set down on the table with the dessert, and, before they began drink- 
ing, libations were poured out to the gods. This, by a decree of the senate, 
was done, also, in honor of Augustus, after the battle of Actium. — 33. Pro- 
sequitur. " He worships." — 34. Et Laribus tuum, Sec. " And blends thy 
protecting divinity with that of the Lares, as grateful Greece does those 
of Castor and the mighty Hercules." Under the name Castoris, the 
Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, are meant. The Lares here alluded to are 
the Lares Publici, or Dii Patrii, supposed by some to be identical with 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE VI. 379 

the Penates. — 37. Longas O utinam, &c. " Auspicious prince, mayest 
thou afford long festal days to Italy," i. e., long mayest thou rule over us. 
— 38. Dicimus integro, &c. " For this we pray, in sober mood, at early 
dawn, while the day is still entire ; for this we pray, moistened with the 
juice of the grape, when the sun is sunk beneath the ocean." Integer 
dies is a day of which no part has as yet been used. 



Ode VI. The poet, being ordered by Augustus to prepare a hymn for 
the approaching Secular celebration, composes the present ode as a sort 
of prelude, and entreats Apollo that his powers may prove adequate to 
the task enjoined upon him. 

1-23. 1. Magna vindicem lingua. "The avenger of an arrogant 
tongue." Alluding to the boastful pretensions of Niobe, in relation to 
her offspring. — 2. Tityosque raptor. Compare Ode ii., 14, 8. — 3. Sensit. 
"Felt to be." Supply esse. — Trojce prope victor altts. Alluding to his 
having slain Hector, the main support of Troy. — 4. Phthius Achilles. The 
son of Thetis, according to Homer (II., xxii., 359), was to fall by the hands 
of Paris and Phoebus. Virgil, however, makes him to have been slain by 
Paris. (/En., vi., 56, seqq.) — 5. Cceteris major, tibi miles impar. "A 
warrior superior to the rest of the Greeks, but an unequal match for thee." 
— 7. Mordaciferro. "By the biting steel," i. e., the sharp-cutting axe. — 
10. fimpulsa. "Overthrown." — 11. Posuitque. " And reclined." — 13. Hie 
non, inclusus, Sec. The poet means that, if Achilles had lived, the Greeks 
would not have been reduced to the dishonorable necessity of employing 
the stratagem of the wooden horse, bat would have taken the city in open 
fight. — Equo Minervce sacra mentito. " In the horse that belied the wor- 
ship of Minerva," i. e., which was falsely pretended to have been an offei'- 
ing to the goddess. — 14. Maleferiatos. " Giving loose to festivity in an 
evil hour." — 16. Falleret. For fefellis set. So, in the 18th verse, u?eret 
for ussisset. — 17. Palam gravis. " Openly terrible." — 18. Nescios fori 
infantes. An imitation of the Greek form, vqi^ia rinva. — 21. Flexus. 
"Swayed." Bent from his purpose. — 22. Vocibus. "Entreaties." — Ad- 
nuisset. "Granted." — 23. Potiore ductos alite. "Reared under more 
favorable auspices." 

25-39. 25. Doctor Argivce, Sec. " God of the lyre, instructor of the 
Grecian Muse." Thalia is here equivalent to Musae lyricce, and Apollo 
is invoked as the deity who taught the Greeks to excel in lyric numbers, 
or, in other words, was the £opod£<5ao-/caAof Movativ. — 26. Xantho. Al- 
luding to the Lycian, not the Trojan Xanthus. This stream, though the 
largest in Lycia, was yet of inconsiderable size. On its banks stood a 
city of the same name, the greatest in the whole country. About sixty 
stadia eastward from the mouth of the Xanthus was the city of Patara, 
famed for its oracle of Apollo. — 27. Daunice defende decus Camasnce. 
" Defend the honor of the Roman Muse," i. e., grant that in the Ssecular 
hymn, which Augustus bids me compose, I may support the honor of the 
Roman lyre. As regards Daunice, put here for Italce, i. e., Romance, 
consult the notes on Ode ii., 1, 34, and i., 22, 13. — 28. Levis Agyieu. "Q 
youthful Apollo." The appellation Agyieus is of Greek origin ('Ayvietic), 
and, if the common derivation be correct (from uyvtd, " a street"), denotes 



380 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE VII. 

" the guardian deity of streets." It was the custom at Athens to erect 
small conical cippi, in honor of Apollo, in the vestibules and before the 
doors of their houses. Here,.he was invoked as the averter of evil, and 
was worshipped with perfumes, garlands, and fillets. — 29. Spirittim Phoe- 
bus mihi, Sec. The bard, fancying that his supplication has been heard, 
now addresses himself to the chorus of maidens and youths whom he sup- 
poses to be standing around and awaiting his instructions. My prayer is 
granted, "Phoebus has given me poetic inspiration, Phoebus has given me 
the art of song and the name of a poet." — Virginum prima, &c. "Ye 
noblest of the virgins, and ye boys sprung from illustrious sires." The 
maidens and youths who composed the chorus at the Saecular celebration, 
and whom the poet here imagines that he has before him, were chosen 
from the first families. — 33. Delias tutela decs. "Ye that are protected by 
the Delian Diana." Diana was the patroness of moral purity. — 35. Les- 
bium servate pedem, &c. " Observe the Lesbian measure and the striking 
of my thumb." The Sapphic measure, which is that of the present ode, 
is meant. The expression pollicis ictum refers to the mode of marking 
the termination of cadences and measures, by the application of the thumb 
to the strings of the lyre. — 38. Crescentem face Noctilucam. " The god- 
dess that illumines the night, increasing in the splendor of her beams." — 
39. Prosperam frugum. " Propitious to the productions of the earth." 
A Graecism for frugibus. — Celeremque pronos, &c. " And swift in rolling 
onward the rapid months." A Graecism for celerem in volvendis pronis 
mensibus. « 

41-43. 41. Nupta jam dices. " United at length in the bands of wed- 
lock, thou sh alt say." Jam is here used for tandem. The poet, in the be- 
ginning of this stanza, turns to the maidens, and addresses himself to the 
leader of the chorus as the representative of the whole body. The induce- 
ment which he holds out to them for the proper performance of their part 
in the celebration is extremely pleasing ; the prospect, namely, of a hap- 
py marriage ; for the ancients believed that the virgins composing the 
chorus of the Saecular and other solemnities were always recompensed 
with a happy union. — 42. Sceculo festas referente luces. " When the Sae- 
ular period brought back the festal days." The Saecular games were 
celebrated once every 110 years. Before the Julian reformation of the 
calendar, the Roman was a lunar year, which was brought, or was meant 
to be brought, into harmony with the solar year by the insertion of an in- 
tercalary month. Joseph Scaliger has shown that the principle was to in- 
tercalate a month, alternately of twenty-two and twenty-three days, every 
other year during periods of twenty-two years, in each of which periods 
such an intercalary month was inserted ten times, the last biennium be- 
ing passed over. As five years made a lustrum, so five of these periods 
made a satculum of 110 years. {Scaliger, de emendat. temp., p. 80, seqq. ; 
Niebuhr's Roman History, vol. i., p. 334, Cambr. transl.) — 43. Reddidi 
carmen. "Recited a hymn." — Docilis modorum, &c. "After having 
learned, with a docile mind, the measures of the poet Horace." Modorum 
refers here as well to the movements as to the singing of the chorus. 



Ode VII. This piece is similar, in its complexion, to the fourth ode of 
the first book. In both these productions the same topic is enforced, the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV., ODE VII. 381 

brevity of life and the wisdom of present enjoyment. The individual to 
whom the ode is addressed is the same with the Torquatus to whom the 
fifth epistle of the first book is inscribed. He was grandson of L. Manlius 
Torquatus, who held the consulship in the year that Horace was bom. 
(Ode iii., 21, 1.) Vanderbourg remarks of him as follows : " On ne con- 
nait ce Torquatus que par l'ode qui nous occupe, et l'epitre 5 du livre 1, 
qu'Horace lui adresse pareillement. II en resulte que cet ami de notre 
poete etait un homme eloquent et fort estimable, mais un peu attaque de 
la manie de thesauriser, manie d'autant plus bizarre chez lui, qu'il etait, 
dit-on, celibataire, et n'entassait que pour des collateraux." 

1-26. 1. Diffugere nives, &c. " The snows are fled : their verdure is 
now returning to the fields, and their foliage to the trees." The student 
must note the beauty and spirit of the tense diffugere. — 3. Mutat terra 
vices. "The earth changes its appearance." Literally, "changes its 
changes." Compare the Greek forms of expression, irovov irovelv, fJ.ux r l v 
fidxeadai, as cited by Orelli, and also the explanation of Mitscherlich, 
" Vices terras de colore ejus, per annuas vices apparente, ac pro diversa 
anni tempestate variante, dictas." — Et decrescentia ripas, Sec. Marking 
the cessation of the season of inundations in early spring, and the ap- 
proach of summer. — 5. Audet ducere ckoros. "Ventures to lead up the 
dances." — 7. Immortalia. " For an immortal existence." — 9. Monet an- 
nus. " Of this the year warns thee." The vicissitudes of the seasons re- 
mind us, according to the poet, of the brief nature of our own existence. — 
9. Frigora mitescunt Zephyris. " The winter colds are beginning to 
moderate under the influence of the western winds." Zephyri mark the 
vernal breezes. — Proterit. "Tramples upon." Beautifully descriptive 
of the hot and ardent progress of the summer season. — 10. Interitzira, 
simul, Sec. " Destined in its turn to perish, as soon as fruitful autumn shall 
have poured forth its stores." Simul is for simul ac. — 12. Bruma iners. 
"Sluggish winter," i. e., when the powers of nature are comparatively at 
rest. Compare the language of Bion (vi., 5) ^eZjUa dvcepyov. — 13. Damna 
tamen celeres, &c. "The rapid months, however, repair the losses occa- 
sioned by the changing seasons." Before the Julian reformation of the 
calendar, the Roman months were lunar ones. Hence lunce was fre- 
quently used in the language of poetry, even after the change had taken 
place, as equivalent to menses. — 15. Quo. " To the place whither." Un- 
derstand eo before quo, and at the end of the clause the verb deciderunt. 
— Dives Tullus et Ancus. The epithet dives alludes merely to the wealth 
and power of Tullus Hostilius and Ancus Marcius as monarchs ; with a 
reference, at the same time, however, to primitive days, since Claudian 
(xv., 109), when comparing Rome under Ancus with the same city under 
the emperor, speaks of the " mania pauperis And" — 16. Sumus. "There 
we remain." Equivalent to manemus. — 17. Adjiciant. " Intend to add." 
— Crastina tempora. " To-morrow's hours." — 19. Amico quce dederis 
animo. "Which thou shalt have bestowed on thyself." Amico is here 
equivalent to tuo, in imitation of the Greek idiom, by which (pi Aof is put 
for e/u.6c, cog, ioc. — 21. Splendida arbitria. "His impartial sentence." 
The allusion is to a clear, impartial decision, the justice of" which is in- 
stantly apparent to all. So the Bandusian fount is called [Ode iii., 13, 1) 
splendidior vitro. " Clearer than glass." — 24. Restitnet. " Will restore 
to the light of day." — 26. Infemis tencbris. "From the darkness of the 



382 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE VIII. 

lower world." Horace does not follow here the common legend. Accord- 
ing to this last, iEsculapius, at the request of Diana, did restore Hippoly- 
tus to life, and he was placed under the protection of the nymph Egeria, 
at Aricia, in Latium, where he was also worshipped. Compare Virg., 
yEn., vii., 761. — Lethcea vinculo,. "The fetters of Lethe," i. e., of death. 
The reference is to Lethe, the stream of oblivion in the lower world, and 
which is here taken for the state of death itself. 



Ode VIII. Supposed to have been written at the time of the Saturnalia, 
at which period of the year, as well as on other stated festivals, it was 
customary among the Romans for friends to send presents to one another. 
The ode before us constitutes the poet's gift to Censorinus, and, in order 
to enhance its value, he descants on the praises of his favorite art. There 
were two distinguished individuals at Rome of the name of Censorinus, 
the father and son. The latter, C. Marcius Censorinus, is most probably 
the one who is here addressed, as in point of years he was the more fit of 
the two to be the companion of Horace, and as Velleius Paterculus (ii., 
102) styles him, virion demcrendis hominibus genitum. He was consul 
along with C. Asinius Gallus, A.U.C. 746. 

1-11. 1. Donarem pateras, &c. " Liberal to my friends, Censorinus, I 
would bestow upon them cups and pleasing vessels of bronze," i. e., I 
would liberally bestow on my friends cups and vessels of beauteous 
bronze. The poet alludes to the taste for collecting antiques, which then 
prevailed among his countrymen. — 3. Tripodas. The ancients made very 
frequent use of the tripod for domestic purposes, to set their lamps upon, 
and also in religious ceremonies. Perhaps the most frequent application 
of all others was to serve water out in their common habitations. In these 
instances, the upper part was so disposed as to receive a vase. — 4. Ncque 
tu pessima munerum ferres. " Noi # shouldst thou bear away as thine own 
the meanest of gifts." A litotes, for tu optima et rarissima munera ferres. 
— 5. Divite me scilicet artium, &c. "Were I rich in the works of art, 
which either a Parrhasius or a Scopas produced ; the latter in marble, 
the former by the aid of liquid colors, skillful in representing at one time 
a human being, at another a god." — Sollers ponere. A Graecism for sol- 
lers in ponendo, or sollers ponendi. The artists here mentioned are taken 
by the poet as the respective representatives of painting and statuary. 
Parrhasius, one of the most celebrated Greek painters, was a native of 
Ephesus, but practiced his art chiefly at Athens. He flourished about 
B.C. 400. He was noted for true proportion and for the accuracy of his 
outlines. Scopas, a statuary of Paros, flourished shortly before Parrhasius. 
His statue of Apollo was preserved in the Palatine library at Rome. — 
9. Sed non heec mihi vis, &c. "But I possess no store of these things, 
nor hast thou a fortune or inclination that needs such curiosities." In 
other words, I am too poor to own such valuables, while thou art too rich 
and hast too many of them to need or desire any more. — 11. Gaudes car- 
minibus, &c. " Thy delight is in verses : verses we can bestow, and can 
fix a value on the gift." The train of ideas is as follows : Thou carest far 
less for the things that have just been mentioned, than for the productions 
of the Muse. Here we can bestow a present, and can explain, moreover, 
the true value of the gift. Cups, and vases, and tripods are estimated in ac- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE VIII. 383 

cordance with the caprice and luxury of the age, but the fame of verse is 
immortal. The bard then proceeds to exemplify the never-dying honors 
which his art can bestow. 

13-33. 13. Non incisa notis, &c. " Not marbles marked with public 
inscriptions, by which the breathing of life returns to illustrious leaders 
after death." Incisa is literally "cut in," or " engraved." — 15. Non cele- 
res fugcs, &c. " Not the rapid flight of Hannibal, nor his threats hurled 
back upon him." The expression celeres fugce refers to the sudden de- 
parture of Hannibal from Italy, when recalled by the Carthaginians to 
make head against Scipio. He had threatened that he would overthrow 
the power of Rome ; these threats Scipio hurled back upon him, and hum- 
bled the pride of Carthage in the field of Zama. — 17. Non stipendia Car- 
thaginis impice. "Not the tribute imposed upon perfidious Carthage." 
The common reading is Non incendia Carthaginis impice, which involves 
an historical error, in ascribing the overthrow of Hannibal and the destruc- 
tion of Carthage to one and the same Scipio. The elder Scipio imposed 
a tribute on Carthage after the battle of Zama, the younger destroyed the 
city. We have given, therefore, stipendia, the emendation of JDoring. 
Orelli supposes that two lines are wanting before ejus, in accordance with 
his idea that odes in this particular metre run on in quartrains. — 18. Ejus 
qui domita, &c. The order of construction is as follows : Clarius indi- 
cant laudes ejus, qui rediit lucratus nomen ab Africa domita, qaam, &c. 
Scipio obtained the agnomen of " Africanus" from his conquests in Africa, 
a title subsequently bestowed on the younger Scipio, the destroyer of 
Carthage. — 20. Calabra Pierides. " The Muses of Calabria." The allu- 
sion is to the poet Ennius, who was born at Rudise in Calabria, and who 
celebrated the exploits of his friend and patron, the elder Scipio, in his 
Annals or metrical chronicles, and also in a poem connected with these 
Annals, and devoted to the praise of the Roman commander. — Neque si 
charts sileant, &c. " Nor, if writings be silent, shalt thou reap any re- 
ward for what thou mayest have laudably accomplished." The construc- 
tion in the text is mercedem (illius) quod benefeceris. — 22. Qjuid foret Ilice, 
&c. " What would the son of Ilia and of Mars be now, if invidious silence 
had stifled the merits of Romulus 1" In other words, Where would be 
the fame and the glory of Romulus if Ennius had been silent in his praise ? 
Horace alludes to the mention made by Ennius, in his Annals, of the fa- 
bled birth of Romulus and Remus. As regards Ilia, compare note, Ode 
iii., 9, 8. — 24. Obstaret. Put for obstitisset. — 25. Ereptum Stygiis Jiucti- 
bus utEacum-, &c. " The power, and the favor, and the lays of eminent 
bards, consecrate to immortality, and place in the islands of the blessed, 
jEacus rescued from the dominion of the grave." Stygiis fluctibus is 
here equivalent to morte. — 27. Divitibus consecrat insulis. Alluding to 
the earlier mythology, by which Elysium was placed in one or more of 
the isles of the Western Ocean. — 29. Sic Jovis interest, &c. " By this 
means the unwearied Hercules participates in the long-wished-for ban- 
quet of Jove." Sic is here equivalent to carminibus poctarum. — 31. Cla- 
rum Tyndarida, sidus. "By this means the Tyudaridae, that bright con- 
stellation." Understand sic at the beginning of this clause. The allusion 
is to Castor and Pollux. Consult note on Ode i., 3, 2. — 33. Ornatus viridi 
tempora pampino. We must again understand sic. " By this means 
Bacchus, having his temples adorned with the verdant vine-leaf, leads to 



384 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE IX. 

a successful issue the prayers of the husbandmen." In other words, By 
the songs of the bards Bacchus is gifted with the privileges and attri- 
butes of divinity. Consult note on Ode iii., 8, 7. 



Ode IX. In the preceding ode the poet asserts that the only path to 
immortality is through the verses of the bard. The same idea again 
meets us in the present piece, and Horace promises, through the medium 
of his numbers, an eternity of fame to Lollius. " My lyric poems are not 
destined to perish," he exclaims; "for, even though Homer enjoys the 
first rank among the votai-ies of the Muse, still the strains of Pindar, Si- 
monides, Stesichorus, Anacreon, and Sappho, live in the remembrance of 
men; and my own productions, therefore, in which I have followed the 
footsteps of these illustrious children of song, will, I know, be rescued 
from the night of oblivion. The memory of those whom they celebrate de- 
scends to after ages with the numbers of the bard, while, if a poet be 
wanting, the bravest of heroes sleeps forgotten in the tomb. Thy praises 
then, Lollius, shall be my theme, and thy numerous virtues shall live in 
the immortality of verse." 

M. Lollius Palicanus, to whom this ode is addressed, enjoyed, for a long 
time, a very high reputation. Augustus gave him, A.U.C. 728, the gov- 
ernment of Galatia, with the title of propraetor. He acquitted himself so 
well in this office, that the emperor, in order to recompense his services, 
named him consul, in 732, with L. JSmilius Lepidus. In this year the 
present ode was written, and thus far nothing had occurred to tarnish his 
fame. Being sent, in 737, to engage the Germans, who had made an ir- 
ruption into Gaul, he had the misfortune, after some successes, to expe- 
rience a defeat, known in history by the name of Lolliana Clades, and in 
which he lost the eagle of the fifth legion. It appears, however, that he 
was able to repair this disaster and regain the confidence of Augustus ; 
for this monarch chose him, about the year 751, to accompany his grand- 
son, Caius Caesar, into the East, as a kind of director of his youth ("veluli 
moderator juventce.'" Veil. Pat n ii., 102). It was in this mission to the 
East, seven or eight years after the death of our poet, that he became 
guilty of the greatest depredations, and formed secret plots, which were 
disclosed to Caius Caesar by the king of the Parthians. Lollius died sud- 
denly a few days after this, leaving behind him an odious memory. 
Whether his end was voluntary or otherwise, Velleius Paterculus de- 
clares himself unable to decide. We must not confound this individual 
with the Lollius to whom the second and eighteenth epistles of the first 
book are inscribed, a mistake into which Dacier has fallen, and which he 
endeavors to support by very feeble arguments. Sanadon has clearly 
shown that these two epistles are evidently addressed to a very young 
man, the father, probably, of Lollia Paulina, whom Caligula took away 
from C. Memmius, in order to espouse her himself, and whom he repudi- 
ated soon after. We have in Pliny (N. H., ix., 35) a curious passage re- 
specting the enormous riches which this Lollia had inherited from her 
grandfather. 

1-9. 1. Ne forte credas, Sec. "Do not perchance believe that those 
words are destined to perish, which I, born near the banks of the far- 
resounding Aufidus, am wont to utter, to be accompanied by the strings 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE IX. 385 

of the lyre through an art before unknown." Horace alludes to himself 
as the first that introduced into the Latin tongue the lyric measures of 
Greece. — 2. Longe sonantem natus, &c. Alluding to his having been bora 
in Apulia. Consult Ode iii., 30, 10. — 5. No?i si priores, &c. "Although 
the Mseonian Homer holds the first rank among poets, still the strains of 
Pindar and the Casan Simonides, and the threatening lines of Alcseus, and 
the dignified effusions of Stesichorus, are not hid from the knowledge of 
posterity." More literally, " The Pindaric and Csean muses, and the 
theatening ones of Alcaeus, and the dignified ones of Stesichorus." As 
regards the epithet Mceonius, applied to Homer, consult note on Ode i., 6, 
2. — 7. Ccets. Consult note on Ode ii., 1, 37. — Alccei minaces. Alluding to 
the effusions of Alcaeus against the tyrants of his native island. Consult 
note on Ode ii., 13, 26. — 8. Stcsichorique graves Camaence. Stesichorus 
was a native of Himera, in Sicily, and bora about 632 B.C. He was con- 
temporary with Sappho, Alcaeus, and Pittacus. He used the Doric dia- 
lect, and besides hymns in honor of the gods, and odes in praise of heroes, 
composed what may be called lyro-epic poems, such as one entitled " The 
Destruction of Troy," and another called "The Orestiad." — 9. Nee, si quid 
olim, &c. "Nor, if Anacreon, in former days, produced any sportive effu- 
sion, has time destroyed this." Time, howevei*, has made fearful ravages 
for us in the productions of this bard. At the present day, we can attrib- 
ute to Anacreon only the fragments that were collected by Ursinus, and 
a few additional ones, and not those poems which commonly go under his 
name, a few only excepted. 

11-49. 11. Calores JEoliaz puellce. " The impassioned feelings of the 
iEolian maid." The allusion is to Sappho. Consult note on Ode ii., 13, 
24. — 13. Non sola comtos, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Lacaena Helene non sola arsit comtos crines adulteri, et mirata (est) au- 
rum. " The Spartan Helen was not the only one that burned for," &o. — 
14. Aurum vestibus illitum. "The gold spread profusely over his gar- 
ments," i. e., his garments richly embroidered with gold. 15. Rcgalesque 
cultus et comites. "And his regal splendor and retinue." Cultus here 
refers to the individual's manner of life, aud the extent of his resources. 
— 17. Cydonio arcu. Cydon was one of the most ancient and important 
cities of Crete, and the Cydonians were esteemed the best among the 
Cretan archers. — 18. Non semel Ilios vexata. "Not once merely has a 
Troy been assailed." We have adopted here the idea of Orelli. Other 
commentators make the reference a distinct one to Troy itself: " Not once 
merely was Troy assailed." Troy, previous to its final overthrow, had 
been twice taken, once by Hercules, and again by the Amazons. — 19. In~ 
gens. "Mighty in arms." — 22. Acer Deiphobus. Deiphobus was regard- 
ed as the bravest of the Trojans after Hector. — 29. Inertia;. The dative 
for ab inertia by a Graecism. — 30. Cclata virtus. " Merit, when uncele- 
brated," i. e., when concealed from the knowledge of posterity, for want 
of a bard or historian to celebrate its praises. — Non ego te meis, &c. " I 
will not pass thee over in silence, unhonored in my strains." — 33. Lividas. 
"Envious." — 35. Rerumque prudens, &c. "Both skilled in the manage- 
ment of affairs, and alike unshaken in prosperity and misfortune." The 
poet here begins to enumerate some of the claims of Lollius to an immor- 
tality of fame. Hence the connection in the train of ideas is as follows : 
And worthy art thou, Lollius, of being remembered by after ages, for 

R 



386 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE XI. 

*' thou hast a mind," &c. — 37. Vindex. Put in apposition with animus. — 
38. Ducentis ad se cuncta. "Drawing all things within the sphere of its 
influence." — 39. Consulque non unius anni. "And not merely the con- 
sul of a single year." A bold and beautiful personification, by which the 
term consul is applied to the mind of Lollius. Ever actuated by the pur- 
est principles, and ever preferring honor to views of mere private inter- 
est, the mind of Lollius enjoys a perpetual consulship. — 42. Rejecit alio 
dona nocentium, &c. " Rejects with disdainful brow the bribes of the 
guilty ; victorious, makes for himself a way, by his own arms, amid op- 
posing crowds." Explicuit sua arma may be rendered more literally, 
though less intelligibly, "displays his arms." The "opposing crowds" 
are the difficulties that beset the path of the upright man, as well from 
the inherent weakness of his own nature, as from the arts of the flatterer, 
and the machinations of secret foes. Calling, however, virtue and firm- 
ness to his aid, he employs these arms of purest temper against the host 
that surrounds him, and comes off victorious from the conflict. — 46. Recte. 
" Consistently with true wisdom." — Rectius occupat nomen beati. " With 
far more propriety does that man lay claim to the title of happy." — 49. 
Callet. " Well knows." 



Ode XL The poet invites Phyllis to his abode, for the purpose of cele- 
brating with him the natal day of Maecenas, and endeavors, by various 
arguments, to induce her to come. 

1-19. 1. Est mihi nonum, &c. " I have a cask full of Alban wine, 
more than nine years old." The Alban wine is ranked by Pliny only as 
third rate ; but, from the frequent commendation of it by Horace and Juve- 
nal, we must suppose it to have been in considerable repute, especially 
when matured by long keeping. It was sweet and thick when new, but 
became dry when old, seldom ripening properly before the fifteenth year. 
— 3. Nectendis apium coronis. " Parsley for weaving chaplets." Nec- 
tendis coronis is for ad nectendas coronas. — 4. Est ederas vis multa. 
"There is abundance of ivy." — 5. Fulges. "Thou wilt appear more beau- 
teous." The future, from the old verb fulgo, of the third conjugation, 
which frequently occurs in Lucretius. — 6. Ridet argento domus. " The 
house smiles with glittering silver." Alluding to the silver vessels (i. e., 
the paternal salt-cellar* and the plate for incense) cleansed and made 
ready for the occasion, and more particularly for the sacrifice that was to 
take place. Compare note on Ode ii., 16, 14. — Ara castis vincta verbenis. 
The allusion is to an ara cespititia. Consult notes on Ode i., 19, 13 and 
14. — 8. Spargier. An archaism for spargi. In the old language the syl- 
lable er was appended to all passive infinitives. — 11. Sordidum flammas 
trepidant, &c. " The flames quiver as they roll the sullying smoke 
through the house-top," i. e., the quivering flames roll, &c. The Greeks 
and Romans appear to have been unacquainted with the use of chimneys. 
The more common dwellings had merely an opening in the roof, which 
allowed the smoke to escape ; the better class of edifices were warmed 
by means of pipes inclosed in the walls, and which communicated with a 
large stove, or several smaller ones, constructed in the earth under the 
building. — 14. Idus tibi sunt agendas, &c. " The ides are to be celebrated 
by thee, a day that cleaves April, the month of sea-born Venus," i. e., thou 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE XII. 387 

art to celebrate along with me the ides of April, a month sacred to Venus, 
who rose from the waves. The ides fell on the 15th of March, May, July, 
and October, and on the 13th of the other months. They received their 
name from the old verb iduare, " to divide" (a word of Etrurian origin, ac- 
cording to Macrobius, Sat., i., 15), because in some cases they actually, 
and in others nearly, divided the month. Hence jindit on the present oc- 
casion. — 15. Mensem Veneris. April was sacred to Venus. — 17. Jure so- 
lennis mihi, &c. " A day deservedly solemnized by me, and almost held 
more sacred than that of my own nativity." — 19. Affiuentes ordinat annos, 
" Counts his increasing years." Compare, as regards qffltientes, the expla- 
nation of Orelli : " sensim sibi succedentes." 



Ode XII. It has never been satisfactorily determined whether the 
present ode was addressed to the poet Virgil, or to some other individual 
of the same name. The individual here designated by the appellation of 
Virgil (be he who he may) is invited by Horace to an entertainment where 
each guest is to contribute his quota. The poet agrees to supply the wine, 
if Virgil will bring with him, as his share, a box of perfumes. He begs 
him to lay aside for a moment his eager pursuit of gain, and his schemes 
of self-interest, and to indulge in the pleasures of festivity. 

1-27. 1. Jamveris comites, &c. "Now, the Thracian winds, the com- 
panions of Spring, which calm the sea, begin to swell the sails." The al- 
lusion is to the northern winds, whose home, according to the poets, was 
the land of Thrace. These winds began to blow in the commencement 
of spring. The western breezes are more commonly mentioned in de- 
scriptions of spring, but, as these are changeable and inconstant, the poet 
prefers, on this occasion, to designate the winds which blow more steadi- 
ly at this season of the year. — 4. Hiberna nive. "By the melting of the 
winter snow." — 6. Infelix avis. The reference is here to the nightingale, 
and not to the swallow. Horace evidently alludes to that version of the 
story which makes Procne to have been changed into a nightingale and 
Philomela into a swallow. — Et Cecropice domus, &c. "And the eternal 
reproach of the Attic line, for having too cruelly revenged the brutal lusts 
of kings." CecropicB is here equivalent simply to Atticce, as Pandion, 
the father of Procne, though king of Athens, was not a descendant of Ce- 
crops. — 11. Deum. Alluding to Pan. — Nigri colles. "The dark hills," i. 
e., gloomy with forests. Among the hills, or, more properly speaking, 
mountains of Arcadia, the poets assigned Lycaeus andMsenalus to Pan as 
his favorite retreats. — 13. Adduxere sitim tempora. "The season of the 
year brings along with it thirst," i. e., the heats of spring, and the thirst 
produced by tbem, impel us to the wine-cup. The heat of an Italian spring 
almost equalled that of summer in more northern lands. — 14. Pressum 
Calibus liberum. "The wine pressed at Cales." Consult note on Ode 
i., 20, 9. — 15. Juvenum nobilium cliens. Who the "juvencs nobiles" were, 
to whom the poet here alludes, it is impossible to say : neither is it a mat- 
ter of the least importance. Those commentators who maintain that the 
ode is addressed to the bard of Mantua, make them to be the young Neros, 
Drusus and Tiberius, and Doring, who is one of the number that advocate 
this opinion relative to Virgil, regards cliens as equivalent to the German 
Gicnslling, "favorite." — 16. Nardo vinamereberis. " Thou shalt earn thy 



388 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE XIV. 

wine with spikenard." Horace, as we have already stated in the intro- 
dactory remarks, invites the individual whom he here addresses to an 
entertainment, where each guest is to contribute his quota. Our poet 
agrees to furnish the wine, if Virgil will supply perfumes, and heuce tells 
him he shall have wine for his spikenard. — 17. Parvus onyx. "A small 
alabaster box." According to Pliny (H. N., xxxvi., 12), perfume --boxes 
were made of the onyx alabaster. — Eliciet cadum. "Will draw forth a 
cask," i. e., will cause me to furnish a cask of wine for the entertainment. 
The opposition between parvus onyx and cadus is worthy of notice. — 
18. Qui nunc Sulpiciis, &c. "Which now lies stored away in the Sul- 
pician repositories." Consult note on Ode iii., 20, 7. According to Por- 
phyron in his scholia on this passage, the poet alludes to a certain Sul- 
picius Galba, a well-known merchant of the day. — 19. Donare largus. A 
Grascism for largus donandi, or ad donandum. — Amara curarum. "Bit- 
ter cares." An imitation of the Greek idiom (ra TtiKpu tcjv /j.epifj.vCJv), ia 
place of the common Latin form amaras curas. — 21. Cum tua merce. 
"With thy club," i. e., with thy share toward the entertainment; or, in 
other words, with the perfumes. The part furnished by each guest to- 
ward a feast is here regarded as a kind of merchandise, which partners 
in trade throw into a common stock, that they may divide the profits. — 
22. Non ego te meis imrnunem, &c. " I do not intend to moisten thee, at 
free cost, with the contents of my cups, as the rich man does in some welL- 
stored abode." — 26. Nigrorumque memor ignium. " And, mindful of the 
gloomy fires of the funeral pile," i. e., of the shortness of existence.— 
27. Misce stultitiam consiliis brevem, &c. "Blend a little folly with thy 
worldly plans : it is delightful to give loose on a proper occasion." Deal- 
pere properly signifies " to play the fool," and hence we obtain other kin- 
dred meanings, such as " to indulge in festive enjoyment," " to unbend," 
" give loose," &c. 



Ode XIV. We have already stated, in the introductory remarks to the 
fourth ode of the present book, that Horace had been directed by Augus- 
tus to celebrate in song the victories of Drusus and Tiberius. The piece 
to which we have alluded is devoted, in consequence, to the praises of 
the former, the present one to those of the latter, of the two princes. In 
both productions, however, the art of the poet is shown in ascribing the 
success of the two brothers to the wisdom and fostering counsels of Augus- 
tus himself. 

1-15. 1. Qua cura Patrum, &c. "What care on the part of the fa- 
thers, or what on the part of the Roman people at large, can, by offerings 
rich with honors, perpetuate to the latest ages, O Augustus, the remem- 
brance of thy virtues, in public inscriptions and recording annals 1" — 
2. Muneribus. Alluding to the various public monuments, decrees, &c, 
proceeding from a grateful people. — 4. Titulos. The reference is to pub- 
lic inscriptions of every kind, as well on the pedestals of statues, as on 
arches, triumphal monuments, coins, &c. — Mcmoresque fastos. Consult 
note on Ode hi., 17, 4. — 5. JEternet. Varro, as quoted by Nonius (ii.. 57), 
uses this same verb: " Litteris ac laudibus ceternare." — 6. Prht-cipum. 
This term is here selected purposely, as being the one which Augustus 
affected for a title, declining, at the same time, that of dictator or king. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE XIV. 389 

Compare Tacit., Ann., i., 9. — 7. Quern legis expertes Latince, &c. "Whom 
the Vindelici, free before from Roman sway, lately learned what thou 
couldst do in wai\" Or, more freely and intelligibly, " Whose power in 
war the Vindelici, &c, lately experienced." We have hei-e an imitation of 
a well-known Greek idiom. — 8. Vindelici. Consult note on Ode iv., 4, 18. 
— 10. Genaunos, implacidum genus, Breunosque veloces. The poet here 
substitutes for the Raeti and Vindelici of the fourth ode, the Genauni and 
Breuni, Alpine nations, dwelling in their vicinity and allied to them in 
war. This is done apparently with the view of amplifying the victories 
of the young Neros, by increasing the number of the conquered nations. 
The Genauni and Breuni occupied the Val d'Agno and Val Braunia, to 
the east and northeast of the Lago Maggiore (Lacus Verbanus). — 13. De- 
jecit acer plus vice simplici. "Bravely overthrew with more than an 
equal return." — 14. Major Neronum. "The elder of the Neros." Alluding 
to Tiberius, the future emperor. — 15. Irnmanesque Rates auspiciis, &c. 
" And, under thy favoring auspices, drove back the ferocious Raeti." In 
the time of the republic, when the consul performed anything in person, 
he was said to do it by his own conduct and auspices {duclu, vel imperio, 
et auspicio suo) ; but if his lieutenant, or any other person, did it by his 
command, it was said to be done, auspicio consulis, duclu legati, under 
the auspices of the consul and the conduct of the legatus. In this manner 
the emperors were said to do every thing by their own auspices, although 
they remained at Rome. By the Raeti in the text are meant the united 
forces of the Raeti, Vindelici, and their allies. The first of these consti- 
tuted, in fact, the smallest part, as their strength had already been broken 
by Drusus. Compare Introductory Remarks to the fourth ode of this book. 

17-33. 17. Spectandus in certamine Martio, &c. " Giving an illustri- 
ous proof in the martial conflict, with what destruction he could overwhelm 
those bosoms that were devoted to death in the cause of freedom." The 
poet here alludes to the custom prevalent among these, and other barbar- 
ous nations, especially such as were of Gei'manic or Celtic origin, of de- 
voting themselves to death in defence of their country's freedom. — 21. Ex- 
ercet. "Tosses." — Pleiadum choro scindente nubes, &c. "When the 
dance of the Pleiades is severing the clouds." A beautiful mode of ex- 
pressing the rising of these stars. The Pleiades are seven stars in the 
neck of the bull. They are fabled to have been seven of the daughters of 
Atlas, whence they are also called Atlantides. (Virg., Georg., i., 221.) 
They rise with the sun on the tenth day before the calends of May (22d 
of April), according to Columella. The Latin writers generally call them 
Vergilia, from their rising about the vernal equinox. The appellation 
of Pleiades is supposed to come from nXeco, "to sail," because their rising 
marked the season when the storms of winter had departed, and every 
thing favored the renewal of navigation. Some, however, derive the 
name from irTielovec, because they appear in a cluster, and thus we find 
Manillas calling them ll sidus glomerabile." — 24. Medios perignes. Some 
commentators regard this as a proverbial expression, alluding to an affair 
full of imminent danger, and compare it with the Greek Siu nvpbc fioAelv. 
The scholiast, on the other hand, explains it as equivalent to "per medium 
pugnm fervorem." We rather think with Gesner, however, that the ref- 
erence is to some historical event which has not come down to us. — 25. Sic 
tauriformis volvilur Aufidus. " With the same fury is the bull-formed 



390 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK IV., ODE XIV. 

Aufidus rolled along." The epithet tauriformis, analogous to the Greek 
ravpofiopfyoc, alludes either to the bull's head, or to the horns with which 
the gods of rivers were anciently represented. The scholiast on Eurip- 
ides (Orest., 1378) is quite correct in referring the explanation of this to 
the roaring of their waters. Consult note on Ode iii., 30, 10. — 26. Qua 
regna Dauni, &c. " Where it flows by the realms of Apulian Daunus," 
i. e., where it waters the land of Apulia. — Preefiuit. For prceterfiiiit. 
Compare Ode iv., 3, 10. — 29. Agmina j "errata. " The iron-clad bands." — 
31. Meteudo. "By mowing down." — 32. Sine clade. " Without loss to 
himself," i. e., with trifling injury to his own army. — 33. Consilium et tuos 
divos. " Thy counsel and thy favoring gods," i. e., thy counsel and thy 
auspices. By the expression tuos divos, the poet means the favor of 
heaven, which had constantly accompanied the arms of Augustus : hence 
the gods are, by a bold figure, called his own. A proof of this favor is 
given in the very next sentence, in which it is stated that, on the fifteenth 
anniversary of the capture of Alexandrea, the victories of Drusus and Ti- 
berius were achieved over their barbarian foes. 

34-52. 34. Nam, tibi quo die, &c. " For, at the close of the third lus- 
trum from the day on which the suppliant Alexandrea opened wide to 
thee her harbors and deserted court, propitious fortune gave a favorable 
issue to the war." On the fourth day before the calends of September 
(August 29th), B.C. 30, the fleet and cavalry of Antony went over to Oc- 
tavius, and Antony and Cleopatra fled to the mausoleum, leaving the pal- 
ace empty. The war with the Rseti and Vindelici was brought to a close 
on the same day, according to the poet, fifteen years after. — 36. Vacuam 
aulam. Alluding to the retreat of Antony and Cleopatra into the mauso- 
leum. — 37. Lustro. Consult note on Ode ii., 4, 22. — 40. Laudemque et op- 
tatum, &c. " And claimed praise and wished-for glory unto your finished 
campaigns." — 41. Cantaber. Consult note on Ode ii., 6, 2. — 42. Medus- 
que. Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode iii., 5, and note on Ode i., 26, 
3. — Indus. Consult note on Ode i., 12, 55. — Scythes. Consult notes on 
Ode ii., 9, 23, and iii., 8, 23. — 43. Tuiela prcesens. Consult note on Ode 
iii., 5, 2. — 44. Domince. "Mistress of the world." — 45. Fontium qui celat 
origines Nilus. The Nile, the largest river of the Old World, still con- 
ceals, observes Malte-Brun, its true sources from the research of science. 
At least scarcely any thing more of them is known to us now than was 
known in the time of Eratosthenes. — 46. Ister. The Danube. The poet 
alludes to the victories of Augustus over the Dacians and other barbarous 
tribes dwelling in the vicinity of this stream. — 46. Rapidus Tigris. The 
reference is to Armenia, over which country Tiberius, by the orders of 
Augustus, A.U.C. 734, placed Tigranes as king. The epithet here applied 
to the Tigris is very appropriate. It is a very swift stream, and its great 
rapidity, the natural effect of local circumstances, has procured for it the 
name of Tigr in the Median tongue, Diglito in Arabic, and Hiddekel in 
Hebrew, all which terms denote the flight of an arrow. — 47. Belluosus. 
" Teeming with monsters." — 48. Britannis. Consult note on Ode iii., 5, 
3. — 49. Non paventis funera Galli<z. Lucan (i., 459, seqq.) ascribes the 
contempt of death which characterized the Gauls to their belief in the 
metempsychosis, as taught by the Druids. — 50. Audit. " Obeys." — 51. 
Sygambri. Consult note on Ode iv., 2, 36. — 52. Compositis armis. " Their 
arms being laid up." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV., ODE XV. 391 

Ode XV. The poet feigns that, when about to celebrate in song the 
battles and victories of Augustus, Apollo reproved hinx for his rash at- 
tempt, and that he thereupon turned his attention to subjects of a less 
daring nature, and more on an equality with his poetic powei*s. The bard 
therefore sings of the blessings conferred on the Roman people by the 
glorious reign of the monarch ; the closing of the Temple of Janus ; the 
prevalence of universal peace ; the revival of agriculture ; the re-estab- 
lishment of laws and public morals ; the rekindling splendor of the Roman 
name. Hence the concluding declaration of the piece, that Augustus 
shall receive divine honors, as a tutelary deity, from the hands of a grate- 
ful people. 

1-31. 1. Phoebus vole ntem, Sec. " Phoebus sternly reproved me, by the 
striking of his lyre, when wishing to tell of battles and subjugated cities, 
and warned me not to spread my little sails over the surface of the Tus- 
can Sea." To attempt, with his feeble genius, to sing the victories of Au- 
gustus, is, according to the bard, to venture in a little bark on a broad, 
tempestuous ocean. As regards the expression increpuit lyra, compare 
the explanation of Orelli : "lyra plectro tacta hoc nefacerem vetuit." — 
5. Fruges uberes. " Abundant harvests." Alluding to the revival of agri- 
culture after the ravages of the civil war had ceased. — 6. Et signa nostro 
restituit Jovi. " And has restored the Roman standards to our Jove." 
An allusion to the recovery of the standards lost in the overthrow of Cras- 
sus and the check of Antony. Consult note on Ode i., 26, 3, and Introduc- 
tory Remarks, Ode iii., 5. — 8. Et vacuum duellis, &c. "And has closed 
the temple of Janus Quirinus, free from wars." The Temple of Janus was 
open in war and closed in peace. It had been closed previous to the reign 
of Augustus, once in the days of Numa, and a second time at the conclu- 
sion of the first Punic war. Under Augustus it was closed thrice : once in 
A.U.C. 725, after the overthrow of Antony (compare Orosius, vi., 22, and 
Dio Cassius, 51, 20); again in A.U.C. 729, after the reduction of the Can- 
tabri (compare Dio Cassius, 53, 26) ; and the third time when the Dacians, 
Dalmatians, and some of the German tribes were subdued by Tiberius 
and Drusus. (Compare Dio Cassius, 54, 36.) To this last Horace is here 
supposed to allade. As regards the expression Janum Quirinum, com- 
pare the language of Macrobius (Sat., i., 9) : " Invocamus Janum Quiri- 
num quasi bellorum potentem, ab hasta, quam Sabini curim vocant." — 
9. Et ordinem rectum, &c. The order of construction is as follows : et in- 
jccii frena Licentics evaganti extra rectum ordinem. "And has curbed 
licentiousness, roaming forth beyond the bounds of right order," i. e., un- 
bridled licentiousness. Consult note on Ode iv., 5, 22. — 12. Veteres artes. 
" The virtues of former days." — 16. Ab Hesperio cubili. " From his rest- 
ing-place in the west." — 18. Exigel otium. " Shall drive away repose." 
— 20. Inimicat. "Embroils." — 21. Non qui prof undum, &cc. Alluding to 
the nations dwelling along the borders of the Danube, the Germans, Raoti, 
Dacians, &c. — 22. Edicta Julia. " The Julian edicts." The reference is 
to the laws imposed by Augustus, a member of the Julian line, on van- 
quished nations. — Getcs. Consult note on Ode iii., 24, 11. — 23. Seres. Con- 
sult note on Ode i., 12, 55. Floras states that the Seres sent an embassy, 
with valuable gifts, to Augustus (iv., 12, 61). — Injidive Persce. "Or the 
faithless Parthians." — 24. Tanain prope flumeri orti. Alluding to the 
Scythians. Among the embassies sent to Augustus was one from the 



392 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV. ? ODE XV. 

Scythians. — 25. Etprofestis lucibus et sacris. "Both on common and sa- 
cred days." Consult note on Ode ii., 3, 7.-26. Munera Liber?. Consult 
note on Ode i., 18, 7. — 29. Virtute functos. " Authors of illustrious deeds." 
— 30. Lydis remixto carmine tibiis. " In song, mingled alternate with 
the Lydian flutes," i. e., with alternate vocal and instrumental music. 
The Lydian flutes were the same with what were called the left-handed 
flutes. Among the ancient flutes, those most frequently mentioned are 
the tibice dextrce and sinistra, pares and impares. It would seem that 
the double flute consisted of two tubes, which were so joined together as 
to have but one mouth, and so were both blown at once. That which the 
musician played on with his right hand was called tibia dextra, the right- 
handed flute ; with his left, the tibia sinistra, the left-handed flute. The 
former had but few holes, and sounded a deep, serious bass ; the other had 
many holes, and a sharper and livelier tone. The left-handed flutes, as 
has already been remarked, were the same with what were called the 
Lydian, while the right-handed were identical with what were denomina- 
ted the Tynan. — 31. Almae. progeniem Veneris. An allusion to Augustus, 
who had passed by adoption into the Julian family, and consequently 
claimed descent, with that line, from Ascanius, the grandson of Anchises 
and Venus. 



EPODES. 



The term Epode ('TZttuSoc) was used in more than one signification. 
It was applied, in the first place, to an assemblage of lyric verses imme- 
diately succeeding the strophe and antistrophe, and intended to close the 
period or strain. Hence the name itself from tni and hSrj, denoting some- 
thing sung after another piece. In the next place, the appellation was 
given to a small lyric poem, composed of several distichs, in each of which 
the first verse was an iambic trimeter (six feet), and the last a dimeter 
(four feet). Of this kind were the Epodes of Archilochus, mentioned by 
Plutarch in his Dialogue on Music (c. xxviii., vol. xiv., p. 234, ed. Hutten), 
and under this same class are to be ranked a majority of the Epodes of 
Horace. Lastly, the term Epode was so far extended in signification as 
to designate any poem in which a shorter versa was made to follow a long 
one, which will serve as a general definition for all the productions of 
Horace that go by this name. Compare, in relation to this last meaning 
of the word, the language of Hephceslion (De Metr., p. 129, e&.Gaisf.),elcl 
6" ev tocc Troi7Jfj.acn icai oi u/!){)eviku>c ovrio fca.Xovp.evoi ETrcodoi, brav fie- 
yd'Xcd (T~ixo) nepiTTov tl ejrupipr/Tac where Tzeptrrov corresponds to the 
Latin impar, and refers to a verse unequal to one which has gone before, 
or, in other words, less than it. 



Epode I. Written a short time previous to the battle of Actium. The 
bard offers himself as a companion to Maecenas, when the latter was on 
the eve of embarking in the expedition against Antony and Cleopatra, and 
expresses his perfect willingness to share every danger with his patron 
and friend. Maecenas, however, apprehensive for the poet's safety, re- 
fused to grant his request. 

1-19. 1. Ibis Libumis, &c. "Dear Maecenas, wilt thou venture in the 
light Liburnian galleys amid the towering bulwarks of the ships of An- 
tony?" If we credit the scholiast Acron, Augustus, when setting out 
against Antony and Cleopatra, gave the command of the Liburnian gal- 
leys to Maecenas. — 5. Quid nos, qnibus te, &c. The ellipses are to be 
supplied as follows : Quid nos faciamus, quibus vita est jucunda si te 
superstite vivitur, si contra accident, gravis ? " And what shall I do, to 
whom life is pleasing if thou survive; if otherwise, a burden?" — 7. Jussi. 
Understand a te. — 9. An hunc laborem, &c. " Or shall I endure the toils 
of this campaign with that resolution with which it becomes the brave to 
bear them ?" — 12. Inhospitalem Caucasum. Consult note on Ode i., 22, 
6. — 13. Occidentis usque ad ultimum sinum. "Even to the farthest bay 
of the west," i. e., to the farthest limits of the world on the west. — 18. Ma- 
jor habet. "More powerfully possesses." — 19. Ut assidens implumibus, 
&c. "As a bird, sitting near her unfledged young, dreads the approaches 
of serpents more for them when left by her, unable, however, though she 
be with them, to render any greater aid on that account to her offspring 
placed before her eyes." A poetical pleonasm occurs in the term pr<B- 



394 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE I. 

sentibus, and, in a free translation, the word may be regarded as equiva- 
lent simply to Us. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole sen- 
tence is extremely beautiful. The poet likens himself to the parent bird, 
and, as the latter sits by her young, though even her presence can not 
protect them, so the bard wishes to be with his friend, not because he is 
able to defend him from hann, but that he may fear the less for his safety 
while remaining by his side. 

23-29. 23. Libenter hoc et omne, &c. The idea intended to be convey- 
ed is as follows : I make not this request in order to obtain from thee more 
extensive possessions, the usual rewards of military service, but in the 
spirit of disinterested affection, and with the hope of securing still more 
firmly thy friendship and esteem. — 25. Non ut juvencis, &c. An elegant 
hypallage for non ut plures juvenci illigati meis aratris nitantur. " Not 
that more oxen may toil for me, yoked to my ploughs," i. e., not that I 
may have more extensive estates. — 27. Pecusve Calabris, (See. "Nor that 
my flocks may change Calabrian for Lucanian pastures, before the burn- 
ing star appears," i. e., nor that I may own such numerous flocks and 
herds as to have both winter and summer pastures. An hypallage for 
Calabra pascua mutet Lucanis. The more wealthy Romans were accus- 
tomed to keep their flocks and herds in the rich pastures of Calabria and 
Lucania. The mild climate of the former country made it an excellent 
region for winter pastures ; about the end of June, however, and a short 
time previous to the rising of the dog-star, the increasing heat caused 
these pastures to be exchanged for those of Lucania, a cool and woody 
country. On the approach of winter Calabria was revisited. — 29. Nee ut 
superni, &c. "Nor that my glittering villa may touch the Circaean walls 
of lofty Tusculum," i. e., nor that my Sabine villa may be built of white 
marble, glittering beneath the rays of the sun, and be so far extended as 
to reach even to the walls of Tusculum. The distance between the poet's 
farm and Tusculum was more than twenty-five miles. Bentley considers 
superni an incorrect epithet to be applied to Tusculum, which, according 
to Cluver, whom he cites, but whose meaning he mistakes, the critic 
makes to have been situate "in clivo leviter assurgente." The truth is, 
ancient Tusculum was built on the summit, not on the declivity of a hill. 
— Candens. Alluding to the style of building adopted by the rich. — Tus- 
culi Circcea mcenia. Tusculum was said to have been founded by Tele- 
gonus, the son of Ulysses and Circe. Compare Ode iii., 29, 8. 

33-34. 33. Chremes. Acron supposes the allusion to be to Chremes, a 
character in Terence. This, however, is incorrect. The poet refers to 
one of the lost plays of Menander, entitled the "Treasure" (Qncavpoc), 
an outline of which is given by Donatus in his notes on the Eunuch of 
Terence (Pro!., 10). A young man, having squandered his estate, sends 
a servant, ten years after his father's death, according to the will of the 
deceased, to carry provisions to his father's monument; but he had before 
sold the ground in which the monument stood to a covetous old man, to 
whom the servant applied to help him to open the monument, in which 
they discovered a hoard of gold and a letter. The old man seizes the 
treasure, and keeps it, under pretence of having deposited it there, for 
safety, during times of war, and the young fellow goes to law with him. 
— 34. Discinctus aut perdam ut nepos. " Or squander away like a disso- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE II. 395 

lute spendthrift." Among the Romans, it was thought effeminate to ap- 
pear abroad with the tunic loosely or carelessly girded. Hence ductus 
and succinctus are put for industries, expeditus, or gnavus, diligent, ac- 
tive, clever, because they used to gird the tunic when at work ; and, on 
the other hand, discinctus is equivalent to iners, mollis, ignavus, &c. — 
Nepos. The primitive meaning of this term is "a grandson:" from the 
too great indulgence, however, generally shown by grandfathers, and the 
ruinous consequences that ensued, the word became a common designa- 
tion for a prodigal. 



Epode II. The object of the poet is to show with how much difficulty 
a covetous man disengages himself from the love of riches. He there- 
fore supposes a usurer, who is persuaded of the happiness and tranquil- 
lity of a countiy life, to have formed the design of retiring into the coun- 
try and renouncing his former pursuits. The latter calls in his money, 
breaks through all engagements, and is ready to depart, when his ruling 
passion returns, and once more plunges him into the vortex of gain. 
Some commentators, dissatisfied with the idea that so beautiful a descrip- 
tion of rural enjoyment should proceed from the lips of a sordid usurer, 
have been disposed to regard the last four lines of the epode as spurious, 
and the appendage of a later age. But the art of the poet is strikingly 
displayed in the very circumstance which they condemn, since nothing 
can show more clearly the powerful influence which the love of riches can 
exercise over the mind, than that one who, like Alphius, has so accurate 
a perception of the pleasures of a countiy life, should, like him, sacrifice 
them all on the altar of gain. 

1-22. 1. Procul negotiis. "Far from the busy scenes of life." — 2. Ut 
prisca gens mortalium. An allusion to the primitive simplicity of the 
Golden Age. — 3. Exercet. "Ploughs." — 4. Solutus omni '■ foenore. "Freed 
from all manner of borrowing or lending," i. e., from all money transac- 
tions. The interest of money was called fasmis, or us7t?-a. The legal in- 
terest at Rome, toward the end of the republic and under the first em- 
perors, was one as monthly for the use of a hundred, equal to twelve per 
cent, per annum. This was called usura ce/desima, because in a hun- 
dred months the interest equalled the capital. — 5. Ncque excitatur, Sec. 
" Neither as a soldier is he aroused by the harsh blast of the trumpet, nor 
does he dread, as a trader, the angry sea." — 7. Forum. "The courts of 
law.'' — Superba civium, Sec. " The splendid thresholds of the more pow- 
erful citizens." The portals of the wealthy and powerful. Some, how- 
ever, understand by superba, an allusion to the haughtiness displayed by 
the rich toward the clients at their gates. In either case, the reference 
is to the custom, prevalent at Rome, of clients waiting on their patrons to 
offer their morning salutations. — 11. Inutilesque, Sec. All the MSS. and 
early editions place this and the succeeding verse after the 13th and 14th, 
with the exception of a single MS. of H. Stephens, in which they are ar- 
ranged as we have given them. Many of the best editors have adopted 
this arrangement. After alluding to the marriage of the vine with the 
trees, it seems much more natural to make what immediately follows 
have reference to the same branch of rural economy. — 12. Inserit. " In- 
grafts. "—13. Mugientium. Understand bourn. — 14. Errantcs. " Graz- 



396 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE II. 

ing." — 16. Iiifirmas. "Tender." Compare the remark of Doring: "Nai- 
ura enim sua imbecille.s sunt oves." — 17. Decorum mit.ibus pomis. " Adorn- 
ed with mellow fruit/' — 19. Insitiva pira. " The pears of his own graft- 
ing." — 20. Certantem et uvam, Sec. "And the grape vying in hue with 
the purple." Purpurea is the dative, by a G-rascisrn, for the ablative. — 
21. Priape. Priapus, as the god of gardens, always received, as an offer- 
ing, the first produce of the orchards, &c. Compare note on Ode iii., 29, 
22. — 22. Tutor Jinium. " Tutelary god of boundaries.'' 

24-47. 24. In tenaci gramine. " On the matted grass." The epithet 
tenaci may also, but with less propriety, be rendered "tenacious," or 
" strong-rooted." — 25. Labuntvr altis, Sec. "In the mean time, the streams 
glide onward beneath the high banks." Some editions have rivis for ripis, 
but the expression altis rivis ("with their deep waters") does not suit 
the season of summer so well as altis rijyis, which alludes to the decrease 
of the waters by reason of the summer heats. — 26. Queruntur. "Utter 
their plaintive notes." — 27. Frondesqzie lymphis, Sec. "And the leaves 
murmur amid the gently flowing waters," i. e., the pendant branches mur- 
mur as they meet the rippling current of the gently-flowing stream. — 
28. Quod. "All which." Equivalent to id quod. — 29. Tonantis annus 
hibemus Joins. " The wintry season of tempestuous Jove." The allu- 
sion is to the tempests, intermingled with thunder, that are prevalent in 
Italy at the commencement of winter. — 30. Comparat. " Collects to- 
gether." — 31. Multa cane. "With many abound." — 33. Aut amite levi, 
&c. " Or spreads the nets of large meshes with the smooth pole." Ames 
denotes a pole or staff to support nets. — Levi. We have rendered this 
epithet, as coming from levis ; it may also, however, have the meaning 
of " light," and be regarded as coming from levis. Consult note, pagelxiv, 
of this volume. — 35. Advenam. "From foreign climes." Alluding to the 
migratory habits of the crane, and its seeking the warm climate of Italy 
at the approach of winter. Cranes formed a favorite article on the tables 
of the rich. — 37. Quis non malarum, Sec. "Who, amid employments 
such as these, does not forget the anxious cares which love carries in .its 
train 1" Complete the ellipsis as follows : Quis non obliviscitur malarum 
cvrarum, quas curas, Sec. — 39. In partem juvat, Sec. "Aid, on her side, 
in the management of household affairs, and the rearing of a sweet off- 
spring." — 41. Sabina. The domestic virtues and the strict morality of 
the Sabrnes are frequently alluded to bj T the ancient writers. — Aut perusta 
solibus, Sec. " Or the wife of the industrious Apulian, embrowned by the 
sun." — 43. Sacrum. The hearth was sacred to the Lares. — Vetustis. In 
the sense of aridis. — 45. Latum pecus. " The joyous flock." — 47. Horna 
vina. "This year's wine." The poor, and lower orders, were accustom- 
ed to drink the new wine from the dolium, after the fermentation had sub- 
sided. Hence it was called vinum doliare. The dolium was the large 
vessel in which the wine was left to ferment, before it was transferred to 
the amphora or cadus. 

49-54. 49. Lucrina conchylia. "The Lucrine shell-fish." The Lu- 
crine lake was celebrated for oysters and other shell-fish. — 50. Rhombus. 
•" The turbot." — Scari. The Scarus (" Scar" or " Char") was held in high 
estimation by the ancients. Pliny (H. N., ix., 17) remarks of it, that it is 
the only fish which ruminates : an observation which bad been made by 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE III. 397 

Aristotle before him ; and hence, according to this latter writer, the name 
fj.?}pv^, given to it by the Greeks. The ancients, however, were mistaken 
on this point, and Buffon has corrected their error. The roasted Scams 
was a favorite dish (compare Atheneeus, vii., ed. Sclnceigh., vol. hi., p. 
175), and the liver of it was particularly commended. — 51. Si qnos Eois, 
&c. "If a tempest, thundered forth over the Eastern waves, turn any of 
their number to this sea." — 53. Afr.a avis. "The Guinea fowl." Some 
commentators suppose the turkey to be here meant, but erroneously, since 
this bird was entirely unknown to the ancients. Its native country is 
America. On the other hand, the Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) was 
a bird well known to the Greeks and Romans. — 54. Attagen Ionicus. 
"The Ionian attagen." A species, probably, of heath-cock. Alexander 
the Myndian (Athen&us, ix., 39, vol. iii., p. 431, ed. Schweigh.) describes it 
as being a little larger than a partridge, having its back marked with 
numerous spots, in color approaching that of a tile, though somewhat more 
reddish. Mr. Walpole thinks it is the same with the Tetrao Francolinus. 
( Walpole s Collect., vol. i., p. 262, in not-Ls.) 

57-67. 57. Herba lapathi. The lapathum, a species of sorrel, takes its 
name (XdrraOov) from its medicinal properties (AaTrd^to, purgo). — 58. Hal- 
ves. Compare note on Ode i., 31, 16. — 59. Terminalibus. The Termiua- 
lia, or festival of Terminus, the god of boundaries, were celebrated on the 
23d of February (7th day before the calends of March). — 60. Hcedus erep- 
tus lupo. Compare the explanation of Gesner : "Adfrugalitatem rus- 
ticam refertur. Non mactaturus paterfamilias h&dum integrum, epula- 
tur ereptum lupo, et alioqui perilurum." — 65. Positosque vemas, &c. 
"And the slaves ranged around the shining Lai-es, the proof of a wealthy 
mansion," i. e., ranged around the bright fire on the domestic hearth. The 
epithet renidentes is well explained by Doring : "Ignis infoco accensi 
splendore refulge7ites." — 67. Hcbc ubi locutus, &c. "When the usurer 
Alphius had uttered these words, on the point of becoming an inhabitant 
of the country, he called in all his money on the ides — on the calends (of 
the ensuing month) he seeks again to lay it out!" The usurer, convinced 
of the superior felicity which a country life can bestow, calls in all his out- 
standing capital for the purpose of purchasing a farm ; but when the ca- 
lends of the next month an-ive, and bring with them the usual period for 
laying out money at interest, his old habits of gain return, the picture 
which he has just drawn fades rapidly from before his view, and the in- 
tended cultivator of the soil becomes once more the usurer Alphius. 
Among the Romans, the calends and ides were the two periods of the 
month when money was either laid out at interest or called in. As the 
interest of money was usually paid on the calends, they are hence called 
tristes {Serm., i., 3, 87) and celeres (Ovid, Rem. Am., 561), and a book in 
which the sums demanded were marked, was termed Calendarium. 
(Senec, Bene/., i., 2, and vii., 10. Id., Ep., xiv., 87.) 



Epode III. Maecenas had invited Horace to sup with him, and had 
sportively placed amid the more exquisite viands a dish highly seasoned 
with garlic (moretum alliatum. Compare Donatus, ad Terent. Phorm., 
ii., 2). Of this the poet partook, but having suffered severely in conse- 
quence, he here wreaks his vengeance on the offending plant, describing 



398 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IV. 

it as a sufficient punishment for the blackest crimes, and as forming one 
of the deadliest of poisons. 

1-17. 1. Olim. "Hereafter." — 3. Edit cicutis, &c. "Let him eat 
garlic ; more noxious than hemlock." The poet recommends garlic as a 
punishment, instead of hemlock, the usual potion among the Athenians. 
Edit is given for edat, according to the ancient mode of inflecting, edim, 
edis, edit ; like sim, sis, sit. This form is adopted in all the best editions. 
The common reading is edat. — 4. O dura messorum ilia. Garlic and wild 
thyme (serpyllum), pounded together, were, used by the Roman farmers 
to recruit the exhausted spirits of the reapers, and those who had labored 
in the heat. The poet expresses his surprise at their being able to endure 
such food. — 5. Quid hoc veneni, &c. "What poison is this that rages in 
my vitals 1" — 6. Viperinus cruor. The blood of vipers was regarded by 
the ancients as a most fatal poison. — 7. Fefellit. In the sense oilatuit. 
— An malos Canidia, &c. " Or did Canidia dress the deadly dish ?" 
Canidia, a reputed soi'ceress, ridiculed by the poet in the fifth epode. 
Compare the Introductory Remarks to that piece. — 9. Ut. "When." — 
11. Ignota tauris, &c. An hypallage for ignotis tauros illigaturumjugis. 
An allusion to the fire-breathing bulls that were to be yoked by Jason as 
one of the conditions of his obtaining from JEetes the golden fleece. — 12. 
Perunxit hoc Iasonem. Medea gave Jason an unguent, with which he 
was to anoint his person, and by the virtues of which he was to be safe 
from harm. The poet pleasantly asserts that this was none other than the 
juice of garlic. — 13. Hoc delibutis, &c. " By presents infected with this 
having taken vengeance on her rival, she fled away on a winged serpent." 
Alluding to the fate of Creusa, or Glauce, the daughter of Creon, and the 
flight of Medea through the air in a car drawn by winged serpents. — 15. 
Nee tantus unquam, &c. "Nor hath such scorching heat from the stars 
ever settled on thirsty Apulia." The allusion is to the supposed influence 
of the dog-star in increasing the summer heats. — 17. Nee munvs humeris, 
&c. " Nor did the fatal gift burn with more fury on the shoulders of the 
indefatigable Hercules." The reference is to the poisoned garment which 
Dejanira sent to Hercules, and which had been dipped in the blood of the 
centaur Nessus, slain by one of the arrows of Hercules. 



Epode IV. Addressed to some individual who had risen, amid the 
troubles of the civil war, from the condition of a slave to the rank of mili- 
tary tribune and to the possession of riches, but whose corrupt morals and 
intolerable insolence had made him an object of universal detestation. 
The bard indignantly laments that such a man should be enabled to dis- 
play himself proudly along the Sacred Way, should be the owner of ex- 
tensive possessions, and should, by his rank as tribune, have it in his 
power to sit among the equites at the public spectacles, in advance of the 
rest of the people. The scholiasts Acron and Porphyrion make this epode 
to have been written against Menas, the freedman of Pompey, an opinion 
adopted by the earlier commentators. In most MSS., too, it is inscribed 
to him. The more recent editors, however, have rejected this supposi- 
tion, and with perfect propriety. We read nowhere else of Menas's hav- 
ing obtained the office of military tribune, nor of any servile punishments 
which he had undergone in a peculiar degree while still in a state of slav- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IV. 399 

ery, neither is any mention made here of that perfidy and frequent chang- 
ing of sides which formed so great a blot in the character of this individ- 
ual. Consult note on Ode iii., 16, 15. 

1-9. 1. Ltipis et agnis, &c. "There is as strong an aversion on my 
part toward thee, O thou whose back has been galled by the Iberian 
lash, and whose legs have been lacerated by the hard fetter, as falls by 
nature to the lot of wolves and lambs." — 3. Ibericisfunibns. Alluding to 
a lash composed of ropes made of the spartum, or Spanish broom. This 
plant grew in great abundance near Carthago Nova, on the coast of Spain. 
— 4. Dura compede. Among the Romans, the worst kind of slaves were 
compelled to work in fetters, as well in the ergastulum, or work-house, as 
in the fields. — 7. Sacram metiente te viam. "As thou struttest proudly 
along the Sacred Way." The term metiente well describes the affected 
dignity of the worthless upstart, in his measuring, as it were, his very 
steps. — Sacram viam. The Sacred Way was a general place of resort 
for the idle, and for those who wished to display themselves to public 
view. Compare Sat., i., 9, 1. — 8. Cum bis trium ulnarum toga. The 
wealthy and luxurious were fond of appearing abroad in long and loose 
gowns, as a mark of their opulence and rank. — 9. TJt ora vertat, &c. 
" How the indignation of those who pass to and fro, most openly express- 
ed, turns their looks on thee." 

11-20. 11. Sectus jlagellis, &c. " This wretch, (say they), cut with the 
rods of the triumvirs until the beadle was weary," &c. The allusion is 
to the Triumviri Capitales, who judged concerning slaves and persons of 
the lowest rank, and who also had the charge of the prison and of the ex- 
ecution of condemned criminals. The pr&co used to proclaim the offence, 
and the sentence passed upon it, while that sentence was being inflicted. 
— 13. Arat. In the sense of possidet. — Falerni fundi. The wealthy Ro- 
mans were accustomed to have large possessions in the fertile territory 
of Campania, which is here designated by the name of its celebrated vine- 
yards. — 14. Et Appiam mannis terit. " And wears out the very Appian 
Way with his horses," i. e., is constantly frequenting the Appian Way with 
his long train of equipage. The Appian Way led first to Capua, and after- 
ward to Brundisium. It was commenced by Appius Claudius Ceecus, in 
his censorship, B.C. 312, and carried on to Capua. The part from Capua 
to Brundisium was begun by the consul Appius Claudius Pulcher, grand- 
son of Caecus, B.C. 249, and was completed by another consul of the same 
family thirty-six years after. — 15. Sedilibusque magnus, &c. According 
to the law of L. Roscius Otho, passed A.U.C. 686, fourteen rows of benches, 
immediately after the orchestra, a place where the senate sat, were ap- 
propriated in the theatre and amphitheatre for the accommodation of the 
knights. As the tribunes of the soldiers had an equal right with the 
equites, they were entitled to seats in this same quarter; and hence the 
individual to whom the poet alludes, though of servile origin, boldly takes 
his place on the foremost of the equestrian benches, nor fears the law of 
Otho. — 17. Quid attinet, &c. " To what purpose is it that so many ves- 
sels, their beaks armed with heavy brass, are sent against pirates and a 
band of slaves, if this wretch is made a military tribune ?" The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is as follows : Why go to so much expense in 
equipping fleets against pirates and slaves, when slaves at home elevate 



400 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE V. 

themselves to the highest stations ? The allusion appears to be to the 
armament fitted out by Octavianus (Augustus) against Sextus Pompeius, 
A.U.C. 718, whose principal strength consisted of pirates and fugitive 
slaves. — 20. Tribuno militum. In each legion there were six military 
tribunes, each of whom in battle seems to have had charge of ten cen- 
turies, which, when full, would amount to a thousand men ; hence the cor- 
responding Greek appellation is x^LupxyQ- 



Epode V. The bard ridicules Canidia, who, herself advanced in years, 
was seeking by incantations and charms to regain the affections of the old 
and foolish Varus. A strange scene of magic rites is introduced, and the 
piece opens with the piteous exclamations of a boy of noble birth, whom 
Canidia and her associate hags are preparing to kill by a slow and dread- 
ful process, and from whose marrow and dried liver a philter or love- 
potion is to be prepared, all-powerful for recalling the inconstant Varus. 
It will be readily perceived that the greater part of this is mere fiction, 
and that the real object of the poet is to inflict well-merited chastisement 
on those females of the day, in whose licentious habits age had. been able 
to produce no alteration, and who, when their beauty had departed, had 
recourse to strange and superstitious expedients for securing admirers. 

1-24. 1. At, O deorum, &c. The scene opens, as we have already re- 
marked, with the supplications of a boy, who is supposed to be surround- 
ed by the hags, and who reads their purpose in their looks. He conjures 
them to have compassion on him by the tenderness of mothers for their 
children, by his birth, and by the justice of the gods. — 4. Truces. "Fierce- 
ly turned." — 5. Partubus veris. Alluding to the frequent stealing of in- 
fants on the part of these hags. — 7. Per hoc inane, &c. " By this vain or- 
nament of purple." Young men of family wore a gown bordered with 
purple, called the toga prcetexta, until the age of seventeen, when they 
put on the toga virilis. The epithet inane expresses the disregard of 
Canidia for this emblem of rank.- -9. Ant utipetita, &c. " Or like a savage 
beast of prey wounded by the dart." — 11. Ut hcec tremente, &c. " When 
the boy, after having uttered these complaints with trembling lips, stood 
among them, with his ornaments stripped off, a tender body," &c. Under 
the term insignia, the poet includes both the toga prcetexta and the bulla. 
This latter was a golden ball or boss, which hung from the neck orr the 
breast, as some think in the shape of a heart, but, according to others, 
round, with the figure of a heart engraved on it. The sons of freedmen 
and of poorer citizens used only a leathern boss. — 15. Canidia, brevibus 
implicata, &c. " Then Canidia, having entwined her locks and dishevel- 
led head with small vipers," <fcc. The costume most commonly assigned 
to the furies is here imitated. — 17. Jubet sepulcris, &c. Preparations are 
now made for the unhallowed rites ; and first, the wood to be used for the 
fire must be that of the wild fig-tree, torn up from a burying-place. The 
wood supposed to be employed on such occasions was always that of some 
inauspicious or ill-omened tree, and in this class the wild fig-tree was par- 
ticularly ranked, both on account of its sterility, and its springing up spon- 
taneously among tombs. — 18. Cupressusfunebres. "Funereal cypresses." 
Consult note on Ode ii., 14, 23. — 19. Et uncta turpis ova ranee sanguine, 
&e. The order of construction is as follows : Et ova nocturnse strigis, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE V. 401 

uncta sanguine turpis ranee, plumamque nocturnes strigis* "And the 
eggs, smeared with the blood of a loathsome toad, and the plumage of a 
midnight screech-owl." The ancients believed the blood of the toad, like 
that of the viper, to be poisonous. — 21. Iolcos. A city of Thessaly, all 
which country was famed for producing herbs used in magic rites. Iolcos 
was situate, according to Pindar (Nem., iv., 87), at the foot of Mount Pelion, 
and was the birth-place of Jason and his ancestors. — Iberia. A tract of 
country bordering upon, and situate to the east of Colchis. The allusion 
is consequently to the same herbs in the use of which Medea is reputed 
to have been so skillful. — 24. Flammis aduri Colchicis. " To be concoct- 
ed with magic fires." The epithet Colchicis is here equivalent to magicis, 
i. e., such fires as the Colchian Medea was wont to kindle, from the wood 
of baleful trees, for the performance of her magic rites. 

25-39. 25. Expedita. "With her robe tucked up." The term may 
also be simply rendered " active." Consult note on Epode i., 34. — Sa- 
gana. Sagana, Veia, and Folia were sorceresses attendant on Canidia. 
— 26. Avemales aqnas. "Waters brought from the Lake Avernus, one of 
the fabled entrances to the lower world, and used here for the purposes 
of magic lustration. — 27. Marinus echinus. "A sea-urchin." The sea- 
urchin among fishes is analogous to the hedgehog among land animals, 
and hence the name echinus {exlvoc) applied by the ancients to both. 
The sea-urchin, however, has finer and sharper prickles than the other, 
resembling more human hair in a bristly state. — 28. Laurens aper. The 
rnai'shes of Laurentum, in ancient Latium, were famous for the number 
and size of the wild boars which they bred in their reedy pastures. — 
29. AbacLn nulla conscientia. "Deterred by no remorse." — 30. Humum 
exhauriebat. "Began to dig a pit." — 32. Quo posset infossus puer, &c. 
" In which the boy, having his body buried, might pine away in full view 
of food changed twice or thrice during the long day." The expression 
longo die is well explained by Mitscherlich : " Qui puero fame excruciato 
longissimus videbatur." — 35. Quum promineret ore, &c. " Projecting 
with his face above the surface of the ground, as far as bodies suspended 
by the chin are out of the water," i. e., as far as the persons of those who 
swim appear above the level of the water. — 37. Exsucca medulla. "His 
marrow destitute of moistm-e." — 38. Amoris esset pocuhim. '■ Might form 
the ingredients of a potion for loveV A philter, which had the power of 
producing love. — 39. Interminato quum semel, &c. " When once his eye- 
balls had withered away, fixed steadily on the forbidden food." Quum 
semel is here equivalent to simul ac. 

41-60. 41. Hie irresectum, &c. The long, uncut nail occupies a prom- 
inent place in the costume of the ancient sorceresses. — 43. Quid dixit? 
ant quid tacuit ? Equivalent in spirit to Nefaria quaqne effata et palam 
professa est. — 45. Nox et Diana. Canidia, after the manner of sorceress- 
es, invokes Night and Hecate, who were supposed to preside over magic 
rites. — Quce silentium regis. An allusion to Diana's shining during the 
silence of the night, the season best adapted for the ceremonies of magic. 
— 47. Nunc, nunc adeste, &c. Mitscherlich makes this an imitation of an 
old form of prayer, and equivalent to " Mihi propitia; sitis, ira vestra in 
hoxtes obligata." The scholiast is wrong in supposing the meaning of 
the latter part to be "in Varum iram vestram ejfundite." — 48. Numen. 



402 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE V. 

" Power." — 51. Senem, quod omnes rideant, &c. "May the dogs of the 
Subura drive him hither with their barking, that all may laugh at his ex- 
pense, the aged profligate, anointed with an essence more poweiful than 
any which my hands have hitherto prepared." — Senem adulterum. The 
allusion is to Varus, and the manner in which he is here indicated by Ca- 
nidia tends indirectly to cast ridicule upon herself for seeking to reclaim 
such an admirer. — 52. SuburancB canes. The Subura was the most profli- 
gate quarter of Rome, and the rambles of Varus, therefore, in this part of 
the capital, were any thing else but creditable. — 53. Nardo perunctum. 
The allusion here is an ironical one. Canidia does not refer to any actual 
unguent of her own preparing, but to the virtues of the magic herbs, which 
are to be all-powerful in recalling the inconstant Varus. — 55. Quid acci- 
dit, &c. The dash at the end of the preceding verse is placed there to de- 
note that Canidia, after having proceeded thus far with her incantations, 
pauses in expectation of the arrival of Varus, which is to be their intended 
result. When this, however, is delayed longer than she imagined it 
would be, the sorceress resumes her spell : " What has happened ? Why 
are my direful drugs less powerful than those of the barbarian Medea'/" 
i. e., why have these once efficacious spells lost all their power in bring- 
ing back the absent Varus 1 — Barbaras. This epithet, here applied to 
Medea, in imitation of the Greek usage, is intended merely to designate 
her as a native of a foreign land, i. e., Colchis. — 57. Quibus superbamfugit, 
&c. Consult note on Epode iii., 13. — 59. Tabo. Equivalent to veneno. — 
60. Incendio abstulit. Compare the graphic picture drawn by Euripides 
{Med., 1183, seqq.) of the unearthly fires which consumed the unfortunate 
rival of Medea. 

61-79. 61. Subhcec. "Upon this." — 62. Lenire. "Attempted to move." 
The infinitive is here put for the imperfect of the indicative. This con- 
struction is usually explained by an ellipsis of caspit or caperunt, which 
may often be supplied ; in other cases, however, it will not accord with 
the sense. In the present instance, tentavit may be understood. There 
appears to be some analogy between this usage of the infinitive in Latin, 
and the idiom of the Greek, by which the same mood, taken as an abso- 
lute verbal idea only, is made to stand for the imperative. — 63. Unde. 
" In what words." The unhappy boy is at a loss in what words to ex- 
press his angry and indignant feelings at the horrid rites practiced by the 
hags, and at the still more horrid cruelty which they meditate toward him- 
self. — 64. Thyesteas preces. " Imprecations." Such as Thyestes uttered 
against Atreus. — 65. Venena magica, &c. " Drugs, of magic influence, 
may confound, indeed, the distinctions between right and wrong, but they 
can not alter the destiny of mortals." The idea intended to be convej r ed 
is this : The spells of the sorceress may succeed in accomplishing the 
darkest of crimes, but they can not avert the punishment which such of- 
fences will inevitably receive. — 67. Diris agam vos. "With my curses 
will I pursue you." After diris understand precibus. — 70. Nocturnus oc- 
cur ram furor. " I will haunt you as a tormentor in the night season." — 
72. Ques vis deorum, &c. " Such is the power of those divinities the Ma- 
nes." The ellipsis is to be supplied as follows : " Ea vi qua, vis est," &c. 
— 75. Vicatim. " From street to street." — 76. Obscenas anus. "Filthy 
bags." — 77. Different. " Shall tear." — 78. Esquilince alites. The birds 
of prey frequented the Esquiline quarter, because here the bodies of mal- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE VI. 403 

efactors were left exposed, and here, also, the poor and slaves were in- 
terred. Subsequently, however, the character of the place was entirely 
changed by the splendid residence and gardens of Maecenas. Consult 
note on Ode iii., 29, 10. — 79. Neque hoc parentes, &c. The boy's last 
thoughts, observes Francis, are tenderly employed in reflecting upon the 
grief of his parents ; yet he seems to comfort them, and at the same time 
to confirm the truth of his prediction, by that consolation which they shall 
receive in the death of these sorceresses. 



Epode VI. Addressed to a cowardly and mercenary slanderer. It is 
commonly thought that this piece was written against Cassius Severus, 
and, in many editions, it appears with an inscription to this effect. Such 
a supposition, however, is pei'fectly gratuitous. It is probable that the 
title in question originated with some scholiast, who, having read in Taci- 
tus (Ann., i., 72, and iv., 21) of the licentious spirit and defamatory pen of 
Cassius Severus, erroneously imagined him to be the one whom the poet 
here attacks. 

1-14. 1. Quid immerentes, &c. " Thou cur, why, being cowardly 
against wolves, dost thou snarl at inoffensive strangers 1" By the term 
hospites are here meant those who are entirely unknown to the individ- 
ual, but whom he, notwithstanding, makes the subjects of his envenomed 
attacks. — 3. Inanes. As proceeding from a cowardly and spiritless cur. 
i — 4. Remorsurum. " "Who am ready to bite in return." — 5. Molossus, aut 
fulvus Lacon. "A Molossian, or a tawny Laconian dog." The Molos- 
sian and Laconian dogs were of a robust make, and valuable as well in 
hunting wild beasts as in defending the flocks from nocturnal thieves and 
from the attacks of wolves. Travellers still describe the dogs in this quar- 
ter as remarkable for size and extremely fierce. The Molossi occupied 
the northeastern part of Epirus. — 6. Arnica vis. " A friendly aid." — 7. 
Agam qucecunque prcecedet fera. " I will pursue whatever savage beast 
shall go before me." — 10. Projectum odoraris cibum. " Smell at the food 
thrown to thee." A figurative mode of expressing that the individual 
whom he attacks was easily bribed to silence. — 12. Parata tollo cormia. 
The poet alludes to his iambics, with which he stands prepared to assail 
all evil-doers, as the bull is ready with its horns against every one who 
provokes it to the attack. — 13. Qualis Lycarnbce, &c. " Like him who was 
rejected as a son-in-law by the faithless Lycambes, or like the fierce en- 
emy of Bupalus." Lycarnbce is the dative, by a Graecism, for the abla- 
tive, and, by another Graecism, Bupalo, the dative, is put for Bupali. — 
Lycarnbce. The allusion is to Archilochus. Lycambes had promised him 
his daughter Neobule in marriage, but afterward changed his mind and 
gave her to another. Archilochus, in revenge, wrote a poem against him, 
in iambic verse, so cruelly satirical that both father and daughter hung 
themselves in despair. Such, at least, is the common account. It would 
seem, however, from some authorities, that Neobule killed herself, not 
on account of the verses of Archilochus, but through despair at the loss 
of her father. (Compare Schocll, Hist. Lit. Grcec, vol. i., p. 199.) — 14. 
Bvpalo. The allusion is to the poet Hipponax, and the brothers Bupalus 
and Anthermus. 



404 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IX. 

Epode VII. After the overthrow of Sextns Pompeius, the republic 
seemed once more destined to taste of repose. The respite, however, 
was of short duration, and the enmity of Octavianus and Antony soon re- 
kindled the flames of war. It Was about this period that the present 
poem was written. The bard mourns over the intestine divisions of his 
countrymen, and imputes the horrors of the civil wars to the evil destiny 
entailed upon the Romans by the blood of Remus. 

1-20. 1. Scelesti. " Stained with guilt." An allusion to the guilt and 
bloodshed of the civil wars. — 2. Conditi. "So lately sheathed." Under- 
stand vaginis. The poet refers to the short period of repose which ensued 
after the overthrow of Sextus Pompeias. Compare Introductory Remarks. 
— 3. Campis atque Neptuno super. " On the fields and on the ocean." 
Equivalent to terra marique. Compare Ode ii., 1, 29. — 5. Non ut super- 
has, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : These swords 
are not drawn against the enemies of our country, as they were in former 
days against haughty Carthage, and as they now should be against the 
Britons, still bidding defiance to our arms : they are to be turned upon 
ourselves, they are to enter our own bosoms, in order that the wishes 
of the Parthians, of our bitterest foes, may be accomplished, and that 
Rome may fall in ruins by the hands of her sons. — 7. Intactus. " Still 
unsubdued." — Descenderet Sacra catenatus via. "Might descend in 
chains along the Sacred Way," i. e., might be led in triumph through the 
streets of the capital, and, after this, be consigned to imprisonment and 
death. In the celebration of the triumph, the Roman general, when he 
reached the spot where now is the Arch of Severus, and before he as- 
cended the Capitoline Hill, gave the signal to conduct the captive kings 
and leaders of the enemy to prison, and there put them to death. — 11. 
Hie mos. " This custom" of raging against their own species. — Fuit. 
The aorist, in the sense of deprehenditu?; " is found." — 12. Nunquam 
nisi in dispar feris. "Which are never cruel except toward animals 
of a different kind." — 13. Vis acrior. " Some superior power," i. e., that 
of destiny. — 14. Culpa. "The guilt of your forefathers, entailed upon 
their offspring." The allusion is to the guilt of Romulus, which is to be 
atoned for by posterity. — 15. Pallor albus. " A deadly paleness." Con- 
sult note on Ode hi., 10, 14. — 16. Mentesque perculsce stvpent. "And their 
conscience-stricken minds are stupefied." — 17. Sic est, &c. After a pa- 
thetic pause, as Sanadon remarks, Horace adheres to the last two causes 
he had mentioned. He therefore imputes the civil wars to the destinies 
and to the death of Remus, as if the destinies had condemned the Ro- 
mans to expiate the fratricide of that prince by destroying one another 
with their own arms. This was going very far back in order to remove 
the idea of the real cause of their present calamities. — Agunt. " Harass." 
— 18. Scelusqve fraternas necis. The guilt of Romulus in slaying his 
brother Remus. — 19. Ut. "Ever since." — 20. Sacer nepotibus. "Ac- 
cursed for posterity," i. e., fatal to them. Compare the explanation of the 
scholiast, a3 cited by Zeune : " Quern suo cruore expiaturi era?tt." 



Epode IX. Written when the news of the victory at Actium was first 
received at Rome. The bard addresses his patron, then at the scene of 
action. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IX. 405 

1-15. 1. Repostum Cazcuhum ad festers dapes. " Caecuban wine, stored 
away for joyous feasts," i. e., put away in some inner and secret crypt, 
and purposely preserved for some joyous occasion. Consult note on Ode 
i., 20, 9. — 3. Sub alia domo. "Beneath thy stately abode." Consult note 
on Ode iii., 29, 10. — Sic Jovi gratum. " So is it pleasing to Jove," i. e., 
in doing this, we shall be performing an act agreeable to Jove, the guard- 
ian of our empire. — 4. Beate. This epithet has reference to the opulence 
of Maecenas, to his lofty abode on the Es-quiline (alia domus), his beautiful 
gardens, &c. — 5. Sonante mixtion tibiis, &c. ""While the lyre sends 
forth a strain intermingled with the music of flutes, that uttering the Do- 
rian, these the Phrygian mood." With hac understand sonante ; with 
illis, sonantibus. The music of the lyre and the flute are to succeed each 
other alternately : the strains of the former are to be grave and severe, 
such being the character of the Dorian mood; the music of the flutes, on 
the other hand, is to be of a wild and bacchic character, in accordance 
with the Phrygian mood. Donkin, in explanation of this passage, remarks 
as follows : " If the ancient Dorian and Lydian octave were employed, 
the former being of the fourth species, while the latter was of the second, 
and pitched two tones higher, the series of intervals heard would consist 
of fourths and major thirds, or rather double tones." — 7. Actus cum frelo 
Neptunius dux. " When the Neptunian chief, driven from the Sicilian 
strait." The allusion is to Sextus Pompeius, who boastingly styled him- 
self the son of Neptune, because his father had once held the command 
of the sea. Agrippa, in B.C. 36, defeated him off the northern coast of 
Sicily, off Mylae, and again off Naulochus. — 10. Servis amicus ]?erfidis. Ac- 
cording to Dio Cassius (xlviii., 19), the number of fugitive slaves who went 
over to Pompeius was so great, that the Vestal Virgins were accustom- 
ed, during the performance of sacred rites, to offer up prayers for a ces- 
sation of this evil. — 11. Romanus. The allusion is to the Romans in the 
army of Antony. — 12. Emancipates fernince. "Subjected as a voluntary 
slave to a woman." The reference is to Cleopatra. — 13. Pert vallum et 
arma miles, &c. " Bears the stake and arms as a soldier, and can yield 
obedience to withered eunuchs." The poet expresses his indignation, 
that Romans, hardy enough to endure the toils of military service, can, at 
the same time, be so wanting in spirit as to yield obedience to the orders 
of eunuchs. The allusion, in the words fert vallum, is to that part of Ro- 
man discipline which compelled each soldier to carry, among other things, 
a certain number of stakes (usually three or four) to be used in encamp- 
ing. — Spadonibus. The allusion seems to be principally to the eunuch 
Mardion, who, according to Plutarch, along with Pothinus, Iras, and Cbar- 
mion, had the chief direction of Cleopatra's affairs (vcp' uv rd jueyicra 
dcoiKelrac tt)c rjyt(ioviac. Plut., Vit. Ant., c. lx., vol. vi., p. 132, ed. Hut- 
ten). — 15. Turpe conopium. "A vile Egyptian canopy." The conopium 
was a canopy, curtain, or veil of net-work, used for the purpose of keep- 
ing off gnats and flies. It was principally employed by the Egyptians 
on account of the great number of these insects produced by the marshes 
of the Nile. The scholiast, in his explanation of the term, furnishes us 
with its etymology : " Genus retis ad muscas et culices (nuvcjirac) abi- 
gendos, quo Alexandrini potissimum utuntur propter culicum illic abun- 
dantiam." To a genuine Roman spirit the use of such an article appear- 
ed degrading effeminacy. 



406 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IX. 

17-22. 17. Ad hoc fr ententes , &c. "Indignant at this spectacle, two 
thousand Gauls turned about their steeds, bidding Caesar hail." The poet 
evidently alludes to the defection of Deiotarus and Amyntas, two leaders 
of the Gallo-Graecians, or Galatians, who went over to Augustus a short 
time previous to the battle of Actium. In the motive, however, which 
Horace assigns for this step, there is more of bitter sarcasm than histori- 
cal truth. — Verterunt. The penult is here shortened by systole, as it is 
called. — 19. Hostiliumque navium portu latent, &c. " And the sterns of 
hostile ships, impelled toward the left, lie concealed in the harbor." In 
order to understand clearly this somewhat obscure passage, we must bear 
in mind that the present piece was written before any very definite par- 
ticulars respecting the battle of Actium had reached the capital. The 
poet, therefore, exercises some licence on the occasion, and supposes 
that a division of Antony's fleet, equally indignant with the Gallic horse- 
men, retired from the fight into the harbor, and, in order that their defec- 
tion might be less apparent, rowed their vessels astern, or impelled them 
into the harbor stem foremost. (Compare the Greek expression irpv/zvav 
Kpovaaadat, and Valckenaer, ad Herodot., viii., 84.) In executing this 
movement they would have necessarily to move toward the left, as Anto- 
ny's fleet was drawn up on the right and facing Italy. — 21. Io Triumphe! 
&c. The poet, personifying Triumph, addresses it as a god, and complains 
of its tardy approach. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 
passage from the present line to the 26th, both inclusive, is simply as fol- 
lows : When shall we celebrate the triumph due to this most glorious 
victory, a triumph to be ranked far before both that of Marius over Ju- 
gurtha, and that of Scipio for the overthrow of Carthage 1 — Aitreos currus. 
Alluding to the triumphal chariot, which was wont to be adorned with 
gold and ivory. — 22. Intactas boves. The Roman triumphs always ended 
with a sacrifice to Jove, and the victims, as in every other offering to the 
gods, were to be such as had never felt the yoke. With intactas, there- 
fore, we must understand jugo. 

23-38. 23. Nee Jugurthino parent, &c. "Thou didst neither bring 
back a leader equal to him from the war of Jugurtha, nor Africanus, unto 
whom valor reared a monument upon the ruins of Carthage," i. e., Marius 
did not return with equal glory from the subjugation of Jugurtha, nor the 
younger Africanus from the destruction of Carthage. — 27. Punico lugubre 
mutavit sagunt. " Has changed his purple robe for one of mourning." 
An hypallage for mutavit Punicum sagum lugubri sago. The Roman 
sagunt was properly a military robe : here, however, the term is taken 
in a more extended sense. The allusion in the text is to Antony, and the 
epithet Punico may either refer simply to the color of his paludamentum-, 
or general's robe, or else, what appears preferable, may contain a general 
censure on the previous luxury and splendor of his attire. — 29. Ant Me 
centum nobilem, &c. This passage would seem to confirm the truth of the 
remark made in a previous note (v. 19), that no accurate accounts had as 
yet reached the capital either respecting the details of the fight itself, or 
the ulterior movements of Antony. — 30. Ventis non suis. " With unpro- 
pitious winds." — 31. Exercitatas Noto. "Agitated by the blast of the 
South." As regards the Syrtes, consult note on Ode i., 7, 22. — 32. Incerto 
mart. "In doubtful course over the sea," i. e., as if not knowing where 
to anchor. — 33. Capaciores offer hue, &c. The joy of Horace was too 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE X. 407 

lively, as Dacier remarks, to wait the return of Maecenas. He celebrates 
the victory the moment he receives the news, and he thinks his appre- 
hensions for the safety of Octavianus ought now to cease, for it was not 
known at Rome that he intended to complete his conquest by pursuing 
Antony, and exposing himself to new dangers. — 35. Fluentem nauseam. 
" The rising qualm." — 37. Rerum. " For the interests." — 38. Lyaeo. Con- 
sult note on Ode i., 22, 4. 



Epotje X. Addressed to Maevius, a contemptible poet of the day, who 
was on the eve of embarking for Greece. The bard prays heartily that 
he may be shipwrecked, and vows a sacrifice to the storms if they will 
but destroy him. This Maevius is the same with the one to whom Virgil 
satirically alludes in his third Eclogue (v. 90) : " Qui Bavium non odit, 
amet tua carmina, Masvi." He would seem to have incurred the resent- 
ment of both Virgil and Horace by his railing and slanderous propensities. 

1-24. 1. Mala soluta, &c. " The vessel, loosened from her moorings, 
sails forth under evil auspices, bearing as she does the fetid Maevius." — 
2. Olentem. Compare the explanation of Mitscherlich : " Hircini odoris 
hominem." Rutgersius (Lect. Venus., x., 10) thinks that this epithet is 
rather meant to be applied to the character of Maevius as a poet, and to 
his affectation of obsolete words. There is far more of bitter satire, how- 
ever, in olentem, if considered as a personal allusion. — 3. Utrumquelatus. 
"Each side of her." Understand navis. — 4. Auster. The poet enumer- 
ates the winds Auster, JEurus, and Aquilo, in order to convey a livelier 
image of a tempest, by the contending together of these opposing blasts, 
bo that, in fact, a tornado is meant. — 5. Niger rudentes Eurus, &c. "May 
the dark southeast wind scatter her rigging and shivered oars in the 
sea turned up from its lowest depths." By niger is meant, in reality, a 
dark, cloud-collecting wind. — 7. Quantus. "With as great fury as," i. e., 
with all the fury it has when, &c. — 8. Trementes. " Waving to and fro 
beneath the blast." — 9. Sidus amicum. " The star friendly to mariners." 
The allusion is to the Dioscuri. Consult note on Ode i., 3, 2. — 10. Orion. 
Consult note on Ode iii., 27, 17. — 12. Quam Grata victorum manus, &c. 
The poet alludes to the destruction by Minerva of the vessel that bore the 
Oilean Ajax, and to the shipwreck of the Grecian fleet off the promontory 
of Caphareus in Eubcea. — 16. Pallor luteus. Consult note on Ode iii., 10, 
14. — 18. Aversum ad Jovem. "To unpropitious Jove." — 19. Ionius zido, 
&c. " When the Ionian Sea, roaring with the blasts of the rainy South." 
The term sinus, here applied to the Ionian Sea, has reference to its being 
bent into numerous gulfs. In strict geographical language, however, the 
expression Ionius sinus, about the time of Horace, denoted merely a part 
of the Adriatic— 21. Opima quod si, &c. The poet vows a sacrifice to the 
Tempests, if the corpse of the shipwrecked Maevius, cast unburiedon the 
shore, become the prey of birds. Some commentators refer the expression 
opima prada to corpulence of person on the part of Maevius. This, how- 
ever, is mere conjecture. The words may, with more propriety, be ren- 
dered " a dainty prey." — 24. Tempestatibus . The ancients were accus- 
tomed to saci'ifice a black lamb to the Storms and Tempests, and a white 
one to the Western wind. 



408 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVI. 

Epode XIII. Addressed to a party of friends, with whom the poet 
wishes to spend a day of rain and storm amid the joys of wine. He ex- 
horts them to seize the present hour, aud to dismiss the future from their 
thoughts. To add weight to this Epicurean maxim, the authority of the 
Centaur Chiron is adduced, who advises the young Achilles, since fate had 
destined him for a short career, to dispel his cares with wine and song. 

1-6. 1. Horrida tempestas coslum contraxit. "A gloomy tempest has 
narrowed the expanse of heaven." The space appears diminished when 
the sky is covered with clouds.— 2. Deducunt Jovem. "Bring down the 
upper air." By Jupiter is here meant the higher part of the atmosphere 
((sther). The ancients considered rain as the air dissolved. — Siluce. A 
diaeresis, on account of the metre, for silvce. — 3. Rapiamus, amici, &c. 
" My friends, let us seize an opportunity from the passing day." — 5. Ob- 
ducta solvatur fronte senectus. " Let the clouded hrow of sadness be re- 
laxed." Literally, ' ; let sadness, with clouded brow, be relaxed." Senec- 
tas does not here mean age, but "sadness" or "melancholy." Compare 
the scholium of Porphj r rion : " Senectutem pro gravitate ac severitate ac- 
cipe." — 6. Tu vina Torqaato move, &c. The poet, eager for the expect- 
ed entertainment, imagines his friends already present, and, addressing 
himself to one of the party supposed to be assembled, exclaims, "Do thou 
produce the wine, pressed when my Torquatus was consul." The force 
oimove, in this passage, is best explained on the principle that this was 
to be a feast of contribution, and that Horace calls first upon him who was 
to furnish the wine. The wine to be drunk on this occasion is that 
which had been made in the year when L. Manlius Torquatus was con- 
sul. Consult note on Ode iii., 21, 1. 

7-18. 7. Ccetera mitte loqui. "Cease to talk of other things." The 
poet alludes to some cause of anxiety on the part of his friend. — Deus heec 
fortasse benigna, &c. " Perhaps the deity will, by a kind change, restore 
what now disquiets thee to its former state. — 8. Achaemenio. Consult note 
on Ode iii., 1, 44. — Cyllenea. The lyre is here called " Cyllenean," be- 
cause invented by Mercury, who was born on Cyllene, a mountain in the 
northern part of Ai-cadia, on the borders of Achaia. — 11. Nobilis centauries. 
Chiron. — Alumno. Achilles. — 13. Assaraci tellus. " The land of Assar- 
acus," i. e., Troy. Assaracus was a son of Tros, and the grandsire of An- 
chises. (Compare 17., xx., 230.) — 15. Curto subtemine. "By a short 
thread." We have adopted Bentley's emendation, curto. The common 
lection, certo subtemine ("by a thread that fixes thy destiny"), is far in- 
ferior. The term subtemen means properly the woof or weft, i. e., the 
threads inserted into the warp. — 18. Deformis agrimonitz, &c. "The 
sweet soothers of disfiguring melancholy." 



Epode XVI. The republic, as Sanadon remarks, had been violently 
agitated by civil commotions for almost sixty years, beginning with the 
days of Marius and Sylla. A fresh scene of bloodshed was now approach- 
in-', and the quarrel between Octavianus and Antony threatened the Bo- 
man world with a general dissolution. A battle was expected, and that 
battle was to decide, as it were, the fate of the universe. An event of 
such deep interest engrossed the minds of men. A feeling cf uncertainty 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVI. 409 

as to the issue of the contest filled them with alarm, and a remembrance 
of the preceding wars collected into one point of view all the horrors 
which they had produced. The poet, amid these scenes of terror, com- 
posed this epode. He proposes to the Romans a desertion of their coun- 
try, and a retreat to the Fortunate Islands, where the gods promised them 
a more tranquil and a happier life. To confirm this advice, the example 
of the Phocaeans is cited, who abandoned their native city rather than live 
under the dominion of Cyrus, and bound themselves by a common oath 
never to return. 

1-13. 1. Altera jam teritur, &c. "A second age is now wasting away 
in civil wars." By this second age is understood the period which inter- 
vened between the death of Caesar and the contest of Octavianus and An- 
tony. The first age extended from the entrance of Sylla into Rome with 
an armed force to the death of Caesar. If we make the present epode to 
have been written A.U.C. 721, B.C. 32, the whole antecedent period here 
referred to would be fifty-six years ; and if we allow, as is commonly 
done, thirty years to an cetas (or yevea), the "second age" was within four 
years of its completion. — 2. Ipsa. "Of her own accord." Equivalent to 
the Greek avrr/. — 3. Quarn neque Jinitimi, &c. The order of construction 
is as follows : Nos, impia cetas, devoti sanguinis, pcrdemus earn civita- 
tern, qnam neque, &c. — 3. Marsi. The poet assigns the first place to the 
Marsic, or Social War, as most fraught with danger to the republic. — 
4. Minacis aut Etrusca, &c. Alluding to the efforts of Porsena in behalf 
of the banished Tarquins, and the siege which Rome in consequence un- 
derwent. Niebuhr has clearly shown that Rome must have surrendered 
to Porsena, and acknowledged his sovereignty by the sacrifice of a third 
part of her territory. Compare Tacitus, " dedita urbe" {Hist., iii., 72). 
One of the conditions of the treaty was that the Romans should use iron 
only for tillage (Plin., H. N-, xxxiv., 39). This, of course, would only 
have been submitted to by a conquered people. — 5. yEmula nee virtus 
Capites. " Nor the rival strength of Capua." The allusion in the text 
appears to be to the bearing of Capua after the overthrow of Cannae, 
when, as it would seem from Livy (xxiii., 6), she aimed at the empire of 
Italy. Capua made a league with Hannibal after this battle. — Spariacus. 
Consult note on Ode iii., 14, 19.— 6. Novisque rebus injidelis AUobrox. 
" And the AHobvoges, faithless in their frequent commotions," i. e., dis- 
playing their faithless character in their numerous seditions. The Allo- 
broges were situate in the southern part of Gaul, between the Rhodanus 
[Rhone) and Isara (Isere). — 6. C ccrulea pube . "With its blue-eyed youth." 
Compare the description given by Tacitus (Germ., 4) of the Germans: 
" Habitus corporum .... idem omnibus ; truces et ccerulei oculi, rutilce 
coma, magna corpora." The allusion in the text seems to be principally 
to the inroad of the Cimbri and Teutoues. — 9. Devoti sanguinis. " Of de- 
voted blood," i. e., whose blood is devoted to destruction as a punishment 
for our fathers' crimes. — 10. Barbarus. Alluding to the barbarian nations 
which formed part of the forces of Antony. — Et urbem eques, &c. " And 
the horsemen strike our city with sounding hoof," i. e., ride insulting over 
the ruins of fallen Rome. — 13. Quaque carent ventis, &c. " And insolently 
scatter the bones of Romulus, which lie concealed from winds and suns, 
(unlawful to be beheld !)"' The sanctity of sepulchres was always guard- 
ed by the strictest laws, and their sacred character was founded on the 

S 



410 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVI. 

circumstance of their being dedicated to the Manes. The tombs of the 
founders of cities were regarded as particularly entitled to veneration, 
and it was deemed a most inauspicious omen if the remains contained in 
them were, by accident or in any other way, exposed to view. As, ac- 
cording to the Roman legend, Romulus was caught up to the skies, the 
allusion here to his mortal remains lying in an earthly sepulchre becomes 
merely a poetic one. Romulus, in fact, is here the ideal representative 
of the Roman people, and by the ossa Quirini are meant the bones of 
Roman citizens, which the poet, with prophetic vision, beholds scattered 
about, exposed to the winds and sun, amid the overthrow and desolation 
of the city. {Orelli, ad loc.) 

15-37. 15. Forte quid expediat, &c. "Perhaps yo all in common, or 
else the better portion, are inquiring of yourselves what is best to be 
done in order to avert these dreadful calamities." More literally, " to be 
free from" or " to be rid of." By the expression melior pars are meant 
those who hold civil conflicts in abhorrence, and who feel for the miseries 
of their country. — 17. Phocceorum velut prof u git, &c. "As the people of 
Phocaea fled, bound by solemn imprecations : as they abandoned," &c. 
The Phocaeans, a people of Ionia, rather than submit to the power of Cy- 
rus, abandoned their city, binding themselves by an oath, and by solemn 
imprecations, not to return before a mass of red-hot iron, which they threw 
into the sea, should rise to the surface. {Herod., L, 165.) — 25. Sedjure- 
mus in hoec. Understand verba, and compare Epode xv., 4. The oath of 
the Phocaeans is here imitated, excepting that stones are substituted for 
iron.— Simul imis saxa renarint, &c. "That we shall all be permitted 
to return, whenever these stones shall rise from the bottom of the sea, 
and swim back to the surface of the water." — 27. Domum. "To our 
country." — Quando Padus Matina laverit cacumina. "When the Po 
shall wash the Matinian summits," i. e., when the Po, in the north, shall 
wash the summits of Mount Matinus, in Apulia, just above the promon- 
tory of Garganum. Near this mountain was the town of Matinum. — 29. 
Proruperit. " Shall burst forth." — 30. Monstra junxerit. " Shall form 
unnatural unions." — 31. Ut. "So that." — 33. Credula. "Persuaded of 
their safety." — Flavos. Bentley reads ravos, on the authority of some 
MSS., and because rava lupa occurs in Ode hi., 27, 3, and Cicero {Acad., 
ii., 23) styles the sea ravum. This, however, is unsatisfactory. — 34. Le- 
vis. " Become smooth," i. e., become smooth as a fish, from having been 
rough and shaggy. — 35. H&c execrata. " Having sworn to the perform- 
ance of these things, under solemn imprecations." — 37. Aut pars indocili 
melior grege. " Or that portion which is wiser than the indocile crowd." 
— Mollis et exspes inominata, &c. " Let the faint-hearted and desponding 
press these ill-omened couches," i. e., continue to dwell in this city of 
gloomy auspices. The epithet mollis applies to those who want spirit 
and manly daring to brave the dangers of the sea, while by exspes those 
are designated who have, with timid minds, given up all hopes for the 
salvation of their country. 

39-58. 39. Muliebrem tollite luctum. The poet adjures those whom 
be supposes to be about to abandon their country along with him, to leave 
it as men, and to shed no tears, and indulge in no womanish grief, on the 
eve of their departure— 40. Elrusca prater et volate litora. Their course 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVII. 411 

is first to lie through the Mare Tyrrhenum, after leaving which they are to 
make for the main ocean. — 41. Nos manet Oceanus circumvagus. " The cir- 
cumambient Ocean awaits us." Horace here adopts the Homeric notion 
that the ocean was a vast river flowing completely round the earth, which 
latter was a circular plane. — Arva, beata petamns arva, &c. "Let us seek 
the fields, the blessed fields, and the rich isles," &c. The poet advises his 
countrymen to seek the Fortunate Isles of the ocean. These are general- 
ly supposed to have been identical with the modern Canaries. It is more 
than probable, however, that they were merely a part of the group. — 
43. Reddit ubi Cererem, &c. " Where the earth, though untouched by the 
plough, yields its annual produce, and the vines, though unpruned, ever 
flourish." — 46. Suamque pulla, &c. "And the dark fig graces its own 
tree," i. e., the natural or ungrafted tree. The epithet pulla alludes to the 
color of the fig when ripe. — 48. Crepante pede. "With rustling footstep," 
i. e., with a pleasing murmur. — 50. Amicus. A pleasing reference to the 
kind and friendly feelings with which, to the eye of the poet, the flock is 
supposed to bestow its gifts upon the master. — 53. Nulla nocent pecori con^ 
tagia. Alluding to the salubrity of the atmosphere.— Nullius astri ces- 
tuosa impolenlia. "The scorching violence of no star." Consult note on 
Ode iii., 13, 19, and i., 17, 17. — 55. Ut neque largis, <5cc. "How neither 
rainy Eurus wastes the fields with excessive showers," &c. Compare the 
description of the Homeric Elysium in the western isles (Od., iv., 566, 
seqq.). — 58. Utrumque temperante. " Controlling each extreme," i. e., of 
rainy cold and scorching heat. 

59-65. 59. Non hue Argoo, &c. "The pine sped not hither its way 
with an Argoan band of rowers," i. e., the Argoan pine (the ship Argo) 
never visited these happy regions to introduce the corruptions of other 
lands. The allusion is to the contagion of those national vices which 
commerce is so instrumental in disseminating. — 60. Impudica Colchis. 
Alluding to Medea, and her want of female modesty in abandoning her 
home. — 61. Cornua. " Their sail-yards." Literally, " the extremities 
of their sail-yards," antennarum being understood. — 62. Laboriosa cohors 
Ulixei. " The followers of Ulysses, exercised in hardships," i. e., Ulysses 
and his followers schooled in toil. — 63. Jupiter ilia piae, Sec. " Jupiter 
set apart these shores for a pious race, when he stained the Golden Age 
with brass ; when, after this, he hardened with iron the Brazen Age," i. 
e., when the Brazen and the Iron had succeeded to the Golden Age. The 
verb secrevit, as used in the text, well expresses the remote situation of 
these blistful regions, far from the crimes and horrors of civil dissension. 
— 65. Quorum pits secunda, &c. " From which age of iron, an auspicious 
escape is granted to the pious, according to the oracle which I pronounce." 
With quorum understand saculorum. The-4anguage of the poet is here 
based upon the custom, followed in the most ancient times, of leading forth 
colonies under the guidance of some diviner or prophet, after the oracle 
had been duly consulted and its will ascertained. 



Epode XVII. A pretended recantation of the fifth Epode, to which 
succeeds the answer of Canidia, now rendered haughty and insolent by 
success. The submission of the bard, however, and the menaces of the 
sorceress, are only irony and satire, so much more severe and violent as 
they are more disguised. 



412 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVII. 

1-7. 1. Efficacido manus scientice. " I yield submissive to thy mighty 
art," i. e., I acknowledge and submit to thy power, mighty sorceress. The 
expression do manus is figurative, and is used commonly to denote the 
submission of the vanquished to the victors on the field of battle. — 2. Regnct 
per Proserpina, &c. " By the realms of Proserpina, and by the power 
of Hecate, not to be provoked with impunity, and by thy books of enchant- 
ments," &c. The poet here adjures Canidia by the things which she most 
revered, and with which, as a sorceress, she was supposed to be most 
conversant. — 5. Defixa. " Bound by thy incantations to obey." The verb 
dejigo is peculiar in this sense to magic rites. Hence it frequently an- 
swers to our verb "to bewitch." — 7. Citumque retro solve, &c. "And 
turn backward, turn, thy swift-revolving wheel." The turbo, equivalent 
to the Greek fro/ifioc, was a species of wheel, much used in magic rites. 
A thread or yarn was attached to it, which began to wind around on the 
wheel's being made to revolve, and, as this process was going on, the in- 
dividual who was the subject of the ceremony was supposed to come 
more and more under the power of the sorceress. Horace, therefore, en- 
treats Canidia to turn her magic wheel backward, and untwine the fatal 
thread, that he may be freed from the spell in which she had bound him. 

8-22. 8. Movit. Understand ad misericordiam. The poet heightens 
the ridicule of the piece by citing Achilles and Circe as examples of im- 
itation for the worthless Canidia. — Nepotem Nereium. Achilles. — Tele- 
phus. A king of Mysia, who led an army against the Greeks when they 
had landed on his coasts, and was wounded, and afterward cured, by 
Achilles. — 11. Unxere matres llice, <Scc. "The Trojan matrons anointed 
the corpse of Hector, slaughterer of heroes, originally doomed to voracious 
birds and dogs," &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that the Trojan 
matrons were enabled to perform the last sad offices to the corpse of Hec- 
tor, in consequence of the relenting of Achilles at the supplications of 
Priam. — 14. Pervicacis Achillei. "Of Achilles, however inflexible." Com- 
pare Ode i., 6, 6. — 15. Setosa duris, &c. " Divested their bristly limbs of 
the hard skins of swine," i. e., ceased to be swine. An allusion to the 
fable of Circe, and the transformation of the followers of Ulysses into 
swine, as well as to their subsequent restoration by the sorceress, on the 
interference of the chieftain of Ithaca. — 17. Tunc mens et sonus, &c. 
"Then reason and speech glided back, and their former expression was 
gradually restored to their looks." The term relapsus (the zeugma in 
which must be noted) beautifully describes, as it were to the eye, the slow 
and gradual nature of the change. — 19. Dedi satis superque, &c. *•' Enough 
and more than enough have I been tormented by thee." — 21. Rcliquit 
ossa pelle amicta lurida. " Has left behind only bones covered over with 
a livid skin," i. e., has left m6 a mere skeleton. — 22. Tuis capillus albus, 
&c. " My hair is become white by the force of thy magic herbs." The 
poet ascribes this to the effect produced on his mind and feelings by the 
incantations of the sorceress, and not, as Gesner supposes, to any unguent 
actually applied by her to his locks. 

24-40. 24. Est. " Is it allowed me." An imitation of the Greek 
usage, by which eart, est, is put for e^ecrri, licet. — 25. Levare tenta, &c. 
" To relieve by respiration my swelling heart." — 26. Negatum. "What 
I once denied." Understand a me. — 27. S abell 'a pectus incrcpare carmina, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVII. 413 

&c. "That Sabellian incantations disturb the breast, and that the head 
splits asunder by a Marsian song." The poet here very pleasantly applies 
to human beings what was thought, in the popular belief, to happen mere- 
ly to snakes. The Sabellians and Marsi were famed for their skill in 
magic. By the former are here meant the Sabines generally. Consult 
note on Ode iii, 6, 38. — 32. Tu, donee cinis, Sec. " A living laboratory, 
thou glowest against me with the magic drugs of Colchis, until I, become 
a dry cinder, shall be borne along by the insulting winds." — 35. Quod 
stipendium. " What atonement." — 38. Centum juvencis. " With a heca- 
tomb of bullocks." — Mendaci lyra. " On the lying lyre," i. e., on the lyre 
which will celebrate thee, a shameless woman, as the ornament of thy 
sex. — 40. Perambulabis astra sidus aureum. " Thou shalt proudly move, 
a brilliant constellation, amid the stars," i. e., my verses will raise thee to 
the stars of heaven. The verb perambulo carries with it the idea of a 
proud and boastful demeanor. 

41-46. 41. Infamis Helenas Cantor, Sec. "Castor, offended at the 
treatment of the defamed Helen," &c. An allusion to the story related 
of the poet Stesichorus. Having defamed Helen in some injurious verses, 
he was punished with blindness by her brothers, Castor and Pollux. On 
the bard's publishing a recantation, they restored him to sight. — 44. Potes 
nam. Equivalent to the Greek dvvacaiyup, and a usual form of expres- 
sion in prayers and addresses to the gods. — 45. O nee paternis, Sec. " O 
thou that art disgraced by no paternal stains." There is a great deal of 
bitter satire in this negative mode of alluding to the pretended fairness 
of Canidia's birth. — 46. Nee in sepulcris pauperum, Sec. " And art not 
skilled, as a sorceress, in scattering the ninth-day ashes amid the tombs 
of the poor," i. e., and knowest not what it is to go as a sorceress amid the 
tombs of the poor, and scatter their ashes on the ninth day after interment. 
The ashes of the dead were frequently used in magic l-ites, and the rules 
of the art required that they must be taken from the tomb on the ninth 
day after interment (not, as some without any authority pretend, on the 
ninth day after death). The sepulchres of the rich were protected against 
this profanation by watches (compare Dorville, ad Charit., p. 429, ed. 
Lips.), and the sorceresses were therefore compelled to have recourse to 
the tombs of the poor. 

49-53. 49. Non saxa nudis, Sec. "The wintry main lashes not, with 
swelling surge, rocks more deaf to the cry of the naked mariners than I 
am to thine." — 51. Quid froderat ditasse, Sec. " Of what advantage was 
it to me to have enriched Pelignian sorceresses, or to have mixed a speedi- 
er potion V i. e., what have I gained by having paid Pelignian sorceresses 
an extravagant sum for instructions in the magic art, or by having learn- 
ed to mix a more potent draught of love ? The Peligni were situated to 
the east of the Marsi, and, like them, were famed for their magic skill. 
Consult note on Ode iii., 19. 8. — 53. Sed tardiora fata, Sec. "But a more 
lingering destiny than what thy prayers shall demand awaits thee. A 
painful existence is to be prolonged to thee, a miserable being, with this 
sole view, that thou mayest continually survive for fresh inflictions of 
torture." The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : Thy entreaties 
for a cessation from suffering are fruitless. I will increase and prolong 
those sufferings to such a degree that thou shalt pray to be released from 



414 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SPECULAR HYMN. 

them by a speedy death. That prayer, however, shall not be heard, and 
thou shalt live on only to be exposed every moment to fresh inflictions of 
torture. 

56-71. 56. Optat quietem, Sec. Examples of never-ending- punishment 
are here cited in Tantalus, Prometheus, and Sisyphus. — 57. Egens bc?iig~ 
nee, &c. On the punishment of Tantalus, consult note on Ode ii., 13, 37. 
— 60. Sed vetant leges Jovis. The epic dignity of these words adds to 
the ridicule of the whole piece. — 62. Ense Norico. Consult note on Ode 
i., 16, 9. — 64. Fastidiosa tristis (Egrimonia. " Afflicted with a sorrow 
that loathes existence." — 65. Vectabor humeris, &c. " Then, as a rider, 
shall I be borne on thy hostile shoulders," i. e., then will I cruelly triumph 
over thee, my bitterest foe. The expression vectabor eques humeris is 
intended as a figurative allusion to the pride and insolence of a conqueror. 
So equitare, nadnnztvsiv, KadnzTza&odai, &c. — 66. Meeeque terra cedet in- 
solentiae. "And the earth shall retire from before my haughty might," 
i. e., in the haughtiness of my power I will spurn the earth, and make 
thee bear me on thy shoulders through the regions of air. — 67. Quee movere 
cereas imagines possim. "Who can give animation to waxen images." 
The witches of antiquity were accustomed to make small waxen images 
of the persons whom they intended to influence by their spells, and it was 
a prevailing article of popular belief that, as the incantations proceeded, 
these images gave signs of animation, and that the sorceresses could per- 
ceive in their looks and manner the gradual effect of the magic charms 
that were acting on the originals. — 68. Curiosus. The allusion seems to 
be to some occasion when the " prying" poet discovered Canidia in the 
midst of her sorceries. — 71. Artis exitum. "The effect of my art." 



Secular Hymn. In the year of Rome 738, B.C. 17, and when Augus- 
tus had consolidated the energies and restored the tranquillity of the Ro- 
man world, the period arrived for the celebration of the Saecular Games. 
Among the directions given in the Sibylline Books for the due perform- 
ance of these solemnities, a hymn, in praise of Apollo and Diana, to whom 
they were principally sacred, was ordered to be sung by a chorus of youths 
and maidens. The composition of this hymn, on the present occasion, 
was assigned by the emperor to Horace, and the production which we are 
about to consider was the result of his labors, forming a proud monument 
of talent, and one of the noblest pieces of lyric poetry that has descended 
to our times. Apollo and Diana are invoked to perpetuate their favoring 
influence toward the Roman name. Thrice the chorus address them, and 
thrice the Roman empire is confided to their care. 

If we were to judge from their name, these games would have been 
celebrated once in every century or sasculum ; but we do not find that 
they were celebrated with this regularity at any period of Roman history, 
and the name ludi seeculares itself was never used during the time of the 
republic. In order to understand their real character, we must distin- 
guish between the time of the republic and of the empire, since at these 
two periods these ludi were of an entirely different character. 

During the time of the republic they were called ludi Tarentini, Te- 
rentini, or Taxcrii, while during the empire they bore the name of ludi 
Bceculares. Their origin is described by Valerius Maximus, who attrib- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. SPECULAR HYMN. 415 

utes their institution to the miraculous recovery of three children of one 
Valerius, who had been attacked by a plague raging at that time in Rome, 
and were restored to health by drinking some water warmed at a place 
in the Campus Martius called Tarentum. Valerius afterward offered sac- 
rifices in Tarentum to Dis and Proserpina, to whom the recovery of his 
children was supposed to be owing, spread lectisternia for the gods, and 
held festive games for thi'ee successive nights, because his three children 
had been saved. The account of Valerius Maximus agrees in the main 
with those of Censorinus and of Zosimus, and all appear to have derived 
their information from the ancient annalist, Valerius Antias. While, ac- 
cording to this account, the Tarentine Games were first celebrated by Va- 
lerius, another legend seems to consider the fight of the Horatians and Cu- 
riatians as connected with their first celebration. A third account ascribes 
their first institution to the reign of Tarquinius Superbus. A fearful plague 
broke out, by which all pregnant women were affected in such a manner 
that the children died in the womb. Games were then instituted to pro- 
pitiate the infernal divinities, together with sacrifices of sterile cows (tau- 
rcas), whence the games were called ludi Taurii. These games and sac- 
rifices took place in the Circus Flaminius, that the infernal divinities 
might not enter the city. Pestus and Censorinus ascribe the first cele- 
bration to the consul Valerius Poplicola. This account admits that the 
worship of Dis and Proserpina had existed long before, but states that the 
games and sacrifices were now performed for the first time to avert a 
plague, and in that part of the Campus Martius which had belonged to 
the last king Tarquinius, from whom the place derived its name Tarentum. 
Valerius Maximus and Zosimus, who knew of the celebration of these 
games by Valerius Poplicola, endeavor to reconcile their two accounts by 
representing the celebration of Poplicola as the second in chronological 
order. Other less important traditions are mentioned by Servius and by 
Varro. 

As regards the names Tarentini or Taurii, they are perhaps nothing but 
different forms of the same word, and of the same root as Tarquinius. All 
the accounts mentioned above, though differing as to the time at which, 
and the persons by whom, the Tarentine games were first celebrated, yet 
agree in stating that they were celebrated for the purpose of averting 
from the state some great calamity by which it had been afflicted, and 
that they were held in honor of Dis and Proserpina. From the time of 
the consul Valerius Poplicola down to that of Augustus, the Tarentine 
Games were only held three times, and again only on certain emergen- 
cies, and not at any fixed time, so that we must conclude that their cele- 
bration was in no way connected with certain cycles of time (scecula). 
The deities in whose honor they were held during the republic, continued, 
as at first, to be Dis and Proserpina. As to the times at which these 
three celebrations took place, the commentarii of the quindecimviri and 
the accounts of the annalists did not agree, and the discrepancy of the 
statements still extant shows the vain attempts which were made in later 
times to prove that, during the republic, the games had been celebrated 
once in every saeculum. All these misrepresentations and distortions 
arose in the time of Augustus. Not long after he had assumed the su- 
preme power in the republic, the quindecimviri announced that, accord- 
ing to their books, ludi saeculares ought to be held, and, at the same time, 
tried to prove from history that in former times they had not only been 



416 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SECULAR HYMN. 

celebrated repeatedly, but almost regularly once in every century. The 
games of which the quindecimviri made this assertion were the ludi 
Tarentini. 

The celebrated jurist and antiquary Ateics Capito received from the 
emperor the command to determine the ceremonies, and Horace was re- 
quested to compose the festive hymn for the occasion. But the festival 
which was now held was in reality very different from the ancient Taren- 
tine games ; for Dis and Proserpina, to whom formerly the festival be- 
longed exclusively, were now the last in the list of the divinities in honor 
of whom, the ludi sascnlares were celebrated. A description of the various 
solemnities is given by Zosimus. Some days before they commenced, 
heralds were sent about to invite the people to a spectacle which no one 
had ever beheld, and which no one would ever behold again. Hereupon 
the quindecimviri distributed, upon the Capitol and the Palatine, among 
the Roman citizens, torches, sulphur, and bitumen, by which they were 
to purify themselves. In the same places, and on the Aventine in the 
Temple of Diana, the people received wheat, barley, and beans, which 
were to be offered at night-time to the Parcae, or, according to others, were 
given as pay to the actors in the dramatic representations which were 
performed during the festive days. The festival took place in summer, 
and lasted for three days and three nights. On the first day the games 
commenced in the Tarentum, and sacrifices were offered to Jupiter, Juno, 
Neptune, Minerva, Venus, Apollo, Mercury, Ceres, Vulcan, Mars, Diana, 
Vesta, Hercules, Latona, the Parcae, and to Dis and Proserpina. The so- 
lemnities began at the second hour of the night, and the emperor opened 
them by the river side with the sacrifice of three lambs to the Parcae, upon 
three altars erected for the purpose, and which were sprinkled with the 
blood of the victims. The lambs themselves were burned. A temporary 
.scene like that of a theatre was erected in the Tarentum, and illuminated 
with lights and fires. 

In this scene festive hymns were sung by a chorus, and various other 
ceremonies, together with theatrical performances, took place. During 
the morning of the first day, the people went to the Capitol to offer solemn 
sacrifices to Jupiter ; thence they returned to the Tarentum. to sing cho- 
ruses in honor of Apollo and Diana. On the second day, the noblest mat- 
rons, at an hour fixed by an oracle, assembled on the Capitol, performed 
supplications, sang hymns to the gods, and also visited the altar of Juno. 
The emperor and the quindecimviri offered sacrifices, which had been 
vowed before, to all the great divinities. On the third day, Greek and 
Latin choruses were sung in the sanctuary of Apollo by three times nine 
boys and maidens of great beauty, whose parents were still alive. The 
object of these hymns was to implore the protection of the gods for all 
cities, towns, and officers of the empire. One of these hymns was the 
carmen saeculare by Horace, which was especially composed for the oc- 
casion, and adapted to the circumstances of the time. During the whole 
of the three days and nights, games of every description were carried on 
in all the circuses and theatres, and sacrifices were offered in all the 
temples. 

The first celebration of the ludi saeculares in the reign of Augustus took 
place in the summer of the year 17 B.C. The second took place in the 
reign of Claudius, A.D. 47 ; the third in the reign of Domitian, A J). 83 ; 
and the last in the reign of Philippus, A.D. 248, and, as was generally 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. SPECULAR HYMN. 41? 

believed, just 1000 years after the building of the city. (Diet. Antiq., s. v. 
Ludi Saiculares.) 

2-20. 2. Lucidum cceli decus. "Bright ornament of heaven." — 4. Tern- 
'pore sacro. " At this sacred season." — 5. Stbyllini versus. The Sibyl- 
line verses, which have reference to the Saecular Games, are preserved 
in Zosimus (ii., 6, p. 109, seqq., ed. Reitemeier). They are also given in a 
more emended form by Mitscherlich. — 6. Virgines lectas puerosque castos. 
The Sibylline verses directed that the youths and maidens, which com- 
posed the chorus, should be the offspring of parents that were both alive 
at the time, i. e., should be patrimi and matrimi. Consult Introductory 
Remarks. — 7. Septem colles. An allusion to Rome, and the seven hills 
on which it was built. — 9. Curru nitido diem qui, &c. "Who with thy 
radiant chariot unfoldest and hidest the day, and arisest another and the 
same," i. e., different in semblance, but the same in reality. The sun is 
here said to hide the day at its setting, and to arise on the morrow a new 
luminary with the new day, but in all its former splendor. — 11. Possis 
visere. " Mayest thou behold." — 13. Rite maturos aperire partus, &c. 
" Ilithyia, propitious in safely producing mature births, protect the Roman 
mothers." — 16. Genitalis. Compare the explanation ofDoring: " Qua 
gignentes seu puerperas ope sua levat, geniturce favet, et se propitia.m 
prcebet." — 17. Producas subolem. "Bring to maturity our offspring." — 
Patrum. " Of the senate." — 20. Lege marita. Alluding to the Julian 
law, " De maritandis ordinibus," holding out inducements for entering 
the married state, and imposing penalties on celibacy. The end of it was 
to promote population, and repair the loss occasioned by the carnage of 
the civil wars. 

21-38. 21. CSrtus undenos, &c. " That the stated revolution of ten 
times eleven years may renew the hymns and sports, celebrated by 
crowds thrice in the bright season of day, and as often in the pleasing 
night." The Saecular solemnities lasted three days and three nights. — 
25. Vosque veraces cccinisse, &c. "And do you, ye Fates, true in utter 
ing what has been once determined, and what the fixed event of things 
confirms, join favorable destinies to those already past." The expression 
veraces cecinisse is a Graecism for veraces in canendo. Dictum is equiva- 
lent to constitutum afato.—f29. Tellus. The Earth is here addressed as 
one of the deities, to which sacrifices were ordered to be made by the 
Sibylline vei'ses. — 30. Spicea donet Cererem corona. " Gift Ceres with a 
wheaten crown." This was the usual offering to Ceres. — 16. Nutriant 
fetus et aquce salubres, &c. " And may refreshing rains, and salubrious 
breezes from Jove, nourish the productions of the fields." — 33. Condito 
telo. "With thine arrow hidden in the quiver." Apollo, with bow un- 
bent, is mild and gentle ; but when, in anger, he draws the arrow from 
its case, and bends his bow, he becomes the god of pestilence. (Ode ii., 
10, 20.) He is here addressed in the former of these characters. — 34. Audi 
pueros. From these words, and from audi puellas, toward the close of 
the stanza, it would appear that the youths and maidens sang in alternate 
chorus the respective praises of Apollo and Diana. — 35. Regina bicornis. 
'"Crescent queen." Alluding to the appearance of the moon during her 
first quarter. — 37. Roma si vestrum est opus. The allusion is to the Tro- 
jans having abandoned their native seats, and having been led to Italy by 

S2 



418 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SPECULAR HYMN. 

an oracle received from Apollo. Diana is here joined with Apollo, and 
the founding of Rome is ascribed by the bard to tbeir united auspices. — 
Ilioeque turmae. The reference is to "the Trojan bands" of iEneas. — 
38. Litus Etruscum. The shore of the Mare Tyrrhenum, or Lower Sea, 
is meant. 

41-59. 41. Sine fraude. "Without barm." Compare the words of 
Ulpian {leg. 131, de V. S.) : " Aliud fraus est, aliud poena. Fraus-ewm 
sine poena esse potest : poena sine fraude esse non potest. Poena est noxa 
vindicta ; fraus et ipsa noxa dicitur, et quasi poena. qua>dam prceparatio." 
— 44. Plura relictis. "More ample possessions than those left behind," 
i. e., a more extensive empire than their native one. — 45. Di. Address- 
ed to Apollo and Diana jointly. — 47. Romalai genti date rcmqve, <5cc. 
"Grant to the people of Romulus prosperity, and a numerous offspring, 
and every honor." By decus omne is meant every thing that can in- 
crease the glory and majesty of the empire. — 49. Quique vos bubus, &c. 
The allusion is now to Augustus as the representative of the Roman 
name. As regards the expression bubus albis, " with milk-white steers," 
it is to be observed, that the Sibylline verses prescribed the color of the 
victims ((uXevkoi Tavpoi). Some read quceque in this line, and impetret 
in the next, " and may the illustrious descendant of Anchises, &c, obtain 
those things for which he (now) worships you," &c. — 53. Jam mari ter- 
raque. In this and the succeeding stanza the poet dwells upon the glorie3 
of the reign of Augustus, the power and prosperity of Rome. — Manus po- 
tentes. "Our powerful forces." — 54. Mcdus. This allusion comes in 
with peculiar force, since the Roman standards taken by the Parthians 
from Crassus and Antony had now been restored. Consult note on Ode 
iv., 14, 41. — Albanas secures. " The Alban axes," i. e., the Roman power. 
An allusion to the securis and fasces, as the badges of civil and military 
authority. Albanas is here equivalent to Romanas, in accordance with 
the received belief that Rome was a colony from Alba Longa. — 57. Jam 
Fides, et Pax, &c. According to the bard, the Golden Age has now re- 
turned, and has brought back with it the deities, who had fled to their 
native skies, during the Iron Age, from the crimes and miseries of earth. 
Compare Hesiod, "Epy. nal 'H//., 197, seqq.—Pax. An allusion to the clos- 
ing of the Temple of Janus. Consult note on Ode iv., 15, 8. — Pudorqne 
priscus. " And the purity of earlier days." — 59. Beata pleno, &c. Com- 
pare Epist. i., 12, 28 : " Aureafruges Italia pleno defudit copia cornu." 

61-73. 61. Augur, etfulgcnte, &c. " May Apollo, god of prophecy, and 
adorned with the glittering bow," &c. — 63. Qui salutari levat arte, &c. 
" Who with healing art relieves the languid members of our frame." 
With fessos supply morbo. An allusion to Apollo as the god of medicine. 
Compare the appellations bestowed upon him by the Greek poets in 
reference to this : anicioc, fjmoc, ourijp, &c. In this stanza, it will be 
perceived that the four attributes of Apollo are distinctly expressed: his 
skill in oracular divination, in the use of the bow, in music, and in the 
healing art. — 65. Si Palatinas videt aquus arces. " If he looks with a 
favoring eye on the Palatine summits," i. e., if he lends a favoring ear to 
the solemn strains which we are now pouring forth in his temple on the* 
Palatine Hill. — 67. Alterum in lustrum, &c. " For another lustrum, and 
an always happier age." — 69. Aventinum. Diana had a temple on the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. S^ECULAH HYMN. 419 

Aventine Hill. — Algidum. Consult note on Ode i., 21, 6. — 70. Quinde- 
cim preces virorum. The Quiiidecemviri, to whose custody the Sibylline 
books were confided, always began their consultation of these oracles with 
prayers. To them also was intrusted the general superintendence of 
the Saccular solemnities. — 73. Hcec Jovem sentire, &c. The order of con- 
struction is as follows : Ego chorus, doctus dicere laudes et Phasbi et 
Diana, reporto domum bonam certamque spent, Jovem cunctosque deos 
sentire hoc. This proceeds from the united chorus of youths and maidens, 
who, being represented by their coryphaeus, or leader, appear as a single 
individual. In our own idiom, however, the plural must be substituted : 
" "We, the chorus," &c. — Hcec sentire. " Ratify these our prayers." Sen- 
tire is here used in the sense of sancire. 



SATIRES. 



ON ROMAN SATIRE. 
The scholars of earlier days were accustomed to dispute, with no little 
degree of ardor, on the origin of Roman Satire, as well as on the mean- 
ing of the term hy which this species of composition is wont to he desig- 
nated. The Abbe Gamier defines a Satire to be a poem without any 
regular action, of a certain length, either indulging in invective, or of an 
ironical character, and directed against the vices and the failings of men 
with a view to their correction. Was Satire, regarded in this light, an in- 
vention of the Romans, or did they, in this branch of literature, as in al- 
most every other, merely follow in the path of some Grecian original? 
Julius Scaliger, Daniel Heinsius, and Spanheim have maintained the lat- 
ter opinion, in opposition to Horace and Q/aintilian, whose authority has 
been supported and defended by Casaubon. This whole controversy, 
however, proved eventually, like so many others of a similar nature, only 
a dispute about words, and it ceased the moment the subject was clear- 
ly understood. Dacier, Koenig, and other writers are entitled, after Ca- 
saubon, to the merit of having cleared up the question to such a degree 
as to render any further discussion unnecessary. 

We must, above all things, guard against confounding together two 
terms which have an accidental resemblance in form, but quite different 
etymologies, the Greek Satyre and the Roman Satire. The former was 
a species of jocose drama, in which Satyrs were made to play the prin- 
cipal part, and hence the appellation which it received. We have but 
one piece of this kind remaining, the Cyclops of Euripides. On the other 
hand, the Roman Satire, the invention of which is ascribed by the ancient 
writers to Ennius, differed from the Satyre of the Greeks in that, being 
without a plot, and embracing no regular and continued action, it was in- 
tended for the closet, not for the stage. This Satire was neither a drama, 
an epic poem, nor a lyric effusion. Neither was it a didactic piece, in the 
strict sense of the word, according to which a didactic poem is taken to 
signify a production in verse, which develops, not a single truth, but a 
system of truths, or rather a doctrine, and not in a transitory manner or 
by way of digression, but with method and formal reasoning. The an- 
cients regarded each species of verse as belonging peculiarly to one par- 
ticular kind of poetry. Thus the hexameter was reserved for epic and 
didactic poems ; the hexameter and pentameter, alternately succeeding 
each other, were employed in elegiac effusions; the iambic was used in 
dramatic compositions, while the different lyric measures were devoted 
to the species of poetry which bore that name. Now the Satire of En- 
nius deviated from this rule In excluding none of these several metres. 
All rhythms suited it eaually well, and the old poet employed them all in 
their turn- It is from this medley of verses, thus employed, that the name 
of Satires (Satirce) was given to these productions of Ennius. Among 
the Romans, a platter or basin, filled with all sprts of fruits, was offered 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. ON ROMAN SATIRE. 421 

up every year to Ceres and Bacchus as the first fruits of the season. This 
was termed Satura or Saliva, the word lanx being: understood. In like 
manner, a law containing several distinct particulars or clauses was de- 
nominated Lex Satura. From these examples, the peculiar meaning of 
the term Satire, in the case of Ennius, will be clearly perceived. 

After Ennius came Pacuvius, who took the former for his model. So 
few fragments, however, remain of his writings, as to render it impossible 
for us to form any definite opinion of his satirical productions. Lucilius 
succeeded, and effected an important change in this species of composi- 
tion, by giving the preference, and in some instances exclusively so, to the 
hexameter verse. From the greater air of regularity which this altera- 
tion produced, as well as from the more didactic form of his pieces, in their 
aiming less at comic effect than those of Ennius, and more at the improve- 
ment of others by the correction of vice, Lucilius, and not Ennius, was re- 
garded by many of the ancients as the father of Satire. After his time, 
the hexameter versification came to be regarded as the proper garb for 
this species of poetry, and the word Satire passed from its pi'imitive sig- 
nification to the meaning given it at the commencement of these remarks, 
and which has been also retained in our own days. 

The finishing hand to Roman Satire was put by Horace. Thus far he 
has been viewed as the great master of Roman lyric poetry, whether 
amatory, convivial, or moral. We have still to consider him as a satiric, 
humorous, or familiar writer, in which character (though he chiefly valued 
himself on his odes) he is more instructive, and perhaps equally pleasing. 
He is also more of an original poet in his Satires than in his lyric compo- 
sitions. Daniel Heinsius, indeed, in bis confused and prolix dissertation, 
" De Satira Horatiana," has pointed out several passages, which he 
thinks have been suggested by the comedies and satiric dramas of the 
Greeks. If, however, we except the dramatic form which he has given 
to so many of his Satires, it will be difficult to find any general resem- 
blance between them and those productions of the Greek stage which are 
at present extant. Satire had remained, in a great measure, uncultivated 
at Rome since the time of Lucilius, who imitated the writers of the Greek 
comedy, in so far as he unsparingly satirized the political leaders of the 
state. But Horace did not live, like the Greek comedians, in an unre- 
strained democracy, nor, like Lucilius, under an aristocracy, in which 
there was a struggle for power, and court was in consequence occasional- 
ly paid to the people. 

Satire, more than any other kind of poetry, is influenced by the spirit 
and manners of the age in which it appears. These are, in fact, the ali- 
ment on which it feeds ; and, accordingly, in tracing the progress which 
had been made in this species of composition, from the time of Lucilius 
till the appearance of that more refined satire which Horace introduced, it 
is important to consider the changes that had taken place during this inter- 
val, both in the manners of the people and the government of the country. 

The accumulation of wealth naturally tends to the corruption of a land. 
But a people who, like the Romans, suddenly acquire it by war, confisca- 
tions, and pillage, degenerate more quickly than the nations among whom 



422 EXPLANATORY NOTES. ON ROMAN SATIRE. 

it is collected by the slower processes of art, commerce, and industry. At 
Rome a corruption of morals, occasioned chiefly by an influx of wealth, 
had commenced in the age of Lucilius ; but virtue had still further declined 
in that of Horace. Lucilius arrayed himself _ou the side of those who af- 
fected the austerity of ancient manners, and who tried to stem the torrent 
of vice, which Greece and the Oriental nations even then began to pour 
into the heart of the republic. By the time of Horace, the bulwark had 
been broken down, and those who reared it swept away. Civil war had 
burst asunder the bonds of society ; property had become insecure ; and 
the effect of this general dissolution remained even after the government 
was steadily administered by a wise and all-powerful despot. Rome had 
become not only the seat of universal government and wealth, but also 
the centre of attraction to the whole family of adventurers, the magnet 
which was perpetually drawing within its circle the collected worthless- 
ness of the world. Expense, and luxury, and love of magnificence had 
succeeded to the austerity and moderation of the ancient republic. The 
example, too, of the chief minister, inclined the Romans to indulge in that 
voluptuous life, which so well accorded with the imperial plans for the 
stability and security of the government. A greater change of manners 
was produced by the loss of liberty than even by the increase of wealth. 
The voice of genuine freedom had been last heard in the last Philippic of 
Cicero. Some of the distinguished Romans, who had known and prized 
the republican forms of government, had fallen in the field of civil conten- 
tion, or been sacrificed during the proscriptions. Of those who survived, 
many were conciliated by benefits and royal favor, while others, in the 
enjoyment of the calm that followed the storms by which the state had 
been lately agitated, acquiesced in the imperial sway as now affording 
the only security for property and life. Courtly compliance, in conse- 
quence, took place of that boldness and independence which characterized 
a Roman citizen in the age of Lucilius. The senators had now political 
superiors to address, and the demeanor which they had employed toward 
the emperor and his advisers became habitual to them in their intercourse 
with their equals. Hence there prevailed a politeness of behavior and 
conversation, which differed both from the roughness of Cato the censor, 
and from the open-hearted urbanity of Scipio of Laelius. Satires, direct- 
ed, like those of Lucilius, and the comic writers of Greece, against politi- 
cal characters in the state, wei-e precluded by the unity and despotism 
of power. If Lucilius arraigned in his verses Mutius and Lupus, he was 
supported by Scipio and Laelius, or some other heads of a faction. But in 
the time of Horace there were no political leaders except those tolerated 
by the emperor, and who would have protected a satirist in the Augustan 
age from the resentment of Maecenas or Agrippa? 

The rise and influence of men like Maecenas, in whom power and wealth 
were united with elegant taste and love of splendor, introduced what in 
modern times has been c&Wed fashion. They, of course, were frequently 
imitated in their villas and entertainments by those who had no preten- 
sions to emulate such superiors, or who vied with them ungracefully. The 
wealthy freedman and provincial magistrate rendered themselves ridicu- 
lous by this species of rivalry, and supplied endless topics of sportive 
satire ; for it would appear that Maecenas, and those within the pale of 
fashion, had not made that progress in true politeness which induces 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. ON ROMAN SATIRE. 423 

either to shun the society of snch pretenders, or to endure it without con- 
tributing to their exposure. Hence the pictures of the self-importance 
and ridiculous dress of Aufidius Luscus, and the entertainment of Nasi- 
dienus, to which Maecenas carried his buffoons along with him to contribute 
to the sport which the absurdities of their host supplied. 

In the time of Augustus, the practice, which in modern times has been 
termed legacy-hunting, became literally a profession and employment. 
Those who followed it did not, like the parasites of old, content them- 
selves with the offals from the board of a patron. Assiduous flattery, paid 
to a wealthy and childless bachelor, was considered at Rome as the sur- 
est and readiest mode of enrichment, after the confiscations of property 
were at an end, and the plundering of provinces was prohibited. The 
desire of amassing wealth continued, though the methods by which it was 
formerly gained were interdicted, and the Romans had not acquired those 
habits which might have procured it more honorable gratification. 

About the same period, philosophy, which had never made much prog- 
ress at Rome, was corrupted and perverted by vain pretenders. The un- 
bending principles of the Stoics in particular had been carried to so ex- 
travagant a length, and were so little in accordance with the feelings of 
the day, or manners of a somewhat voluptuous court, that whatever ridi- 
cule was cast upon them could scarcely fail to be generally acceptable 
and amusing. 

In the age of Augustus the Romans had become a nation oi poets, and 
many who had no real pretensions to the character sought to occupy, in 
rhyming, that time which, in the days of the republic, would have been 
employed in more worthy exertions. The practice, too, of recitations to 
friends, or in public assemblies, was introduced about the same period ; 
and it was sometimes no easy matter to escape from the vanity and im- 
portunity of those who were predetermined to delight their neighbors 
with the splendor and harmony of their verses. In short, foppery and ab- 
surdity of every species prevailed; but the Augustan age was one rather 
of folly than of atrocious crime. Augustus had done much for the restora- 
tion of good order and the due observance of the laws, and, though the 
vices of luxury had increased, the salutary effects of his administration 
checked those more violent offences that so readily burst forth amid the 
storms of an agitated republic. Nor did the court of Augustus present 
that frightful scene of impurity and cruelty which, in the reign of Domi- 
tian, raised the scorn, and called forth the satiric indignation of Juvenal. 
In the time of Horace, Rome was rather a theatre, where inconsistency 
and folly performed the chief parts, and where nothing better remained 
for the wise than to laugh at the comedy which was enacted. 

That Horace was not an indifferent spectator of this degradation of his 
country, appears from his glowing panegyrics on the ancient patriots of 
Rome, his retrospects to a better age, and to the simplicity of the "prisca 
gens mortalium." But no better weapon was left him than the light 
shafts of ridicule. "What could he have gained by pursuing the guilty, 
sword in hand, as it were, like Lucilius, or arrogating to himself among 
courtiers and men of the world the character of an ancient censor? The 



424 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SATIRE I. 

tone which he struck was the only one that suited the period and circum- 
stances : it pervades the whole of his satires, and is assumed, whatever 
may be the folly or defects which he thinks himself called on to expose. 
A wide field, in those days, was left open for satire, as its province was 
not restricted or preoccupied by comedy. At Rome there never had been 
any national drama in which Roman life was exhibited to the public. The 
plays of Terence and his contemporaries represented Greek, not Roman 
manners ; and toward the close of the republic and commencement of the 
empire, the place of the regular comedy was usurped by mimes or pan- 
tomimes. All the materials, then, which in other countries have been 
seized by writers for the stage, were exclusively at the disposal and com- 
mand of the satirist. In the age of Louis XIV., Boileau would scarcely 
have ventured to draw a full-length portrait of a misanthrope or a hypo- 
crite j but Horace encountered no Moliere, on whose department he might 
dread to encroach, and, accordingly, his satires represent almost every 
diversity of folly incident to human nature. Sometimes, too, he bestows 
on his satires, at least to a certain extent, a dramatic form, and thus avails 
himself of the advantages which the drama supplies. By introducing va- 
rious characters discoursing in their own style, and expressing their own 
peculiar sentiments, he obtained a wider range than if every thing had 
seemed to flow from the pen of the author. How could he have displayed 
the follies and foibles of the age so well as in the person of a slave, per- 
fectly acquainted with his master's private life 1 how could he have ex- 
hibited the extravagance of a philosophic sect so justly as from the mouth 
of the pretended philosopher, newly converted to Stoicism? or how could 
he have described the banquet of Nasidienus with such truth as from the 
lips of a guest who had been present at the entertainment ? 

Horace had also at his uncontested disposal all those materials which, 
in modern times, have contributed to the formation of the novel or ro- 
mance. Nothing resembling that attractive species of composition ap- 
peared at Rome before the time of Petronius Arbiter, in the reign of Nero. 
Hence those comic occurrences on the street, at the theatre, or entertain- 
ments ; the humors of taverns ; the adventures of a campaign or journey, 
which have supplied a Le Sage and a Fielding with such varied exhibi- 
tions of human life and manners, were all reserved untouched for the Sa- 
tiric Muse to combine, exaggerate, and diversify. The chief talent of 
Horace's patrons, Augustus and Maecenas, lay in a true discernment of 
the tempers and abilities of mankind; and Horace himself was distin- 
guished by his quick perception of character, and his equal acquaintance 
with books and men. These qualifications and habits, and the advantages 
derived from them, will be found apparent in almost every satire. (Dun- 
lop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. 239, seqq. Sckoll, Hist. Lit. Rom., 
vol. i., p. 143, seqq.) 



Satire I. A desire of amassing enormous wealth was one of the most 
prevalent passions of the time, and, amid the straggles of civil warfare, 
the lowest of mankind had succeeded in accumulating fortunes. It is 
against this inordinate rage that the present satire is directed. In a dia- 
logue, supposed to be held between the poet and a miser, the former 
exposes the folly of those who occupy themselves solely in the acquisition 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE I. 425 

of wealth, and replies to all the arguments which the miser adduces in 
favor of hoarding. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. 247.) 

1-10. 1. Qui Jit, Maecenas, &c. The construction is as follows : Qui 
Jit, Maecenas, ut nemo vivat contentus ilia sorte, quam sortem seu ratio 
dederit, seufors objecerit, (sed) laudet sequentes diversa. "How happens 
it, Maecenas, that no man lives contented with that lot, which either re- 
flection may have given him, or chance have thrown in his way, but rather 
deems their condition enviable, who follow pursuits in life that are dif- 
ferent from his own?" Ratio here denotes that deliberation and reflection 
which direct our choice in selecting a career for life. — 3. Laudet. "We 
must mentally supply quisque from nemo, as a subject for laudet, although 
there is, in reality, no ellipsis of it. (Heindorf, ad loc.) — 4. O fortunati 
mercatores. "Ah! ye happy traders." As regards the peculiar meaning 
of the term mercator, consult note on Ode i., 1, 16. — Gravis annis. " Bow- 
ed down by long years of military service," i. e., after long service and 
little remuneration. — 7. Militia est potior. "A soldier's life is better," 
i. e., than this which I pursue. — Quid euim ? "Why, then, (is it) ?" i. e., 
why, then, does he think it preferable. Quid is governed by ob under- 
stood. Compare the Greek t'l yap. — Concurritur. "The combatants en- 
gage." Taken impersonally. — Hora? momento. "In an hour's space." 
Momento is contracted from movimenlo, "in the motion," i. e., in the space. 
— 9. Juris legumqueperitns. "The lawyer." Literally, "he who is versed 
in the principles of justice and in the laws." — 10. Sub galli cantum, &c. 
P When a client knocks, by cock-crow, at his door." The Roman lawyers 
received their clients early in the morning ; but here the client rouses him 
at the period called Gallicinium, or the first cock-crow, about three o'clock 
in the morning. 

11-22. 11. llle, datis vadibus, &c. " He who, having given bail for his 
appearance, has been forced from the country into the city." The allusion 
is to the defendant in a suit. In the Roman courts of law, as in our own, 
the plaiutiff required that the defendant should give bail for his appear- 
ance in court (vades) on a certain day, which was usually the third day 
after. Hence the plaintiff was said vadari reum, and the defendant vades 
dare, or vadimonium promittere. — 14. Fabium. The individual here named 
appears to have been a loquacious and tiresome personage, but whether 
a philosopher or a lawyer is uncertain. — 15. Quo rem deducam* " To what 
conclusion I will bring the whole affair." — 18. Mutatis partibus. " Your 
conditions in life being changed." Partes is a term borrowed from the 
language of the stage, and denotes a part or character sustained by one. 
— Eia ! quid statis 1 "Come! why do you stand here?" t, e., why do 
you not go and assume the different characters for which you are longing? 
(Compare Hand, ad Turs., ii., p. 364.) — 19. Nolint. "They will be un- 
willing (to accept the offer)." The subjunctive is here employed, because 
the sentence depends on si quis dicat which precedes. — Atqui licet esse 
beatis. " And yet they have it in their power to be happy." A Graecism 
for licet iis esse beatos. — 20. Merito quin illia, &c. " Why justly offended 
Jove may not puff out against them both his cheeks." The poet draws 
rather a ludicrous picture of angry Jove, swelling with indignation. Per- 
haps, however, it is on this very account more in keeping with the coa- 
text. — 22. Facilem. "Ready." 



426 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE I. 

23-37. 23. Prcsterea, ne sic, &c. "But, not to run over a matter of this 
kind in a laughing way, as they who handle sportive themes." — 25. Olirn. 
"Sometimes." — 26. Doctores. "Teachers." The poet institutes a com- 
parison, no less amusing than just, hetween the pedagogue on the one 
hand, and the iEsopean or Socratic instructor on the other. The former 
bribes his little pupils "to learn their letters" by presents of "cake," the 
latter makes instruction palatable to the full-grown children whom they 
address by arraying it in the garb of mirth and pleasantry. — 27. Sed tamen. 
"But still." These particles, as well as the simple sed, igitur, autem, 
&c, are elegantly used to continue a sentence or idea which has been in- 
terrupted by a parenthesis. — 29. Perfidus hie cautor. " This knavish 
lawyer." As regards the term cautor, compare the remark of Valart: 
" Cautor vocabulum juris est : cavere enim, unde cautor, ornnes consulti 
partes significat et implet." The common text has caupo, " a tavern- 
keeper" or "landlord." Cautor is an emendation of Schrader's. — 32. 
Quum sibi sint congesta cibaria. "When a provision for life shall have 
been collected by them." — 33. Parvula magrti formica laboris. "The 
little ant of great industry." The epithets parvula and magni present a 
very pleasing antithesis. — Nam exemplo est. " For it is the example they 
use," i. e., it is the example or instance which they are fond of citing. Sup- 
ply Mis. — 35. Hand ignara ac non incauta futuri. " Not ignorant nor im- 
provident of the future." — 36. Qua. " (Yes), but she." The poet here 
suddenly breaks in and turns their argument against them. The ant uses 
what she has collected, but you do not. Observe that qum, beginning a 
clause, is here equivalent to at ea. (Heindorf, ad loc.) — Simul inversum 
contristat, Sec. "As soon as Aquai-ius saddens the ended year." The year 
is here considered as a circle constantly turning round and renewing its 
course. Hence the epithet inversus ("inverted," i. e., brought to a close) 
which is applied to it when one revolution is fully ended and another is 
just going to commence. The allusion in the text is to the beginning of 
winter. According to Porphyrion, the sun passed into Aquarius on the 
seventeenth day before the calends of February (16th of January), and 
storms of rain and severe cold marked the whole period of its continuance 
in that sign of the zodiac. — 37. Et Mis utitur ante, &c. "And wisely 
uses those stores which it has previously collected." The ant shows more 
wisdom than the miser, in using, not hoarding up, its gathered stores. 

38-47. 38. Neque fervidus a;stus, Sec. The allusion is here to things vio- 
lent in themselves, and which every moment threaten injury or destruction. 
"Neither the scorching heat of summer, nor the winter's cold, fire, ship- 
wreck, or the sword." — 40. Dum. "Provided." — 41. Quid juvat immen- 
sum, &c. " What pleasure does it yield thee timidly to bury in the earth, 
dug up by stealth to receive it, an immense sum of silver and of gold ?" — 
43. Quod, si comminuas, &c. The miser is here supposed to answer in 
defence of his conduct. "Because, if once thou beginnest to take from it, 
it may be reduced to a wretched as." Therefore, argues the miser, it had 
better remain untouched in the earth. — 44. At, ni id Jit, See. The poet 
here replies to the miser's argument. "But, unless this is done (i. e., un- 
less thou breakest in upon thy wealth), what charms does the accumulated 
hoard contain?" — 45. Millia frumenti tua triverit, Sec. "Thy threshing 
floor may have yielded a hundred thousand measures of grain; still thy 
stomach will contain, on that account, no more of it than mine." With 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE I. 427 

centum millia supply modiorum. — 47. Reticulum. " A netted bag." Retic- 
ulum, called by Varro Panarium (L. L., iv., 22), was a species of sack or 
bag, wrought in the form of a net, in which the slaves were wont to car- 
ry bread. The Italians have this custom at the present day. — Venales. 
Equivalent to servos. 

50-56. 50. Viventi. A dative after the impersonal refert, as in the pres- 
ent instance, is unusual, but can not, therefore, be pronounced incorrect, as 
some maintain it to be, who substitute viventis. It must be regarded as 
a dativus commodi. (Consult Ramshorn, Gramm., § 114, p. 336 ; Reisig, 
Sprachl., p. 673.) — Jugcra. Commonly rendered " acres." For the true 
dimensions, however, of the jugerum, consult Diet. Ant., s. v. — 51. At 
suave est, &c. A new argument on the part of the miser. " But it is 
pleasing to take from a large heap." — 52. Dwm ex parvo nobis, &c. "We 
have here the poet's reply, simple and natural, and impossible to be con- 
troverted. "If thou permittest us to take just as much from our small 
heap, why shouldst thou extol thy granaries above our humble corn-bask- 
ets ?" i. e., while our wants can be as easily supplied from our scanty 
stores, what advantage have thy granaries over our small corn-baskets ?" 
By cumera is meant a species of basket or hamper for holding grain. 
Orelli says that the Sicilians at the present day use baskets for holding 
grain, made of reeds and twigs, which they call canicci. "We have given 
granaria here, with Hemdorf, its ordinary meaning; according to Palla 
dius, however (i., 19), they were the cellcs, "bins," in the horreum, m 
which the different kinds of grain were kept. But compare Otto, ad Cic. 
de Fin., ii., 26. — 54. Liquidi non amplius urna vel cyatho. "No more 
than a pitcher or cup of water." Liquidum is here used substantively, 
like the Greek vypov. The urna, strictly speaking, was half an amphora, 
which last contained 5 gallons 7.577 pints. The cyathus contained -0825 
of a pint English. It was, in later times at least, the measure of the 
common drinking-glass among the Romans, who borrowed it from the 
Greeks. — 56. Quam ex hoc fonticulo. " Than from this little fountain 
that flows at my feet." — Eojit, plenior ut si quos, &c. The idea intend- 
ed to be conveyed is this : Hence it happens, that if any, despising the 
humble fountain, prefer to draw from the stream of some large and im- 
petuous river like the Aufidus, being seized by its current they will be 
swept away and perish amid the waters ; i. e., those who, not content 
with humble means, are continually seeking for more extensive posses- 
sions, will eventually suffer for their foolish and insatiable cupidity. As 
regards the Aufidus, consult note on Ode iii., 30, 10. 

61-68. 61. At bona pars hominum, Sec. After having proved by unan- 
swerable arguments that riches, except we use them, have nothing valu- 
able, beautiful, or agreeable, the poet here anticipates an objection which 
a miser might possibly make, that this love of money is only a desire of 
reputation, since we are always esteemed in proportion to our wealth. 
This objection might have some weight, for a love of public esteem has 
virtue in it. But the miser falsely disguises his avarice under the name 
of a more innocent passion, and wilfully mistakes. (Decepla cupidine 
falso.) — 62. Quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis. "Because thou wilt be 
esteemed in proportion to thy wealth." — 63. Quid facias Mil "What 
wilt thou do with such a one as this ?" — 64. Quatenus. "Since." Equiv- 



428 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE I. 

alent to quandoquidem. — 68. Tantalus a labris, &c. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this : Thou who merely gazest on thy money hoarded 
up in thy coffers without putting it to any use, or deriving any benefit 
from it, art like Tantalus, who, tormented with thirst, catches in vain at 
the water that escapes from his lips. This is supposed to be addressed 
by the poet, not to the miser with whom he has been reasoning, but to 
the sordid Athenian whom he has just been picturing to the view. On 
hearing the allusion to Tantalus, the miser bursts into a laugh, and the 
poet turns upon him with the question Quid rides ? The miser laughs at 
the poet's citing what the prevalent skepticism of the day regarded as one 
of a mere tissue of fables. 

69-79. 69. Mutato nomine, &c. "The name changed, the story is told of 
thee." The train of ideas is as follows : Dost thou laugh, and ask what 
Tantalus is to thee ? Change names with Tantalus, and thou wilt occupy 
his place ; for, as he saw the water before his eyes and yet could not taste 
it, so thou gazest upon thy money, but derivest no benefit from the accu- 
mulated hoard. — 70. Congestis undique saccis, &c. "Gaping at them 
with eager admiration, thou makest thy bed upon thy money-bags, brought 
together from on all sides." The miser makes his bed upon his bags, in 
order to guard them the better ; and he keeps gazing eagerly at them, as 
if he would devour them in his delight, until nature overpowers him, and 
he falls asleep upon them. Undique refers to the circumstance of his 
wealth's being accumulated in every way. A stinking picture of the dis- 
turbed and restless slumbers of the miser, who, even in his sleeping mo- 
ments, appears engi'ossed with the thoughts of his darling treasure. — 
71. Et tanquam parcere sacris, &c. "And art obliged to spare them as 
if sacred offerings," &c, i. e., thy avarice will no more let thee use thy 
money than if the coins were the sacred offerings in some temple, which 
it would be impiety to touch, and gives you no more enjoyment of them 
than if they were paintings, which only give pleasure to the sight. 
[Keightley, ad loc ) — 73. Nescis quo valeat nummus ? "Art thou ignorant 
of the time value of money ?" Literally, "Knowest thou not in what di- 
rection money may avail?" — 74. Vini sextarius. "A pint of wine." The 
sextarius was one sixth of the conghis, whence its name. It was about 
an English pint. — Adde queis humana, &c. " Add those other comforts, 
which being withheld from her, human nature will experience pain," i.e., 
those comforts which nature can not want without pain. — 77. Malosfures. 
"Wicked thieves." The poet imitates here the simplicity of the Homeric 
idiom : thus we have in Homer, naiibc T&uvaroc, " evil death ;" natcdc p.6- 
poc, KaiiT] vovaoc, &c. — 78. JVe te compilent fugientes. "Lest they rob 
thee, and abscond." — 79. Semper ego optarim, &c. "For mj part, I wish 
to be ever very poor in such possessions as these," i. e., I never wish to 
come to the possession of such burdensome and care-producing riches. 

80-100. 80. At si condoluit, &c. The miser here rallies, and advances 
a new argument. When sickness comes upon us, our wealth, according 
to him, will secure us good and faithful attendance, and we shall speedily 
be restored to the domestic circle. — Tentatum frigore. "Attacked with 
the chill of fever." — 81. Habes qui assideut. " Thou hast one to sit by thy 
bed-side." — 82. Fomenta paret. "To prepare warm fomentations." — Ut 
te suscitet. " To raise thee from the bed of sickness," or, more freely, " to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE I. 429 

restore thee to health." — 84. Non uxor salvum te vult, &c. The indignant 
reply of the poet. — 85. Pveri atque picellcs. " The very children in the 
streets." — 86. Post omnia ponas. A tmesis for postponas omnia. — 88. An 
sic cognatos, &c. " Or dost thou purpose, by such a course of conduct as 
this, to retain those relations whom nature of her own accord gives thee, 
and to keep them thy friends V' i. e., dost thou fancy to thyself that thy 
relations will continue to love thee, when all thy affections are centred in 
thy gold? — 90. Infelix. The vocative.— -94. Parto quod avebas. "What 
thou didst desire being now obtained." Understand eo. — 95. Qui 1 , taiti, 
Sec. "Who, (the story is not long), so rich that he : measured his-'mdriey." 
We have given qui, tain, with Bentley. The common text has'quidam. 
— 97. Ad usque supremvm tempus. "To the very last moment of his 
life." — 100. Fortissima Tyndaridarum. "Bravest of the children of Tyn- 
darus," i. e., a second Clytemnestra. The poet likens the freed-woman to 
Clytemnestra, who slew her husband Agamemnon, and, in so doing, proved 
herself, as he ironically expresses it, the bravest of the Tyndaridce. This 
term, Tyndarida, though of the masculine gender, includes the children 
of Tyndarus of both sexes. 

101-106. 101. Quid mi igitur suades, &c. " What, then, dost thou ad- 
vise me to do? To live like Maenius, or in the way that Nomentanus 
does ?" Mocnius and Nomentanus appear to have been two dissipated 
prodigals of the day, and the miser, in whose eyes any, even the most 
trifling expenditure, seems chargeable with extravagance, imagines, with 
characteristic spirit, that the poet wishes him to turn spendthrift at once. 
The scholiast says that Nomentanus spent 700,000 sesterces on bis table 
and pleasures. — 102. Pergis pngnantia secum, &c. We have here the 
poet's reply, "Art thou going to unite things that are plainly repugnant?" 
Literally, " things that contend together with opposing fronts." A meta- 
phor taken from the combats of animals, particularly of rams. — 103. Non- 
ego, avarum, &c. "When I bid thee cease to be a miser, I do not order 
thee to become a spendthrift and a prodigal." Vappa properly denotes 
palled or insipid wine : it is thence figuratively applied to one whose ex- 
travagance and debaucheries have rendered him good for nothing. The 
origin of the term nebulo is disputed. — 105. Est inter Tanain quiddam, 
&c. " There is some difference, certainly, between Tanais and the father- 
in-law of Visellus." The poet offers thefexample of two men, as much 
unlike as the miser is to the prodigal. Compare the remark of Doring : 
" Tanais, Mascenalis libertus, spado, at socer quidem Viselli herniosus 
fuisse dicitur. Mvltum intense differebant igitur isti duo homines." — 
106. Est modus in rebus, &c. " There is a mean in all things ; there are, 
in fine, certain fixed limits, on either side of which what is right can not 
be found." Rectum is here equivalent to the to bpdov of the Greeks 
(" Quod ad certam normam recti Jit"). 

108-120. 108. llluc unde abii redeo. The poet now returns to the prop- 
osition with which he originally set out, that all men are dissatisfied with 
their respective lots. — Nemon' ut avarus, &c. " Will no man, like the 
miser, think himself happy, and will he rather deem their condition envi- 
able who follow pursuits in life that are different from his own ?" — 112. 
Tabescat ? " Will he pine with envy ?" — 113. Neqne se majori pauperis 
orum, &c. " And will he not compare himself with the greater number 



430 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE II. 

of those who are less supplied than himself with the comforts of life?"— 

114. Carceribus. "From the barriers." Consult note on Ode i., 1, 4. — 

115. Suos vincentibus. " That outstrip his own." Understand equos. — 
120. Ne me Crispini, &c. " Lest thou mayest think that I have been rob- 
bing the portfolio of the blear-eyed Crispinus. ' The individual here allud- 
ed to would seem to have been a ridiculous philosopher and poet of the 
day, and notorious for his garrulity. (Compare Sat., i, 3, 139.) Accord- 
ing to the scholiast, he wrote some verses on the Stoic philosophy, and, 
on account of his loquacity, received the appellation of aperdTioyog. Why 
Horace should here style him "blear-eyed," when he labored under this 
defect himself (Sat., i., 5, 30 and 49), has given rise to considerable dis- 
cussion among the commentators. The explanation of Doring is the most 
reasonable. This critic supposes that Horace, having been called by 
Crispinus, and other of his adversaries, " the blear-eyed poet," through 
contempt, now hurls back this epithet (lippus) upon the offenders, with 
the intent, however, that it should refer rather to the obscurity which 
shrouded their mental vision. 



Satire II. " In the previous satire," remarks Watson, " Horace had 
observed that there was a measure in things ; that there were fixed and 
stated bounds, out of which it would be in vain to look for what was 
right. Yet so it is with the greater part of mankind, that, instead of 
searching for virtue where reason directs, they always run from one ex- 
treme to another, and despise that middle way where alone they can have 
any chance to find her. The design of the poet in the present satire is to 
expose the folly of this course of conduct, and to show men that they 
thereby plunge themselves into a wider and more unfathomable sea of 
misery, increase their wants, and ruin both their reputation and their for- 
tune ; whereas) would men be but prevailed upon to live within the 
bounds prescribed by nature, they might avoid all these calamities, and 
have wherewith to supply their real wants. He takes occasion from the 
death of Tigellius> a well-known singer, to begin with observing the va- 
rious judgments men pass upon actions and character, according to their 
different humors. Some commend a man as liberal and generous, whom 
others censure as profuse and extravagant. From this difference of judg- 
ment proceeds a difference of b«havior, in which men seldom observe any 
degree of moderation) but always run from one extreme to another. One, 
disdaining to be thought a miser, profusely squanders away his estate ; 
another, fearing to be accounted negligenUin his affairs, practices all the 
unjustifiable methods of extortion, and seeks in every way to better his 
fortune. Thus it happens that the middle course is neglected ; for 

" * Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt.' 
The poet then proceeds to show that the same observation holds good in 
all the other pursuits of life, as well as in those several passions by which 
men are commonly influenced. Fancy and inclination usually determine 
them, when little or no regard is paid to the voice of reason. Hence he 
takes occasion to attack two of the reigning vices of his time." 

1-11. 1. Ambubaiarum collegia, &c. " The colleges of music-girls, the 
quacks, the sharping vagabonds, the female mime-players, the trencher- 
cousins of the day," &c. The Ambubaim were female flute-players and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE II. 431 

dancers, from Syria. The morals of this class of females may he ascer- 
tained from Juvenal, iii., 62. They were accustomed to wander about the 
Forum and the streets of the capital, and the poet very pleasantly applies 
here to their strolling bands the dignified appellation of collegia, a term 
reserved at Rome for legal associations, such as that of the augurs. — 
Pharmacopolce. Not " apothecaries," as some translate the term, but 
rather wandering quacks, armed with panaceas and nostrums. — 2. Men- 
did. The allusion here is not to actual mendicants, but to the priests of 
Isis and Cybele, and other persons of this stamp, who, while in appear- 
ance and conduct but little removed from mendicity, practiced every mode 
of cheating and imposing upon the lower orders. — Mimce. These were 
female players of the most debauched and dissolute kind. — Balatroncs. 
The various explanations given of this term render it difficult to determ- 
ine what the true meaning is. Our translation accords with the remark 
of Doring, who makes the word denote the whole class of low and dirty 
parasites. Festus says that the proper meaning of this word was the 
clots of mud that adhered to people's clothes or shoes after a journey. It 
then was applied to the scurrce, perhaps, as Orelli says, because they 
stuck to the rich man like dirt to the shoes. {Keightley, ad loc.) — 3. Ti- 
gelli. The reference is to M. Hermogenes Tigellius, a native of Sardinia, 
and a well-known singer and musician of the day, who had stood high in 
favor with Julius Caesar, and after him with Augustus. He seems to have 
been indebted for his elevation to a fine voice, and a courtly and insinua- 
ting address. His moral character may be inferred from those who are 
said here to deplore his death, and on whom he would appear to have 
squandered much of his wealth. — 4. Quippe benignus erat. " For he was 
a kind patron." — Contra hie. The reference is now to some other indi- 
vidual of directly opposite character. — 7. Hunc si perconteris, &c. " If 
thou ask a third, why, lost to every better feeling, he squanders the noble 
inheritance of his ancestors in ungrateful gluttony." — 8. Stringat. The 
allusion is properly a figurative one to the stripping off the leaves from a 
branch. — 9. Omnia conductis coemens, &c. "Buying up with borrowed 
money every rare and dainty viand." The lender is said locare pecuni- 
am, the borrower, conducere pecuniam. — 10. Animi parvi. " Of a mean 
spirit." — 11. Laudatur ab his, &c. " For this line of conduct, he is com- 
mended by some, he is censured by others." 

12-20. 12. Fufidius. A noted usurer. — Vappce famam timet ac ne- 
bulonis. Consult note on Satire i., 1, 104. — 13. Positis in fenore. "Laid 
out at interest." Pecuniam in fenore ponere is used for pecuniam fenort 
dare. — 14. Quinas hie capiti, &c. "He deducts from the principal five 
common interests." Among the Romans, as among the Greeks, money 
was lent from month to month, and the interest for the month preceding 
was paid on the calends of the next. The usual rate was one as month- 
ly for the use of a hundred, or twelve per cent, per annum ; which was 
called usura cenlesima, because in a hundred months the interest equalled 
the principal. In the present case, however, Fufidius charges five per 
cent, monthly, or sixty per cent, per annum ; and, not content even with 
this exorbitant usury, actually deducts the interest before the money is 
lent. For instance, he lends a hundred pounds, and at the end of the 
month the borrower is to pay him a hundred and five, principal and in- 
terest. But he gives only ninety -five pounds, deducting his interest when 



432 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 

he lends the money, and thus in twenty months he doubles his principal. 
— 15. Q,n anto perditior,'Scc. "The more of a spendthrift he perceives 
one to be, the more he rises in his demands." — 16. Nomina sectatur, modo 
sumta veste virili, &c. " He is at great pains in getting young heirs into 
his debt, who have just taken the manly gown, and who live under the 
control of close and frugal fathers," i. e., he is anxious to get their names 
on his books. Among the Romans, it was a customary formality, in bor- 
rowing money, to write down the sum and subscribe the person's name in 
the banker's books. Hence nomen is put for a debt, for the cause of a debt, 
for an article of account, &c. — Modo sumta veste virili. The toga virilis, 
or manly gown, was assumed at the completion of the seventeenth year. 
— 18. At in se pro qucestic, &c ■" But, thou wilt say, his expenses are in 
proportion to his gains." — 19. Quam sibi non sit amicus. " How little he 
is his own friend," i. e., how he pinches himself. — 20. Terenti fabula quern 
miserum, &c. "Whom the play of Terence represents to have led a 
wretched life, after he had driven his son from his roof." The allusion is to 
Menedemus, in the play of " The Self-tormentor" {Heautontimorumenos), 
who blames himself for having, by his unkind treatment, induced his only 
son to forsake him and go abroad into the army, and resolves, by way of 
self-punishment, to lead a miserable and penurious life. 



Satire III. This Satire is directed against the inclination which many 
persons feel to put a bad construction on the actions of others, and to ex- 
aggerate the faults which they may perceive in their character or dispo- 
sition. This failing, which perhaps had not been veiy prevalent in re- 
publican Rome, when the citizens lived openly in each other's view, had 
increased under a monarchical government, in which secrecy produced 
mistrust and suspicion. The satirist concludes with refuting the absurd 
principle of the portico, that all faults and vices have the same degree 
of enormity, {Dunlop's Roman Literature., vol. iii., p. 248.) 

3-10. 3. Sardus habebat, &c. "That Tigellius of Sardinia had this 
failing." Hie is here strongly emphatic, and indicative, at the same time, 
of contempt, and is the same as saying, "that Tigel.lius of Sardinia whom 
every body knows." As regards Tigellius, consult note on Satire i., 2, 3. 
— 4. Ccesar. Alluding to Augustus. — 5. Patris. Alluding to Julius Caesar, 
whose adopted son Augustus was. — 6. Si collibuisset. " If he himself felt 
in the humor." — Ab ovo usque ad mala, &c. "He would sing To Bacche! 
over again and again, from the beginning to the end of the entertainment." 
These words Io Bacche ! formed the commencement of the drinking catch 
which Tigellius incessantly repeated, and hence, in accordance with a 
custom prevalent also in our own times, they serve to indicate the song 
or catch itself. The final vowel in Bacche is made long by being in the 
arsis. As regards the expression ab ovo usque ad mala, it may be ob- 
served, that the Romans began their entertainments with eggs and end- 
ed with fruits. — 7. Modo summa voce, &c. "At one time in the highest 
key, at another time in that which corresponds with the base of the te- 
trachord." Literally, " which sounds gravest among the four strings of 
the tetrachord." The order of construction is as follows : " modo summa 
voce, modo hac voce qnas. resonat (i. e., est) in quatuor chordis ima." Ges- 
ner's interpretation, which is usually followed, appears extremely harsh. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 433 

It is this : " Tigcllius viodo utebatur ea voce, qua: summa chorda Tetra- 
chordi, Ty vtcutti, resonal, la. e., gravissima ; modoea quas ima chorda, rn 
V7]T7j, eademque acutissima, resonat. Non jungendum summa voce sed 
summa chorda." The explanation which we have adopted appears far 
more natural. — 9. Nil (squale homini fuit Mi. " There was nothing uni- 
form in that man." — Scepe velut qui currebat, &c. The construction is 
scepe currebat velut qui hostemfugiens (scil. curreret). — 10. Persazpe velut 
qui Junonis, &c. We must not understand currebat here with pers&pe, 
but lento gradu incedebat, or something equivalent, as is plainly required 
by the context. From this passage, and from a remark of the scholiast, 
it would appear that on the festivals of Juno processions were customary, 
in which Canephori, or maidens bearing baskets containing sacred and 
mysterious offerings, had a part to bear. Their gait was always dignified 
and slow. Tigellius is compared here to one of these, and qui is employ- 
ed, not quae, because the poet is speaking of a man. 

12-21. 12. Tetrarchas. " Tetrarchs." Tetrarcha originally denoted 
one who ruled over the fourth part of a country or kingdom (from rerpdc 
and apxh)- Afterward, however, the term merely came to signify a minor 
or inferior potentate, without any reference to the extent of territory gov- 
erned. — 13. Loquens. "Talking of." This term here carries with it the 
idea of a boastful and pompous demeanor. — Mensa tripes. The tables of 
the poorer class among the Romans commonly had but three feet. Such 
tables were called Deiphicoe, because resembling the sacred tripod at 
Delphi. — 14. Concha- salis pnri. "A shell of clean salt." A shell form- 
ed in general the salt-cellar of the poor. A silver salinum, on the con- 
trary, was employed by the more wealthy. Compare Ode ii., 16, 13. — 
15. Decies centena, dedisses. " Hadst thou given a million of sesterces to 
this frugal being, this man who could live happily on so little, in five days 
there was nothing in his coffers." The use of the indicative erat, in place 
of the subjunctive, serves to give more liveliness to the representation. 
As regards the expression Decies centena* it must be recollected that there 
is an ellipsis of millia sestertium. (Zumpt, § 873.) The sum here meant 
would amount to more than $38,000. — Loculis. The loculi were little box- 
es of wood or ivory, in which the Romans carried their money, trinkets, 
&c. — 17. Nodes vigilabat, ad ipsvm mane, &c. " He would sit up all night 
until the very morning, he would snore away the entire day. Never was 
there any thing so inconsistent with itself." Nil is much stronger here 
than nemo would have been. — 20. Imo alia, et fort.asse minora. "Yes, I 
have faults of another kind, and perhaps less disagreeable," i. e., and I 
hope less disagreeable. Fortasse is here the language of Roman urbani- 
ty. Some editors read hand in place of et, others at, but they are refuted 
by Orelli and Hand. The last-mentioned critic remarks, " Immo alia sig- 
nijxcat, immo habeovitia, sed alia." — 21. Matnius. Horace, after acknowl- 
edging that he was not without faults, here resumes the discourse. I am 
far, says the j^oet, from being like Maenius, who defames his friend, and at 
the same time winks at much greater failings in himself. On the con- 
trary, I consider him every way deserving of the severest censure. The 
individual here alluded to is, in all probability, the same with the Mamius 
mentioned in the first Satire. There he appears as a worthless and prof- 
ligate man, here as a slanderer. 

T 



434 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 

22-27. 22. Ignores te? an tit ignotum, &.c. "Art tliou unacquainted 
with thyself? or dost thou think that thou art going to impose upon us, as 
one who is a stranger to his own failings 1" With ignotum understand 
sibi. The phrase dare verba means "to impose upon," "to deceive," i. e., 
by giving words for things. — 24. Stultus et improbus hie amor est. " This 
is a foolish and unjust self-love." "With amor supply sui. — 25. Quum tua 
peri-ideas oculis, &c. " When thou lookest on thine own faults as it were 
with anointed eyes, obscure of vision to thine own harm." The man who 
winks at his own defects is not unaptly compared to one who labors un- 
der some distemper of vision [lippitudo), and whose eyes, smeared with 
ointment (collyriian), are almost closed on external objects. Pervideas, 
in the test, is used for the simple verb, as in Greek naridelv for ISelv. 
As regards the construction of male with lippus, it must be observed, that 
.the meaning of this adverb, in passages, when thus construed, varies ac- 
cording to the nature of the context : thus, male laxus is for nimis laxus, 
-male scdulus for importune sedulus, male raucus for moleste raucus, &c. 
— 26. Acutum. Put for acute. The common text has mala in the sense 
of vikia. Our reading is that of Bentley. — 27. Epidaurius. Either an 
ornamental epithet, or else alluding to the crrcurnstance of the serpent 
being sacred to iEsculapius, who had a celebrated temple at Epidaurus, 
in Argolis. The ancients always ascribed a very piercing sight to ser- 
pents, particularly to their fabled dragon. Hence, pi'obably, the etymolo- 
gy of draco, from depKOficu, dpanelv. 

29-35. 29. Iracundior est paulo. "A friend of thine is a little too 
quick-tempered." The poet here begins to insist on the duty we owe our 
friends, of pardoning their little failings, especially if they be possessed of 
talents and moral worth. Some commentators suppose him to be here 
describing Virgil ; but Bentley, Orelli, and Wiistemann think that the 
poet means himself. — Minus aptus acutis naribus, &c. " He is too home- 
ly a person for the nice perceptions of gentility which these individuals 
possess." As regards the phrase acutis naribus, it may be remarked 
that it stands in direct opposition to obesis naribus. The former, taken in 
a more literal sense than in the present passage, denotes a natural quick- 
ness and sharpness of the senses, the latter the reverse. — 30. Rideri pos- 
sit, eo quod, &c. "He is liable to be laughed at, because his hair is out 
in too clownish a manner, his toga drags on the ground, and his loose shoe 
hardly keeps on his foot." The Romans were very particular about the 
sit of the toga. Compare Becker's G alius, p. 336. — 31. Rusticius tonso. 
More literally, " to him shorn in too clownish a manner." Understand 
Uli. — Male. This adverb qualifies koeret, and not laxus, as Orelli and 
others think. — 32. At est bonus, See. "But he is a worthy man; so much 
so, indeed, that a worthier one does not live." The idea intended to be con- 
veyed by the whole passage is as follows : But what of all this ? He is a 
man of worth, he is thy friend, he has distinguished talents, and, therefore, 
thou shouldst bear with his failings. — 33. Ingenium ingens inculto, &c. 
" Talents of a high order lie concealed beneath this unpolished exterior." 
— 34. Denique te ipsum concute. "In fine, examine thine own breast 
carefully," i. e., be not a censor toward others, until thou hast been one to 
thyself. Concute means, literally, "shake," and is a metaphor taken 
from the shaking out of a bag, &c, in order to ascertain if any thing be 
lurkinj therein. — 36. Namque neglectis urenda, &c. " For fern, fit only 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 435 

to be burned, is produced in neglected fields." The idea intended to be 
conveyed is this : A~s neglected fields must be cleared by fire of the fern 
which has ovemin them, so must those vices be eradicated which either 
nature or evil habits have produced in breasts where moral culture has 
been neglected. 

38-40. 38. Tlluc preeverlamvr, amatorem, <5cc. The transition here is 
short, and, consequently, somewhat obscure. Preevertere signifies, proper- 
ly, to get before another by taking a shorter path ; and hence, when the 
context, as in the present instance, refers to the manner in which a sub- 
ject is to be considered, this verb will denote an abandoning of more for- 
mal and tedious arguments in order to arrive at our conclusion by a nearer 
aud simpler way. The passage under consideration, therefore, ma}- be 
rendered as follows : "But, omitting more formal arguments, let us mere- 
ly turn our attention to the well-known circumstance that the disagree- 
able blemishes of a beloved object escape her blinded admirer." Prec- 
vertamur is used here in a middle sense. To desire mankind, as Sana- 
don well remarks, to examine their own hearts, and inquire whether their 
vices proceed from nature or custom, constitution or education, is to en- 
gage them in a iong aud thorny road. It is an easier and shorter 'way to 
mark the conduct of others, to turn their mistakes to our own advantage, 
aud endeavor to do by virtue what they do by a vicious excess. — 40. Pol- 
ypus. The first syllable is lengthened by the etrsis. By the polypus is 
here meant a swelling in the hollow of the nostrils, which either grows 
downward, and dilates the nostrils so as to deform the visage, or else, 
taking an opposite direction, extends into the fauces, and produces danger 
of strangulation. In both cases a very offensive smell is emitted. It re- 
ceives its name from resembling, by its many roots or fibres, the sea ani- 
mal termed polypus, so remarkable for its numerous feet, or rather feelers 
{-o'/.vq and ttovc). 

41-48. 41. Vellem in amicitia, &c. "I could wish that we might err 
in a similar way where our friends are concerned, and that virtue would 
give to this kind of weakness some honorable name," i. e., would that, as 
the lover is blind to the imperfections of his fair one, so we might close 
our eyes on the petty failings of a friend, and that they who teach the pre- 
cepts of virtue would call this weakness on our part by some engaging 
name, so as to tempt more to indulge in it. — 43. At. " But at least," i. e., 
if we would not go as far as that, namely, turning defects into perfections, 
we ought at, least to imitate those parents who give gentle names to the 
imperfections of their children. (Keightley, ad loc.) The construction of 
the passage is as follows : " At, ut pater non fastidit, si quod sit vitium 
gnati, sic nos dcbemus non fasti dire, si quod sit vitium amict." — 44. Stra- 
bonem appellat Patvm pater. " His squint-eyed boy a father calls Pectus" 
i. e., pink-eyed. Pectus is one who has pinking eyes, or, as we would 
say, " a gentle cast" in the eye ; far different from the positive squint im- 
plied in strabo. (Osborne, ad loc.) This was accounted a beauty, and 
Venus's eyes were commonly painted so. Hence Venus Peeta. Com- 
pare Ovid, A. A., ii., 659. — 45. Et pullum, male parvus, Sec. "And if 
any parent has a son of vei-y diminutive size, as the abortive Sisyphus for- 
merly was, he styles him Puttus" i. e., his chicken. The personage here 
alluded to under the name of Sisyphus was a dwarf of Marc Antony's. 



436 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 

He was of very small stature, under two feet, but extremely shrewd and 
acute, whence he obtained the appellation of Sisyphus, in allusion to that 
dexterous and cunning chieftain of fabulous times. — 47. Varum. "A Va- 
rus." — 48. Scaurum. " One of the Scauri." It will be observed that all 
the names here given by the poet, Pcetus, Pullus, Varus, and Scaurus, 
were surnames of Roman families more or less celebrated, derived, prob- 
ably, from some ancestor in whom corresponding defects existed. This 
imparts a peculiar spirit to the original, especially in the case of the two 
latter, where the parent seeks to cover the deformities of his offspring 
with names of dignity. Vants, as an epithet, denotes one who has the 
legs bent inward, or, as the scholiast expresses it, " cujus pedes introrsum 
retortaxsunt." This, when not very great, is hardly regarded as a defect, 
being considered a sign of strength; but the fond father thus calls his son 
whose legs were actually distorted. — Balbutit. "He calls in child-like 
accents," i. e., he imitates the child's half-stammering mode of speaking; 
he fondly calls. — Scaurum. By scaurus is meant one who has the ankles 
branching out, or is club-footed. — Pravis fultum male talis. " Badly sup- 
ported on distorted ankles." By pravis fultus talis is here meant one 
whose ankles branch out so far that he walks, as it were, on them. 

49-66. 49. Parcius hie vivit ? frugi dicatur. The poet here exempli- 
fies this rule as he would wish it to operate in the case of friends. "Does 
this friend of thine live rather too sparingly? let him be styled by thee a 
man of frugal habits." — Ineptus etjactantior hie paulo est ? " Is this one 
accustomed to forget what time, and place, and circumstance demand, 
and is he a little too much given to boasting ?" As regards the term in- 
eptus, our language appears to be in the same predicament, in which, ac- 
cording to Cicero, the Greek tongue was, having no single word by which 
to express its meaning. (De Orat., ii., 4.) Some translate it by the term 
"a bore." — 50. Concinnus amicis postulat, &c. "He requires that he 
appear to his friends an agreeable companion," i. e., he requires this by 
the operation of the rule which the poet wishes to see established in mat- 
ters of friendship. — 51. At est truculeutior, &c. "But is he somewhat 
rough, and more free in what he says than is consistent with propriety ? 
let him be regarded as one who speaks just what he thinks, and who is a 
stranger to all fear." — 53. Caldior est ? acres inter numeretur. " Is he 
too passionate ? let him be reckoned among men of spirit." — 55. At nos 
virtutes ipsas invertimus, &c. " We, however, misrepresent virtues them- 
selves, and are desirous of smearing over the cleanly vessel," i. e., but we 
do the very reverse of all this : we invert the virtues and turn them into 
faults by our nomenclature. We, as I may say, are not content to let the 
vessel remain clean in its present state ; we would fain daub and disfigure 
it with dirt. {Keightley, ad loc.) — 57. Mvltum est demissus homo? "Is 
he a man of very modest and retiring character?" — Illi tardo cognomen, 
&c. "We call him heavy and dull." There is a great difference of opin- 
ion with regard to this whole passage. We have followed the most nat- 
ural mode of explaining it. — 59. Nullique malo latus obdit apertum. 
" And exposes an unguarded side to no ill-designing person," i. e., lays 
himself open to the arts of no bad man. An image borrowed from the 
gladiatorial shows. — 61. Crimina. In the sense of criminationes. — Pro 
bene sano ac non incauto, &c. " Instead of a discreet and guarded, we 
style him a disguised and subtle man." — 63. Simplicior quis, et est, &c. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 437 

"Is any one of a mora simple and thoughtless character than ordinary, 
and is he sach a person," &c. By the term simplicior is here meant an 
individual of plain and simple manners, who thoughtlessly disregards all 
those little matters to which others so assiduously attend who wish to 
gain the favor of the rich and powerful. Horace names himself among 
these, probably to remove a reproach thrown upon him by his enemies of 
being a refined courtier. — 63. Libenter. " Whenever the humor has seiz- 
ed me," i. e., freely, without reflection. — 64. Ut forte legentem aut taci- 
turn, &c. " So as, perhaps, unseasonably intrusive, to interrupt another, 
when reading or musing, with any trifling conversation." — 66. Communi 
sen^u plane caret. " The creature evidently wants common sense." The 
communis sensus, to which reference is here made, is a knowledge of 
what time, place, and circumstance demand from us in our intercourse 
with others, and especially with the rich and powerful. 

67-82. 67. Quam temere in nosmet, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is as follows : How foolish is this conduct of ours in severely mark- 
ing the trifling faults of our friends. We have all our faults, and should 
therefore be mutually indulgent. — 69. Amicus dnlcis, ut cequum est, &c. 
"Let a kind friend, when he weighs my imperfections against my good 
qualities, incline, what is no more than just, to the latter as the more nu- 
merous of the two, if virtues do but preponderate in me." The metaphor 
is taken from weighing in a balance, and the scale is to be turned in favor 
of a friend. The expression men bona compenset vitiis is a species of hy- 
pallage for vitia mea compenset bonis. Many editors less correctly read 
cum. as a preposition instead o{qunm, and connect it with vitiis. — 72. Hac 
lege. "On this condition." — In trntina ponetnr eadem. "He shall be 
placed in the same balance," i. e., his failings shall be estimated in return 
by me with equal kindness. — 76. Deniqne, quatcnics excidi, &c. " Final- 
ly, since the vice of anger can not be wholly eradicated." The idea is 
this : Since no man is faultless, the only remedy is to apportion accurate- 
ly the degree of blame or punishment to be assigned to each transgres- 
sion. The second part of the satire begins here. — 77. Stultis. The Sto- 
ics called all persons who did not practice their peculiar rules of wisdom 
fools and mad. — 78. Ponderibus moduluque suis. "Her weights and 
measures." — Ratio, "reason," was regarded by the Stoics as the great 
guide aud director of life. — Res ut quazque est. " According to the nature 
of each particular case," i. e., as each particular case requires. — 80. Tol- 
lere. "To take away," i. e., from table. — 81. Semesos pisces, &c. "May 
have licked up the half-eaten fishes and the half-cold sauce." — 82. Labe- 
one. Who this Labeo was is altogether uncertain. The scholiast says 
that it was M. Antistius Labeo, the celebrated lawyer, who, being a stur- 
dy republican, spoke and acted with great freedom against Augustus; 
and Horace, according to the same authority, pays his court here to Au- 
gustus by describing him as insane. If, however. Labeo the jurisconsult 
be actually meant here, he must have been a very young man at the 
time, and not as yet eminent for legal knowledge, so that the madness 
charged against him by the poet may be referred to cruelty displayed by 
him in the punishment of slaves. (Consult Orelli, ad loc.) 

83-89. 83. Qua'nto fv riosius, &c. " How much more insane, and how 
much greater than thi3 is the crime of which thou art guilty." Hoc is 



438 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 

here the ablative, not the nominative, and refers to the cruel conduct of 
the master toward his slave. The crime alluded to in pcccatum is stated 
immediately after, " Paulum deliquit amicus,'" &c. — 85. Concedas. " O ver- 
lookest." — Insuavis. "Unkind." — 86. Rusonem. Rusowas a well-known 
usurer, and at the same time prided himself on his literary talents. When 
his debtors were unable to pay the principal or the interest that was due, 
their only way to mitigate his anger was to listen patiently to him while 
he read over to them his wretched historical productions. He was thus, 
as Francis well observes, a double torment : he ruined the poor people, 
who borrowed money, by his extortion, and he read them to death with 
his works. — 87. Tristes Kalendce. The calends are here called tristes, or 
gloomy, in allusion to the poor debtor who finds himself unable to pay 
what he owes. Money was lent among the Romans from month to month, 
and the debtor would of course be called upon for payment of the princi- 
pal or interest on the calends of the ensuing month. Another part of the 
month for laying out money at interest or calling it in was the ides. Con- 
sult note on Epode ii., 67. — 88. Mercedem aut nummos. " The interest or 
principal." — Unde unde extricat. "Makes out in some way or other." 
Extrico is to disengage from trices, or little impediments, such as hairs, 
threads, &c, which g7$ about things. — Amaras. Equivalent to incpte 
scriptas. — 89. Porrecto jugulo. Ruso reads his unfortunate hearer to 
death with his silly trash, and the poor man, stretching out his neck to 
listen, is compared to one who is about to receive the blow of the execu- 
tioner. — Audit. " Is compelled to listen to." 

91-95. 91. Evandri manibus tritum. As regards the Evander here 
mentioned, the scholiast informs us that he was a distinguished artist, 
carried from Athens to Alexandrea by Marc Antony, and thence subse- 
quently to Rome by Augustus, and that he executed in this latter city 
some admirable works. Some commentators, however, understand by 
the expression Evandri manibus tritum a satirical allusion to the great 
antiquity of the article in question, as if it had been " worn smooth," as it 
were, by the very hands of Evander, the old monarch of early Roman 
story. This latter appears to be the more correct opinion. If, however, 
the other explanation be preferred, tritum must then be translated "fash- 
ioned in relief." — 95. Commissa fide. "Secrets confided to his honor." 
Fide is here the old form of the dative. Compare Ode hi., 7, 4. — Spion- 
sumve negarit. " Or has refused to fulfill a promise," i. <?., has broken his 
word. 

96-110. 96. Queis paria esse fere placuit, &c. Render fere here "in 
general." The poet here begins an attack on the Stoic sect, who main- 
tained the strange doctrine that all offences were equal in enormity. Ac- 
cording to them, every virtue being a conformity to nature, and every vice 
a deviation from it, all virtues and vices were equal. One act of benefi- 
cence or justice is not more truly so than another: one fraud is not more 
a fraud than another ; therefore there is no other difference in the essen- 
tial nature of moral actions than that some are vicious and others virtuous. 
— 97. Q/non veiUum ad vcrnm est. " When they come to the plain reali- 
ties of life." — Sensus moresquc. " The general sense of mankind and the 
established customs of all nations." — 99. Quum prorepserunt, &c. Horace 
here follows the opinion of Epicurus respecting the primitive state of man. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 439 

According- to this philosopher, the first race of men rose out of the earth, 
in which they were formed by a mixture of heat and moisture. Hence 
the peculiar propriety of prorepserunt in the text. — Primis terris. '* On 
the new earth." — 100. Mutum. By this epithet is meant the absence of 
articulate language, and the possession merely of certain natural cries 
like other animals. According to Epicurus and his followers, articulate 
language was an improvement upon the natural language of man, produced 
by its general use, and by that general experience which gives improve- 
ment to every thing. — 101. Pugnis. From pugnus. — 102. Usus. "Ex- 
perience." — 103. Quibus voces sensitsque notarent. "By which to mark 
articulate sounds, and to express their feelings." A word is an articulate 
or vocal sound, or a combination of articulate and vocal sounds, uttered by 
the human voice, and by custom expressing an idea or ideas. — 104. Nom~ 
ina. "Names for things." — 105. Ponere. "To enact." — 110. Viribus 
editior. "The stronger." 

111-123. 111. Jura inventa metu, &c. This was against the principle 
of the Stoics, who maintained to SUacov Qvaet elvai nal firj S-easi. His- 
tory proves, says Horace, that utility was the origin of law, and, there- 
fore, this should be the rule followed in the inflicting of penalties. {Kcight- 
ley, ad loc.) — 112. Tempora fastosquc mundi. "The by-gone ages and 
the annals of the world." By fastos mundi are meant the earliest ac- 
counts that have reached us respecting the pi'imitive condition of man.^ 

113. Nee natura potest, &c. A denial, as just stated, of the Stoic maxim, 
that justice and injustice have their first principles in nature itself. — 

114. Dividit. "Discerns." — 115. Nee vincet ratio hoc, &c. "Nor will the 
most subtle reasoning ever prove that he sius equally and the same," &c. 
Vincet is for evincet. By ratio are here meant the refined and subtle dis- 
quisitions of the Stoics on the subject of morals. — 116. Qui teneros caules, 
&c. " Who has broken off (and earned away) the tender cabbages of an- 
other's garden." Literally, "the tender cabbage-stalks," for cavles lias, 
in fact, brassicce understood, and is here put by synecdoche for the cabbage 
itself. — 117. Nocturnus. "In the night-season." — Adsit regula. "Let 
some standard be fixed." — 118. ^Equas. "Proportioned to them." — 
119. Scutica. The scutica was a simple " strap" or thong of leather, used 
for slight offences, particularly by school-masters in correcting their pu- 
pils. The jlagcllum, on the other hand, was a "lash" or whip, male of 
leathern thongs or twisted cords, tied to the end of a stick, sometimes 
sharpened with small bits of iron or lead at the end. This was used in 
correcting great offenders. — 120. Ne ferula ccedas, &c. The ferula was a 
"rod" or stick, with which, as with the scutica, boys at school were ac- 
customed to be corrected. The common text has nam ut in place of ne. 
But correct Latinity requires ne in this place, not ut. — 122. Magnis parra. 
"Small equally with great offences." — 123. Si tibi rcgnum, &c. The 
poet purposely adopts this phraseology, that he may pass the more easily, 
by means of it, to another ridiculous maxim of the Stoic school. Hence 
the train of reasoning is as follows : Thou sayest that thou wilt do this if 
men will only intrust the supreme power into thy hands. But why wait 
for this, when, according to the very tenets of thy sect, thou already hast 
what thou wantest ? For thy philosophy teaches thee that the wise man 
is in fact a king. The doctrine of the Stoics about their wise men, to 
which the poet here alludes, was strangely marked with extravagancp 



440 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE III. 

and absurdity. For example, they asserted that he feels neither pain 
nor pleasure ; that he exercises no pity ; that he is free from faults ; that 
he is Divine ; that he can neither deceive nor be deceived ; that he does 
all things well : that he alone is great, noble, ingenuous ; that he is the 
only friend ; that he alone is free ; that he is a prophet, a priest, and a 
king; and the like. In order to conceive the true notion of the Stoics 
concerning their wise man, it must be clearly understood that they did 
not suppose such a man actually to exist, but that they framed in their 
imagination an image of perfection toward which every man should con- 
stantly aspire. All the extravagant things which are to be met with in 
their writings on this subject, may be referred to their general principle 
of the entire sufficiency of virtue to happiness, find the consequent indif- 
ference of all external circumstances. (Enjieid's Hist. Phil., vol. i., p. 
346, seqq.) 

126-132. 126. Non nosti quid pater, &c. The Stoic is here supposed 
to rejoin, and to attempt an explanation of this peculiar doctrine of his 
sect. — 127. Ckrysippus. After Zeno, the founder of the school, no philos- 
opher more truly exhibited the character, or more strongly displayed the 
doctrines of the Stoic sect, than Chrysippus. — 127. Crepidas nee aoleas. 
" Either sandals or slippers." — 129. Hermogcnes. This was probably a 
different person from the Tigellius spoken of in the beginning of the sat- 
ire. Dillenburger supposes that he was his adopted son. — 130. Alfenus 
vafer. "The subtle Alfenus." Alfenus Varus, a barber of Cremona, 
growing out of conceit with his profession, quitted it, and came to Rome, 
where, attending the lectures of Servins Sulpicius. a celebrated lawyer, 
he made so great proficiency in his studies as to become eventually the 
ablest lawyer of his time. His name often occurs in the Pandects. He 
was advanced to some of the highest offices in the empire, and obtained 
the consulship A.U.C. 755. — 132. Opens optimus omnis opifex. "The 
best artist in every kind of work." 

133-140. 133. Vellunt tibi barbam. The poet replies, A king ! why 
thou hast no power whatever ; the very boys "pluck thee by the beard ;" 
and he then proceeds to draw a laughable picture of the philosophic mon- 
arch, suiTounded by the young rabble in the streets of Rome. To pluck a 
man by the beard was regarded as such an indignity that it gave rise to 
a proverb among both the Greeks and Romans. To this species of insult, 
however, the wandering philosophers of the day were frequently exposed 
from the boys in the streets of Rome, the attention of the young torment- 
ors being attracted by the very long beards which these pretenders to 
wisdom were fond of displaying. — 136. Rnmpcris et latras. "Thou burst- 
est with rage and snarlest at them." He compares the poor Stoic to a 
dog whom a parcel of mischievous boys are tormenting. — 137. JVe longum 
faciam. Supply sermonem. " Not to be tedious." — Quadrante lavatum. 
" To bathe for a farthing," i. e., to the farthing bath. As the public baths 
at Rome were built mostly for the common people, they afforded but very 
indifferent accommodations. People of fashion had always private baths 
of their own. The strolling philosophers of the day frequented, of course, 
these public baths, and mingled with the lowest of the people. The price 
tf admission was a quadrant, or the fourth part of an as. — 138. Stipator. 
" Life-guardsman." A laughable allusion to the retinue of the Stoic mon- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 441 

aroh. His royal body-guard consists of the ridiculous Crispinus. Com- 
pare, as respects this individual, the note on Satire i., 1, 120. — 140. Stultus. 
Another thrust at the Stoics. Compare note on verse 77. 



Satire IV. It would appear that, during- the lifetime of Horace, the 
public were divided in their judgment concerning his satires, some blam- 
ing them as too severe, while others thought them weak and trifling. Our 
author, in order to vindicate himself from the charge of indulging in too 
much asperity, shows, in a manner the most prepossessing, that he had 
been less harsh than many other poets, and pleads, as his excuse for at 
all practicing this species of composition, the education he had received 
from his father, who, when he wished to deter him from any vice, showed 
its bad consequences in the example of others. 

1-2. 1. Eupolis. An Athenian poet of the old comedy. He was born 
about B.C. 446, and was nearly of the same age with Aristophanes. — Cra- 
tinus. Another Athenian poet of the old comedy, born B.C. 519. — Aris- 
tophanes. Of Aristophanes antiquity supplies us with few notices, and 
those of doubtful credit. The most likely account makes him the sou of 
Philippus, a native of iEgina [Acharn., 651, 652. Sckol. Vit. Aristoph. 
Anonym., Athenceus, vi., 227). The comedian, therefore, was an adopted, 
not a natural citizen of Athens. The exact dates of his birth and death 
are equally unknown. — 2. Atque alii, quorum, &c. "And others, whose 
comedy is of the old school," i. e., and other writers of the old comedy. 
Ancient comedy was divided into the old, the middle, and the ?iew. In 
the first, the subject and the characters were real. In the second, the 
subject was still real, but the characters were invented. In the third, 
both the story and the characters were formed by the poet. The middle 
comedy arose toward the end of the Peloponnesian war, when a few per- 
sons had possessed themselves of the sovereignty in Athens, contrary to 
the Constitution, and checked the licence and freedom of the old comedy 
by having a decree passed that whoever was attacked by the comic poets 
might prosecute them : it was forbidden, also, to bring real persons on 
the stage, to imitate their features with masks, &c. The comic drama, 
after more than half a century of vacillating transition from its old to its 
subsequent form, in the age of Alexander finally settled down, through 
the ill-defined gradations of the middle, into the new comedy. The old 
comedy drew its subjects from public, the new from private life. The old 
comedy often took its " dramatis persona?" from the generals, the orators, 
the demagogues, or the philosophers of the day ; in the new the charac- 
ters were always fictitious. The old comedy was made up of personal 
satire and the broadest mirth, exhibited under all the forms and with all 
the accompaniments which uncontrolled fancy and frolic could conceive. 
The new comedy was of a more temperate and regulated nature ; its sat- 
ire was aimed at the abstract vice or defect, not at the individual offender. 
Its mirth was of a restrained kind ; and, as being a faithful picture of life, 
its descriptions of men and manners were accurate portraits, not wild car- 
icatures, and, for the same reason, its gayety was often interrupted by 
scenes of a grave and affecting character. The principal writers of the 
middle comedy were Eubulus, Araros, Antiphanes, Anaxandrides, Alexis, 
and Epicrates ; of the new Philippides, Timocles, Philemon, Menandei; 
T2 



442 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 

Dipliilus, Apollodorus, and Posidippus. [Theatre of the Greeks, 2d ed., p. 
185, seqq.) 

3-11. 3. Erat dignus descriii. "Deserved to be marked out." — Ma- 
ins. "A knave." — 5. Famosus. "Infamous." — Multa cum libertate nota- 
bant. " Branded him with great freedom." — 6. Hinc omnis pendei Lucil- 
ius. Literally, "from these Lucilius entirely hangs," i. e., this freedom 
of satire was also the great characteristic of Lucilius. Lucilius was a 
Roman knight, bora A.U.C. 505, at Suessa, a town in the Auruncan terri- 
tory. He was descended of a good family, and was grand uncle, by the 
mother's side, to Pompey the Great. His chief characteristic was his 
vehement and cutting satire. Macrobius (Sat., iii., 16) calls him " acer et 
violeidus poeta. 1 ' — 7. Mutatis tantum pedibus numerisque, &c. "Having 
changed merely the feet and the rhythm of his verse." This applies to 
the greater part, not, however, to all of his satires. The Greek comic 
writers, like the tragic, wrote in iambic verse (trimeters). Lucilius, on 
the other hand, adopted the hexameter versification in twenty books of 
his satires, from the commencement, while in the rest, with the excep- 
tion of the thirtieth, he employed iambics or trochaics. — 8. Emuncta na- 
ris, dums componere versus. " Of nice discernment, though harsh in the 
structure of his lines." Emunctm naris is literally "of clean-wiped nose," 
which makes the sense of smell more acute. Its figurative meaning here 
prevails. — Componere versus. A Graecism for in compone?idis versibus. 
So piger ferre, a little farther on. — 10. Ut magnum. "As if it were a 
great feat." Compare the explanation of the scholiast : " Tanquam rem 
magnam et laude dignam." — Stans pede in uno. " Standing on one foot." 
This, of course, must be taken in a figurative sense, and is intended mere- 
ly to signify "in a very short time," or, as we sometimes term it, "off- 
hand." Horace satirizes Lucilias for his hurried copiousness and facility. 
— 11. Quumjlueret lutulentus, &c. "As he flowed muddily along, there 
was always something that one would feel inclined to throw away," i. e., 
to take up and cast aside as worthless. Horace compares the whole po- 
etry of Lucilias to a muddy and troubled stream, continually bearing im- 
purities on its surface that one would feel inclined to remove. As regards 
the meaning of tollere here, compare Epist., ii., 2, 123. 

12-21. 12. Scribendi laborem. By this is meant, in fact, the labor of 
correction, as the poet himself immediately after adds. — 13. Scribendi 
recte, &c. " I mean of writing correctly, for, as to how much he wrote, I 
do not at all concern myself about that." After scribendi recte supply 
dico. Lucilius was a very voluminous writer. — 13. Ecce, Crispinus min- 
imo me provocat. Understand nummo. " See, Crispinus challenges me 
in the smallest sum I choose to name." After minimo supply pignore. 
The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : But, while I am talking 
thus, there is Crispinus, who sets such value on this same readiness and 
fertility, that he proposes to give me any odds 1 wish, and make verses 
against me. [Keightle.y, ad loc.) — Accipe, si vis, accipiam. The prose 
form of expression, as Heindorf remarks, would be accipe tu, accipiam et 
ego. — 15. Tabulas. "Tablets." — 16. Custodes. "Inspectors," to see that 
they neither brought with them verses already composed, nor such as 
were the production of others. — 17. Di bene fecerunt, &c. The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is this : I will have nothing to do with thy wager, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 443 

Crispinus. The gods be praised for having made me what I am, a man 
of moderate powers and retiring character. Do thou go on, undisturbed 
by any rivalry on my part, with thy turgid and empty versifying. — Inop>is 
me quodque pusilli, Sec. "In having made me of a poor and humble 
mind." — 19. At tu conclusas, Sec. The order of construction is as follows : 
At tu imitare, ret mavis, auras conclusas hircinis follibus, laboranies us- 
que dum ignis molliat ferrum.—20. Usque. " Constantly." — 21. Ut ma- 
vis. " Since thou dost prefer this." 

21-32. 21. Beatus Fannius. "A happy man is Fannius, his writings 
and his bust having been carried, without any trouble on his part, to the 
public library." In rendering ultro (which is commonly translated "un- 
asked for"), we have followed the authority of the scholiast: " Fannius 
Quadratics, poeta malus, cum liberos non haberet, hceredipetce sine ejus 
cura et studio (ultro) libros ejus et imaginem in publicas bibliothecas re- ■ 
ferebant, nulla tamen merito scriptoris." In this way ultro may have a 
double meaning : the one mentioned by the scholiast in relation to the 
legacy-hunters, and the other slyly alluding to the absence of all mental 
exertion on the part of Fannius himself toward rendering his productions 
worthy of so high an honor. At Rome, when a poet had gained for him- 
self a distinguished name among his contemporaries, his works and his 
bust were placed in the public libraries. Fannias, however, lucky man, 
secures for himself a niche there, without any trouble on his part, either 
bodily or mental. Some commentators, however, rejecting the explana- 
tion of the scholiast, make the admirers of Fannius to have spontaneously 
presented that poet himself with handsomely-ornamented capsa? and his 
own bast. This, however, wants spirit. The capsa was, like the scrin- 
ium, a box or case in which manuscripts and other articles were kept; 
so that capsis here will mean, literally, "his cases," i. <?., containing his 
writings, and hence, figuratively, his "writings" themselves. — 23. Timen- 
tis. The genitive, as in apposition with the personal pronoun mei, which 
is implied in the possessive mea. — 24. Germs hoc. Understand scribendi. 
Alluding to satire. — Utpote plures culpari dignos. "As being the ma- 
jority of mankind who deserve reprehension." Observe here the accusa- 
tive by attraction from quos which precedes. The common form of ex- 
pression would have been quippe cum plures culpari digni sint. — 25. 
Quemvis media elige turba. " Take any one at random from the midst 
of the crowd." The poet now proceeds to state the reasons why, and the 
kind of persons by whom, satiric poetry is dreaded. — 27. Hunc capit ar- 
genti splendor, &c. " This one the glitter of silver-plate captivates ; Al- 
bius is lost in admiration of bronze." By argenti, with which supply 
facti, vessels of silver are meant; and by aire, vessels and statues of 
bronze. — Albius. Not the poet, Albius Tibullus, as Baxter would have 
us believe, but some individual or other, remarkable merely for his pas- 
sionate attachment to bronze. Some suppose the ylEs Corinthiacum to be 
here meant, but this is quite unnecessary. — 28. Mutat merces. " Trades." 
— Ad eum, quo vespertina, &c. An elegant circumlocution for " the west." 
With eum supply solem. — 29. Quin per mala pr&ceps, Sec. "Nay, like 
dust gathered by the whirlwind, he is borne headlong through the midst 
of dangers." — 31. Summa deperdat. For perdat de summa. 

32-42. 32. Omnes hi metuunt versus, &c, "Because their sordid and 



444 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 

debasing pursuits are so frequently exposed and ridiculed in vei'se." — 33. 
Fenum habet in cornu. "He lias hay on his horn," i. e., he is a danger- 
ous creature. This, according to the satirist, is the cry with which the 
poet is greeted whenever he shows himself to any of the characters that 
have ju£t been described, and they instantly clear the way for him by a 
rapid retreat. The expression in the text is a figurative one, and is taken 
frcm the Roman custom of tying hay on the horns of such of their cattle 
as -were mischievous and given to pushing, in order to warn passengers 
to be on their guard. — Dummodo risum excutiat sibi. " If he cau only 
raise a laugh for his own amusement." — 35. Et, auodcnnque semel charlis 
illeverit. "And whatever he has once scribbled on his paper." With 
illeverit supply atraviento. — Omnes gestiet a fur no, Sec. The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is, that the poet will take delight in showing bis 
productions to all, even to the very rabble about, town. — 36. Afurno rede- 
tintes lacuque. "As they return from the bake-house and the basin." 
By lacus is here meant a basin, or receptacle containing water, supplied 
from the aqueducts for public use. — 38. Dcderim qvibus esse poetis. 
"Whom, for my part, I allow to be poets." Poetis is put by a Graecism 
for poetas. The perfect of the subjunctive is here used, for the purpose of 
softening the assertion that is made, and removing from it every appear- 
ance of arrogant authority. So crediderim, "for my pait I believe ;" ajfir- 
maverim, "I am inclined to affirm," &c. — 39. Concludere vcrsum. "To 
complete a verse," i. e., to give it the proper number of feet. — 42. Ser- 
inoni. "To prose," i. e., the every-day language of common intercourse. 
Horace here refers to the style of his satires, and their purposely-neglect- 
ed air. His claims to the title of poet rest on his lyric productions ; but 
at the time when the present satire was written, he had made only a 
few efforts in that species of versification in which he was afterward to 
receive the highest honors of poetry. — 42. Ingenium cui sit, &c. "Unto 
him who has genius, who has inspiration, and a mouth about to utter lofty 
strains," i. e., able to utter. The participle sonaturus is here formed like 
press taturus, by Cicero, from prcesto. The term ingenium here means 
that invention, and the expression mens divinior that enthusiasm or po- 
etic inspiration, which can alone give success to the votaries of the epic, 
tragic, or lyric muse. By the os magna sonaturum is meant nobleness 
of style, which also forms an important attribute in the character of a poet. 

44-55. 44. Quidam. The Alexaudrean grammarians are meant. Com- 
pare Cic, Orat., 20. — Comasdia. The order is Comasdia esset poema necne. 
The new comedy of the Greeks, and the Latin drama, are here meant, 
not the old comedy, in which beautiful poetry occurs. — 45. Quod acer spir- 
itus ac vis, &c. " Because neither the style nor the subject-matter possess- 
es fire and force; because it is mere prose, except in so far as it differs 
from prose by having a certain fixed measure." The reasoning in the 
text is as follows : Three things are requisite to form a great poet : rich- 
es of invention, fire of imagination, and nobleness of style ; but, since com- 
edy has none of these, it is doubted whether it be a real poem. — 47. At 
pater ardens, &c. The poet here supposes some one to object to his re- 
mark respecting the want of fire and force in comedy, by referring to the 
spirited mode in which the character of the angry father is drawn, when 
railing at the excesses of a dissipated son. The allusion is to Demea in 
Terence's Adelphi, and to Chremes in the " Self-Tormentor" of the same 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 445 

poet. — 48. Quod meretrice nepos, &c. " Because his dissolute son, madly 
in love with a harlot-mistress." Observe that the noun neposh-a.s here the 
force of an adjective. — 50. Ambulet ante noctem cum facibus. The refer- 
ence here is more to Greek than Roman manners, the comedies of Ter- 
ence being mere imitations of those of Menander. The intoxicated and 
profligate youth among the Greeks were accustomed to rove about the 
streets with toi'ches at a late hour of the night, after having ended their 
orgies within doors, and serenade their female friends. But far more dis- 
graceful was it to appear in the public streets in a state of intoxication, 
and bearing torches, before the day was drawn to a close. Ante noctem 
here means merely "before nightfall," i. e., while it is still light, while it 
is twilight. Compare Orelli : " comissatur jam per crepusculum." Some 
commentators erroneously render it ''before midnight." — 51. Numquid 
Pomponius istis, &c. We have here the reply of the poet, which is sim- 
ply this, that, with whatever vehemence of language the angry father rates 
his son, it is very little different from what Pomponius might expect from 
his father, if he were alive. It is the natural language of the passions ex- 
pressed in measures. — 52. Leviora. " Less severe reproofs." — Ergo. In 
order to understand the connection here between this sentence and the 
one which precedes, we must suppose the following to be understood be- 
fore ergo : Now, if the railings of the angry father have nothing in them 
either sublime or poetical, and if they are equally devoid of ornament and 
elegance (i. e., if they are pura, scil. opprobria), "then," &c. — 53. Puris 
verbis. " In words equally devoid of ornament and elegance." — 55. Per- 
sonatus pater. "The father represented on the stage." Literally, "the 
masked father." 

57-71. 57. Tempora certa modosque, &c. "Their fixed times and 
rhythm." The tempora are the feet, composed of long and short syllables 
in a certain order ; the modi are the rhythmic arrangement of the feet. 
(Keightley, ad loc.) — 60. Non, tit si solvas, &z.c. The construction is Non 
etiam invenias membra disjecti poetce, vt si solvas (bos versus Ennii). 
" Thou wilt not still find," &c. Observe the force of etiam, "still," i. c., 
after this dislocation has taken place. The meaning of the poet is, that 
the lines composed by Lucilius and himself become, when divested of 
number and rhythm, so much prose, and none will find the scattered frag- 
ments animated with the true spirit of poetry, as he will if he take to 
pieces the two lines of Ennius which are cited. — 62. Alias. "At some 
other time." He now proceeds to show that the dread and dislike of 
satiric poetry are unreasonable. — 64. Sulcius aceret Caprius. The scho- 
liast describes these two persons as informers, and at the same time law- 
yers, hoarse with bawling at the bar, and armed with their written accu- 
sations. — 65. Rauci male cumque. libellis. " Completely hoarse with bawl- 
ing, and armed with their written accusations." Rauci male is equiva- 
lent to valde rauci. — 68. Ut sis lu similis, &c. " So that, even if thou art 
like the robbers Caelius and Birrius, I am not like Caprius or Sulcius," 
i. e., if thou art a robber like Cajlius and Birrius, I am not an informer 
like Caprius or Sulcius. This is a biting piece of satire. However bad 
thy character may be, thou hast nothing to fear from me. I neither accuse 
nor expose people ; I only laugh at little defects of character. (Keight- 
ley, ad loc.) — 71. Nulla taberna meos, &c. "No bookseller's shop nor 
pillar has any productions of mine. Books at Rome were exposed for 



446 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 

sale in regular establishments (tabernce libraries), chiefly in the Argiletum 
and in the Vicus Sandalarius. On the shop-door, or on a pillar, as the case 
might be, there was a list of the titles of books on sale. — 71. Queis manus 
insudet, &c. " Over which the hand of the rabble and of Hermogenes 
Tigellius may sweat." 

72-84. 72. Nee recito. Understand qum scripsi. — 73. In medio qui, 
Sec. It is here objected to the poet, that if he himself does not openly 
recite satirical verses of his composing, yet there are many who do recite 
theirs, and that, too, even in the forum and the bath ; selecting the latter 
place in particular, because, "being shut in on every side by walls, it 
gives a pleasing echo to the voice." To this the poet replies, that such 
persons are mere fools, and altogether ignorant of what propriety demands, 
as is shown in their selection of the place where they choose to exhibit 
themselves. — 76. Hand Mud qu&rentes. "Who never stop to put this 
question to themselves." — Sine sensu. "Without any regard to what 
propriety demands." — 77. Lcedere gaudes, &c. The poet's antagonist is 
here supposed to return to the attack with a new charge. Well, then, 
if thou recitest in private and not in public, it is only the prompting of a 
malicious spirit, that thou may est slander with the more impunity amid 
the secret circle of thy friends; for "thou takest delight in assailing the 
characters of others" (Lcedere gaudes). — 78. Inquit. "Says one." The 
common reading is inquis. — Et hoc studio pravus facis. " And this thou 
doest from the eager promptings of an evil heart." Literally, "and this, 
evil-hearted, thou doest with eager feelings. " — Unde petitum hoc in me 
jacis: The, poet indignantly repels the charge, and introduces a most 
beautiful moral lesson respecting the duties of friendship. — 79. Est auctor 
quis, Sec. Observe that quis is here, as Reissig remarks, the simple in- 
terrogative, and does not stand for aliquis, as Heindorf maintains. — 
80. Absentem qui rodit amicum. In order to connect the train of ideas, 
we must suppose something like the following clause to precede the pres- 
ent line : No, the maxim by which my conduct is governed is this : " He 
who backbites an absent Mend," &c. There is no term in our language 
which more forcibly expresses the meaning of rodere in this passage than 
the homely one which we have adopted, "to backbite." And yet even 
this, in some respects, does not come fully up to the signification of the 
original. The allusion is to that " gnawing" of another's character, which 
is the more injui-ious as it is the more difficult to be detected and put 
down. — 81. Solutos qui capiat risus hominum, Sec. " Who seeks eager- 
ly for the loud laughter of those around him, and the reputation of a wit." 
The allusion is to one who values not the character or the feelings of 
others if he can but raise a laugh at their expense, and who will sacrifice 
the ties of intimacy and friendship to some paltry witticism. — 85. Hie 
niger est, Sec. " This man is black of heart ; shun him, thou that hast the 
spirit of a Roman." 

85-87. 85. Saipe tribus leclis, Sec. The poet now proceeds to give a 
proof of the unreasonable conduct of those who charged him with maligni- 
ty. The usual number of couches placed around the mensa or table, in 
the Roman banqueting-room, was three, one side of the table being left 
open for the slaves to bring in and out the dishes. Hence the name tri~ 
clinium given to the banqueting-i-oom. On each couch there were com- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 447 

monly three guests, sometimes four. As Varro directs that the guests 
should never be below the number of the Graces, nor above that of the 
Muses, four persons on a couch would exceed this rule, and make what, 
in the language of the day, would be called a large party. Hence the 
present passage of Horace may be paraphrased as follows : " One may 
often see a large party assembled at supper.'' — 87. Tmus. " He that oc- 
cupies the lowest seat." The allusion is to the scurra, buffoon, or jester, 
who occupied the last seat on the lowest couch, immediately below the 
entertainer. When we speak here of the lowest couch in a Roman en- 
tertainment, the term must be taken in a peculiar sense, and in accord- 
ance with Roman usage. The following diagram will explain the subjeot 
more fully ; and, for farther particulars, the student is referred to the Diet. 
Antiq., s. v. Triclinium. 

lectus medius. 









03 










P 






m 


3 


£ 






S 


'^ 


S 






S 


B 


3 




1 


6 


6 


4 




summus 


7 




3 


imus 


medius 


8 




2 


medius 


imus 


9 




I 


summus 



The place of the scurra is No. 9 ; that of the entertainer, No. 8. — 86. Quavis 
adspergere cunctos. " To attack the whole party with every kind of wit- 
ticism." Literally, "to besprinkle them all in any way." With quavis 
understand ratione, and not aqua, as some commentators maintain. — 
87. Prater eum, qui prcebet aquam. "Except him who furnishes the 
water," i. e., the entertainer, who supplies the guests with water, either 
hot or cold, but more particularly the former, for the purpose of tempering 
their wine. — Hunc. The entertainer. Understand adspergere. 



89-105. 89. Hie tibi comis, &c. "And yet this man appears to thee, 
who art such a foe to the black-hearted, courteous, entertaining, and frank 
in disposition." By nigris are here meant the whole race of secret calum- 
niators and detractors. — 94. Capitolini Pelilli. He now proceeds to give 
an instance of pure malignity in the case of Petillius. According to the 
scholiasts, this Petillius received his surname of Capitolinus from having 
been governor of the Capitol. They add that he was accused of having 
stolen, during his office, a golden crown consecrated to Jupiter, and that, 
having plead his cause in person, he was acquitted by the judges in order 
to gratify Augustus, with whom he was on friendly terms. — 94. Defendas, 
ut tuns est mos. " Thou wilt, in all likelihood, defend him in thy usual 
way." Literally, "as is thy custom." — 95. Me usus est. "Has had me 
as." — Amicoqne. The final syllable que is to be joined to the next line 
in scanning by synapheia. — 98. Sed tamen adrniror, &c. This but, as 
Francis remarks, spoils all ; and this artful and secret calumny has some- 
thing infinitely more criminal in it than the careless, open freedom of 
Horace. — 99. Hie nigra succus loliginis. " This is the very venom of dark 
detraction." Literally, " this is the very juice of the black cuttle-fish," 
t. e., the black juice of the cuttle-fish. The loligo or cuttle-fish emits, when 



448 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IV. 

pursued, a liquor as black as ink, in order to escape by thus discoloring: 
the waters around. Fea reads fu'cm, "the dye," from several MSS. — 

100. yErugo mera. "This is pure malignity." JErugo means, literal- 
ly, the rust of copper, zsfei-rugo does that of iron. The figurative appli- 
cation is extremely beautiful. As the rust eats away the metal, so does 
the gnawing tooth of malignity corrode the character of its victim. — 

101. Atque animo prius. "And from my breast before I turn to write." 
— Ut si quid promittere, &c. " So ^hat, if I can pi'omise any thing else 
truly of myself, I promise (this)." — 104. Insuevit hoc me. "Accustomed 
me to this," i. e., led me into this habit, by the peculiar mode of instruc- 
tion which he adopted in my case. — 105. Utfugerem, exemplis, &c. "That 
by pointing out to me each particular vice in living examples, I might be 
induced to shun them." After fugerem understand ea (sc. vitia). 

108-121. 108. Albi ut male viv at films. ""What an evil life the son 
of Albius leads." — 109. Barrus. The scholiast describes him as a man 
" vilissimas Itbidinis atqve vita?." — Inops. Supply sit. — 112. Sapiens. 
"A philosopher." It belongs to philosophers to explain the reason of 
things, and to show why one action is honest and another base. The 
poet's father, of but mean rank, could not be supposed to be deeply ac- 
quainted with these matters. It was enough that he knew how to train 
up his son according to the institutions of earlier daj's, to teach him plain 
integrity, and to preserve his reputation from stain and reproach. As he 
grew up he would be able to manage for himself. — 116. Duraverit. 
" Shall have strengthened." — 117. Nobis sine cortice. A metaphor taken 
from swimming, in which learners, in their first attempts, make use of 
pieces of cork to bear them up. — 119. Habes auctorem, quo facias hoc. 
"Thou hast an authority for doing this." — 120. Unum ex judicious selec- 
tis. The Judices Selecti were chosen in the city by the proptor, and in 
the provinces by the governors. They were taken from the most distin- 
guished men of senatorian or equestrian rank, and to this circumstance 
the epithet selecti particularly refers. Their duties were, in general, con- 
fined to criminal cases. — Objiciebat. " He presented to my view." — 
121. An hoc. For utrum hoc. 

123-140. 123. Avidos vicinum funus, &c. "As the funeral of a neigh- 
bor terrifies the sick when eager after food." With avidos understand 
potus et ciborum. The poet now proceeds to show the consequences of 
this mode of instruction. — 124. Sibi parcere. " To spare themselves." i. e., 
to curb their appetites, and have a care for their health. — 126. Ex hoc. 
"By the force of such culture as this." — 128. Istinc. "From the number 
of these." — 129. Liber amicus. "A candid friend." — 130. Consilium pro- 
prium. "My own reflection." — 131. Porticus. "The public portico." 
The porticoes were structures of great beauty and magnificence, and 
were used chiefly for walking iu or riding under cover. — 133. Non belle. 
Understand fecit. — 135. Agito. "I revolve." — 136. Illudo chartis. "I 
amuse myself with writing." — Hoc. Alluding to his habit of frequent 
writing, or versifying. — 137. Concedere. "To extend indulgence." In 
the sense of ignoscere. — 139. Nam multo plures sumus. "For we are a 
much stronger body than one would suppose." — Ac veluti te, &c. Horace, 
observes Francis, knows not any better revenge against the enemies of 
poetry than to force them to become poets themselves. This pleasantly 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 449 

arises from the proselyting' spirit of the Jews, who insinuated themselves 
into families, entered into the coarts of justice, disturbed the judges, 
and were always more successful in proportion as they were more impu- 
dent. Such is the character given them by St. Ambrose. — 140. In hanc 
concedere turbam. "To join this numerous party of ours." 



Satire V. This little poem contains the account of a journey from 
Rome to Brundisiurn, which Horace performed in company with Mae- 
cenas, Virgil, Plotius, and Varius. Though travelling on affairs of state, 
their progress more resembled an excursion of pleasure than a journey 
requiring the dispatch of plenipotentiaries. They took their own villas 
on the way, where they entertained each other in turn, and declined no 
amusement which they met with on the road. They must, indeed, have 
proceeded only one or two stages daily, for the distance was 312 miles ; 
and, according to those critics who have minutely traced their progress, 
and ascertained the resting places, the journey occupied fifteen days. 
The poet, in imitation of Lucilius, satirically describes the inconveniences 
encountered on the road, and all the ludicrous incidents which occurred. 
Orelli gives the following statement of places and distances on the route : 

Days. Places. Miles 

1 Aricia 16 

2 ...Forum Appii 20 

3 Anxur ....20 

4 i Fundi 12 

C Formioe... 12 

5 5 Sinuessa 18 

"" c Villa near the C am panian Bridge 3 

6 Capua 22 

7 Cocceius's Villa at Caudium 21 

8.. Beneventum 12 

9 Villa at Trivicum } 

- n ^ Town not capable of be- > 24 

C ing named in verse J 

11...'. Canusium > ' 

12 ..Rubi S " 

13 Barium 21 

14 Egnatia 37 

15 Brundisiurn 44 

312 
As the last two stages, however, seem unreasonably long, Orelli thinks 
that Horace may have passed over two stations between Barium and 
Brundisiurn, which are noticed in the Itinerarium Antonini, and that this 
part of the route may have been as follows : 

13 B arium. 

14 Ad Turres 21 

15 Egnatia 16 

16 Ad Speluncas 20 

17 Brundisiurn - 24 

1-4. 1. Magna. This epithet is here applied to the capital, as mark- 
ing the difference in size between it and Aricia, though, considered by it- 



450 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 

self, the latter was no inconsiderable place. — Aricia. A city of Latiurn, 
on the Appian Way, a little to the west of Lanuvium, now La Riccia. — 
2. Hospitio modico. "In a middling inn." — Heliodorus. Nothing Is 
known of this rhetorician. Villoison .supposed (Proleg. ad Apoll. Lex., 
p. xxiv.) that he was the same with the Heliodorus mentioned by Marius 
Victorinus (p. 127, ed. Gaisf.), but he is refuted by Ritschl. (Alex. Bib- 
lioth., p. 145. Compare Bergk, Mem. Obsc, c. vi. N. Rhen. Mies., i., p. 
374).— 3. Forum Appi. Now Borgo Lungo, near Treponti. It derived 
its name from Appius Claudius Cascus, the maker of the Via Appia, on 
which it lay. The term Forum was applied to places in the country 
where markets were held and justice administered. — 4. Differtum nautis, 
&c. " Crammed with boatmen and knavish inn-keepers." The boatmen 
were found at this place in great numbers, because from hence it was 
usual to embark on a canal, which ran parallel to the Via Appia, and was 
called Decennovium, its length being nineteen miles. 

5-24. 5. Hoc iter ignavi divisimus, Sec. " This part of our route, which, 
to more active travellers than ourselves, is the journey of a single day, we 
lazily took two to accomplish." The allusion is to the route from Rome 
to Forum Appii ; not, as Fea maintains, from Aricia to Anxur. The ex- 
pression altius prcecinctis refers to the Roman custom o£ tucking up the 
toga in proportion to the degree of activity that was required, and hence 
prcecinctus, like succinctus, comes to denote generally a person of active 
habits. — 6. Minus est gravis, &c. " The Appian Way is less fatiguing to 
those who go slowly." This refers to the abundance of good inns on the 
Appian Way, in which the other road, the Via Minucia, was deficient. 
Fea, adopting the reading of several MSS., gives nimis for minus, and ex- 
plains it by supposing that those who made but one day's journey of it 
from Anxur escaped the inconvenience of the halt at Forum Appii. Fea 
is followed by Doering and some others. — 7. Deterrima. " Very inferior." 
Bentley's teterrima is too strong. — Ventri indico helium. "Declare war 
against my stomach," i. e., take no supper. — 8. Haud animo cequo. "With 
impatience." — 9. Jam nox, &c. A mock-heroic passage. — 10. Signa. 
" The constellations." — 11. Turn pucri nautis, &c. " Then our slaves be- 
gan to abuse the boatmen, the boatmen our slaves." — 12. Hue appellc. 
" Come to here." This is the exclamation of one of the slaves to the men 
in the canal-boat. The moment the boat is brought to, a large number 
crowd on board, and then arises the second cry from the slave, bidding 
the boatman stop and take in no more, as he has already three hundred 
on board. The round number is here used merely to denote a great 
crowd. — 13. JEs. "The fare." — Mula. The mule to draw the canal- 
boat. — 14. Mali culices. " The troublesome gnats:" — 15. Ut. "While in 
the mean time." — 16. Multa prolutus vappa. " Soaked with plenty of 
wretched wine." Vappa is properly wine that has lost its flavor. It is 
here put for any wretched kind. — 21. Cerebrosus. " A passionate fellow." 
— Prosilit. "Leaps out," i. c, out of the canal-boat on the land. — 23. Dolat. 
"Belabors." The literal import of this verb is "to hew roughly," "to 
chip," &c. It is here used in an acceptation frequently given to it by the 
Roman vulgar. — Quarta hora. The fourth hour from sunrise is here 
meant, answering to our ten o'clock. — 24. Feronia. The grove and fount- 
ain of Feronia were on the Appian Way, about three miles above Ter- 
racina or Anxur. •. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 451 

25-32. 25. Rcpimus. This alludes to the slowness of their journey up 
hill to Terracina. — 26. Impositam saxis late candeutibus Anxur. " Anxur 
perched on rocks conspicuous from afar." This city on the coast of Latium 
was also called Terracina. It stood on the ridge of a mountain, at the foot 
of which the modern Tarracina is situated. This mountain is covered 
with the same grayish limestone with which so many other mountains in 
Italy are. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 29. Aversos soliti componere aviicos. The 
"friends" here alluded to were Augustus and Antony. Maecenas and 
Cocceius had already effected the treaty of Brundisium. — 30. Nigra col- 
lyria. "Black salve." Celsus says that the most common kiud of col- 
lyrium was called by some kvQlov, and by others, on account of its ash- 
colored appearance, reQpiov. [Gels., vi., 6, § 7.) — Lippus. "Being afflict- 
ed with sore eyes." This was a complaint to which Horace was subject. 
— 32. Ad ungnem factus homo. " A man of the most polished manners." 
A metaphor taken from workers in marble, who try the smoothness of the 
marble and the exactness of the joinings by running the thumb-nail over 
them. We would say, in our own idiom, " a perfect gentleman." 

34-36. 34. Fundos. The town of Fundi, in Latium, was situated on 
the Appian Way, a little to the northeast of Anxur. — Avfidio Lusco pr&- 
tore. In this there is a double joke. First, in the title of praetor being 
applied to a mere recorder of a petty town, whether assumed by himself, 
or foolishly given to him by the inhabitants ; and, secondly, in the mode in 
which their departure from the place is announced, imitating the formal 
Roman way of marking events by consulships: "We leave Fundi dur- 
ing the praetorship of Aufidius Luscus." — Libenter. " In high glee." — 
35. Prcemia. a The magisterial insignia." — 36. Prcetextam. The toga 
prcetcxta was a white robe, bordered with purple, and used by the higher 
class of magistrates. — Latum clavum. A tunic or vest, with two borders 
of purple, the middle or opening of it woven down to the bottom, in such 
a way that, when the tunic was drawn close, the two purple borders join- 
ed, and seemed to form a single broad one. If these borders were large, 
the tunic was called latus clavus, or tunica laticlavia, and was peculiar 
to senators; if they were narrow, it was then named angustns clavus, or 
tunica angusticlavia, and was peculiar to the knights or equites. — Pru- 
necque batillum. This appears to have been a censer or pan containing 
coals of fire, and carried before the higher magistrates on solemn occa- 
sions, for the purpose of burning perfumes in honor of the gods, as the 
Romans were accustomed to perform no important act without a previ- 
ous offering to the gods of some kind or other. Luscus deems the arrival 
of Maecenas an occasion that calls for such a ceremony, and he foolishly 
assumes this badge of dignity among the rest. 

37-38. 37. Mamurrarum urbe. The allusion is to Formias, now Mola 
di Gaeta, a short distance to the southeast of Fundi. According to the 
scholiast, Horace calls Formise the city of the Mamurrae, in allusion to 
Mamurra, a Roman senator of great wealth, who owned the larger part 
of the place. The scholiast, however, forgets to tell us that the poet 
means by this appellation to indulge in a stroke of keen, though almost 
imperceptible satire. Mamurra was indeed a native of Formise, but of 
obscure origin. He served under Julius Caesar, in Gaul, as prmfectus 
fabrorum, and rose so high in favor with him, that Caesar permitted him 



452 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 

to enrich himself at the expense of the Gauls in any way he was able. 
Maraurra, in consequence, became, by -acts of the greatest extortion, pos- 
sessed of enormous riches, and returned to Rome with his ill-gotten wealth. 
Here he displayed so little modesty and reserve in the employment of his 
fortune, as to be the first Roman that incrusted his entire house, situate 
on the Coelian Hill, with marble. We have two epigrams of Catullus, in 
which he is severely handled. Horace, of course, would never bestow 
praise on such a man, neither, on the other hand, would he be openly 
severe on one whom Augustus favored. His satire, therefore, is the 
keener, as it is the more concealed, and the city of the venerable Lamian 
line (Ode iii., 17) is now called after a race of whom nothing was known. 
— Manemus. "We stop for the night." — 38. Murerta prcebente domnni, 
&c. The party supped at Capito's and slept at Murena's. The individ- 
ual last mentioned was a bi'other of Terentia, the wife of Maecenas. He 
was subsequently put to death for plotting against Augustus. 

39-49. 39. Poster a lux oritur. Another amusing imitation of the epic 
style. — 40. Plotius et Varius. These were the two to whom Augustus 
intrusted the correction of the iEneid after Virgil's death. — Sinuessa. 
Sinuessa was a Roman colony of some note, situate close to the sea on 
the coast of Latium, and founded, as is said, on the ruins of Sinope, an an- 
cient Greek city. It lay below Minturnae, and the mouth of the Liris, and 
was the last town of New Latium, having originally belonged to Cam- 
pania. — 41. Ammo., quotes. For amines tales, quales. Compare Epode 
v., 59. — Candtdiores. " More sincere." — 42. Devinctior. " More strongly 
attached." — 44. Sanus. "As long as I am in my right mind." — 45. Cam- 
pa no Ponti. The bridge over the little river Savo, now Savone, is here 
meant. It was three miles from Sinuessa. The modern name is Ponte 
Ceppani. — 46. Parochi. "The commissaries." Before the consulship 
of Lucius Posthumius, the magistrates of Rome travelled at the public 
charge, without being burdensome to the provinces. Afterward, how- 
ever, it was provided by the Lex Julia, de Provinciis, that the towns 
through which any public functionary, or any individual employed in the 
business of the state, passed, should supply him and his retinue with fire- 
wood, salt, hay, and straw, in other words, with lodging and entertain- 
ment. Officers were appointed, called Parochi (nupoxoi), whose business 
it was to see that these things were duly supplied. The name Parochus, 
when converted into its corresponding Latin form, will be Pr&bit.or, which 
occurs in Cicero, De Off-, i., 15. Porphyrion, however, calls them Copiarii. 
— 47. Capuce. Capua was once the capital city of Campania, and in- 
ferior only to Rome. — Tempore. "In good season." The distance from 
their last starting-place to Capua was only nineteen miles. — Ponunt. 
"Put down." For depommt. — 48. Lusum. Understand pila. The game 
of ball was a great favorite with the Romans as with the Greeks. For 
the various modes of playing it, consult Did. Ant., s. v. Pila. — Dormilum. 
Alluding to the siesta or afternoon sleep. — 49. Crudis. " To those who 
are troubled with indigestion." In the term lippis he alludes to himself. 
in crudis, to Virgil. 

51_64. 51. C audi cauponas. "The inns of Caudium." Caudium was 
a town of the Samnites, and gave name to the celebrated defile (Fauces 
Caudina) where the Puomans were compelled by the Samnites to pass 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 453 

under the yoke.— 52. Pngnam. " The wordy war."- — 53. Musa velim me- 
mores, &c. Another burlesque imitation of the epic style.— 54. Contulerit 
lif.es. " Engaged in the conflict." — Messi clarum genus Oxci. The con- 
struction is Osci sunt clarum genus Messi. By the Osci are here meant 
the Campanians generally, who were notorious for their vices. Hence 
the satirical allusion in the epithet clarum. (Compare Munk, de Atella- 
nis, p. 28.) — 55. Sarment.i domina exstat. " The mistress of Sarmentus 
still lives." This was the widow of Favonius. Her husband had been 
put to death after the battle of Philippi. Sarmentus was therefore a slave, 
though his mistress, probably, was afraid of offending Maecenas, in whose 
retinue he at present was, by claiming him. — 56. Equiferi. As Messius 
seems to have been tall of stature and fierce-looking - , Jacobs and Dillen- 
burger think the allusion may be to the unicorn described by iElian [de 
Nat. An., xvi., 20) and Pliuy (H. N, viii., 21). — 58. Accipio. "I accept 
thy challenge," i. e., 'tis even so, I grant. I am like the animal which 
you name, and will soon make you feel it. Messius jocosely admits the 
truth of the comparison, and shakes his head in imitation of a wild horse 
shaking its mane for the purpose of alarming a foe. On this, Sarmentus 
renews the attack. — O, tua cornu, &c. Uttered by Sarmentus, and equiv- 
alent to " O, quid fac.eres, si tibi in f route non exsectum esset cornu ?" 
The allusion is to a large wart which had been cut away from the left 
side of Messius's head. — 60. Cicatrix. The scar left after the removal 
of the wart. — 61. Se/.osam Icevif ronton oris. "The bristly surface of his 
left temple." — Setoxam. Purposely used in place oihixpidam. — 62. Cam- 
pauum morbum. The disorder here alluded to was peculiar to Campania, 
and caused large warts to grow on the temples of the head and on the 
face. — 63. Pastorem saltarct uti Cyclopa. "To dance the part of the 
Cyclops-shepherd," i. e., to represent, in dancing, the part of Polyphemus, 
and his awkward and laughable wooing of the nymph Galatea. The al- 
lusion is to the Roman pantomimes, a species of dramatic exhibition, in 
which characters, either ludicrous or grave, more commonly the former, 
were represented by gesticulation and dancing, without words. — 64. Nil 
illi larva, &c. The raillery is here founded on the great size and horrible 
ugliness of Messius. His stature will save him the trouble of putting on 
high-heeled cothurni (like those used in tragedy) in order to represent the 
gigantic size of Polyphemus, while the villainous gash on his temple win 
make him look so like the Cyclops that there will be no necessity for bis 
wearing a larva, or hideous mask. 

65-68. 65. Donasset jamne catenam, &c. A laughable allusion to the 
slavery of Sarmentus. The Roman youth of good families, on attaining 
the age of seventeen, and assuming the manly gown, were accustomed 
to consecrate their bulla?, or the little gold boss which they wore depend- 
ing from their necks, to the Lares, or household deities. In like manner, 
young girls, when they had left the years of childhood, consecrated their 
dolls to the same. Messius makes a ludicrous perversion of this custom 
in the case of Sarmentus, and asks him whether, when he left the state 
of servitude in-which he had so recently been, he took care to offer up Ins 
fetters to the Lares in accordance with his vow. As only the worst slaves 
were chained, the ridicule is the more severe. From an epigram in Mar- 
tial (iii., 29), it appears that slaves, when freed, consecrated their fetters 
to Saturn, in allusion to the absence of slavery and the equality of condi- 



454 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 

tion which prevailed in the Golden Age. — 66. Scriba. Sarmentus would 
seem to have held this situation in the retinue of Maecenas. — 67. Nihilo. 
To be pronounced as a dissyllable, nilo. So vehemens, in Epist. ii., 2, 120. 
Messius affects to regard the other as a runaway slave, and therefore re- 
marks that the fact of his^being a scribe will not in the least affect his 
mistress's right to claim him as her property. — Cur unquam fugisset ? 
Messius supposes him to have run away on account of not receiving suffi- 
cient food. — 68. Una f arris libra. By the laws of the Twelve Tables, a 
slave was allowed a pound of com a day. 

71-81. 71. Recta. " Direct,' - " i. e., without stopping. Supply via.—' 
Beneventum. This place was situate about twelve miles beyond Cau- 
dium, on the Appian Way. — Ubi sedulus hospes, &c. "Where the offi- 
cious landlord "was almost burned up while he is busily employed in turn- 
ing some lean thrushes at the fire." Observe that arsii is here equivalent 
to combustus est. The purposely confused ai-rangement of the words in 
the line is technically called synchysis {(rvyxvatc). — 73. Nam vaga per 
veterem, &c. Another imitation of the epic style, but more elegant and 
pleasing than those which have gone before. There beings no chimney, 
and the bustling landlord having made a larger fire than usual, the flames 
caught the rafters of the building. On the want of chimneys among the 
ancients, consult note on Ode iv., 11, 11. — 75. Avidos. " Hungry." Un- 
derstand edendi. — Timentes. The slaves were afraid of being punished 
in case the supper were lost. — 76. Rapere. Equivalent to raptim avferre. 
— 77. Ex illo. " After leaving this place." — Notos. Apulia was the na- 
tive province of Horace. — 78. Quos tor ret Atabulus. "Which the wind 
Atabulus parches." The Atabulus was an easterly wind, cold and parch- 
ing, which frequently blew in Apulia. Etymologists deduce the name 
from utt] and (3a?i?MJ. It is now called the Altino. — 79. Erepsemus. 
For erepsissemus. — Trivici. Trivicum was a small place among the 
mountains separating Samnium from Apulia. The vehicles that contain- 
ed the party were compelled to turn off to a farm {villa) in its neighbor- 
hood, as the town itself was difficult of access on account of its mountain- 
ous position. — 80. Lacrymoso. " That brought tears into our eyes." — 81. 
Udos cumfoliis, &c. A proof, as Wieland remarks, that the place where 
they lodged was nothing more than a farm-house, and that the owner was 
unaccustomed to receive guests of this description. 

82-89. 82. Rapimur. "We are whirled along." — Rhedis. "In trav- 
elling-carnages." The rheda was of Gallic origin, and was the usual ve- 
hicle employed by the Romans in making their journeys. It had four 
wheels. — 83. Mansuri. "To take up our quarters for the night." — Quod 
versu dicere non est, &c. "Which it is not possible, indeed, to name in 
verse, though it is a very easy matter to describe it by external marks." 
This town, with the intractable name, is commonly, but incorrectly, sup- 
posed to have been Equus Tuticus or Equotulicus. It was probably 
some unmetrically-named place near Asculum. Equus Tuticus lay com- 
pletely out of the road from Beneventum to Canusium. — 84. Venil. "Is 
sold." — Vilissima rerum. "The cheapest of all things," i.e., which is 
every where else the cheapest. — 85. Ultra. The bread is so good, that 
" the wary traveller" is accustomed to carry it along with him, "from this 
place farther on." Ultra is here equivalent to ulterius indie. — QQ. Ha- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE V. 455 

mens. " On his shoulders," i. e., in the netted bag, or reticulum. Com- 
pare Sat. i., 1, 47. — 87. Nam Canusi lapidosus. "Eor that of Canusiuni 
is gritty." With lapidosus supply panis. Canusiuni was situate on the 
right bank of the Aufidus, or Ofanto, and about twelve miles from its 
mouth. — Aquce non ditior urna. " Which place, not richer than the other 
by a single pitcher of water, was founded," &c, i. e., Canusium labors un- 
der the same scarcity of good water as the place with the unmetrical 
name. There must be no stop after urna, the words aquce non ditior 
urna being connected with the succeeding line, and the whole forming 
another instance of Horace's affected carelessness of construction. 

90-93. 90. Rubos. Rubi, now Ruvo, lay to the southeast of Canusium. 
The distance between the two places is given in the Itinerary of Antoni- 
nus as twenty-three miles, whence the expression longnm iteriuoxix text. 
— 91. Factum corruptius. "Rendered worse than usual." — 92. Pejor. 
"Worse than the day before." — 93. Bari. Barium was a town of some 
note, on the coast of Apulia, below the mouth of the Aufidus. The epithet 
piscosi is given to it in the text on account of its extensive fishery. The 
modern name is Bari. — Dehinc. To be pronounced as a monosyllable. 
Bentley gives dein, which has been generally followed. — Gnatia. Gna- 
tia, or Egnatia, was situate on the coast of Apulia, below Barium. It 
communicated its name to the consular way that followed the coast from 
Canusium to Brundisium. The rains of this place are still apparent near 
the Torre d'Agnazzo and the town of Monopoli. Horace gives the name 
which the town bore in the common language of the day, and this also 
occurs in the Tab. Peuting. The more correct fonn, however; is Egna- 
tia. — Lymphis iratis extructa. " Built amid the anger of the waters." 
The meaning of the poet here is somewhat uncertain, as is evident from 
the scholiast giving us our choice of three different explanations. Thus 
he remarks, " Vel quia eget aquis, vel quod eas salsas habet et amaras, 
vel quod in pede monlis sita est ; ei idcirco videntur aquce irasci, cum tor- 
rentes de montibus impetu magno decurrentes scepe magnas urbis partes 
diruunt." The first of these, the scarcity of good water, appears to us 
the simplest, and it is adopted as the true one by Mannert. Perhaps, 
however, the poet has purposely used this expression, in order that it 
may be susceptible of a double meaning, and that one of these may refer 
to the silly superstition, or rather moon-struck madness of the inhabitants, 
to which he refers immediately after. 

95-100. 95. Dum flamma sine tura liquescere, &c. Pliny informs us 
that a cei-tain stone was shown at Egnatia which was said to possess the 
property of setting fire to wood that was placed upon it. [H. N., ii., 107.) 
It was this prodigy, no doubt, which afforded so much amusement to 
Horace, and from the expression limine sacro, the stone in question would 
appear to have been placed in the entrance of a temple, serving for an 
altar. — 96. Judceus Apella. " The Jew Apella." Scaliger is undoubted- 
ly right in considering Apella a mere pi-oper name of some well-known 
and superstitious Jew of the day. The Jews were very numerous at this 
time in Rome, and remarkable for their superstition. The greater part 
of them belonged to the class oilibertini. Apella, moreover, as the name 
of libertirii, is of frequent occurrence in inscriptions. — 97. Namque deos 
didtci, &c. "For I have learned that the gods pass their time free from 



456 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK L, SATIRE VI. 

all concern about the affairs of men." Horace here acknowledges his be- 
lief in one of the most remarkable doctrines of the Epicurean school. — 
99. Tristes. "Disquieting themselves about us." — 100. Brundisium. 
The most ancient and celebrated town on the coast of Apulia, now Brindisi. 



Satire VI. This poem, addressed to Maecenas, is chiefly valuable for 
the information it contains concerning the life of our author, particularly 
his early education, and the circumstances attending his first introduction 
to that minister. He also descants on the virtue and frugality of his own 
life — he mentions candidly some of his foibles, and describes his table, 
equipage, and amusements. Here every particular is interesting. We 
behold him, though a courtier, simple in his pleasures, and in his temper 
and his manners, honest, warm, and candid, as the old Auruncan. [Dun- 
lop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. -251.) 

1-10. 1. Non, quia, Maecenas, &c. The order of construction is as fol- 
lows : Maecenas, non, ut plerique solent, suspendis adu.nco na^o ignotos, 
lit me natum libertino patre, quia nemo Lydorum, quidquid Lydorum in- 
coluit Etruscos fines, est generosior te, nee quod maternus at que pal emus 
avusfmi tibi qui olim imperitarunt magnis legionibus. " Maecenas, thou 
dost not, as most are wont to do, regard with a sneer persons of lowly 
birth, as, for instance:, me, the son of a freedman, because no one of the 
Lydians that ever settled in the Etrurian territories is of nobler origin 
than thou, nor because thou hast maternal and paternal ancestors, who in 
former days commanded powerful armies." The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is simply this : Though of the noblest origin, O Maecenas, thou dost 
not, as most others do, regard high extraction as carrying with it a right 
to sneer at the*low-born. — Lydorum quidqnid Etruscos, &c. It was the 
popular but erroneous belief that Etruria had been colonized from Lydia. 
Horace means, by the language of the text, to describe the origin of Mae- 
cenas as equaling, if not surpassing, in nobility, that of any individual in 
the whole Etrurian nation. Compare notes on Ode i., 1, 1. — 4. Legioni- 
bus. The term legio is here put, Romano more, for ex&rcilus. — Lmperi- 
tarunt. This reading has been adopted by Fea, Reisig, and Wustemann, 
and is undoubtedly the true one. The original reading was imperita rent, 
for which Bentley gave, from several MSS., imperitarint. — 5. Naso sus- 
pendis adunco. This, in a literal translation, is precisely equivalent to 
our vulgar phrase, " to turn up the nose at one." Thus, " thou dost not, 
as most are wont to do, turn up thy nose at persons of lowly birth." — 

8. Dum ingenuus. " Provided he be a man of woi-th." There is a singu- 
lar beauty in the use of the term ingenuus on the present occasion. By 
ingenui, among the Romans, were meant those who were born of parents 
that had always been tree. The poet, however, here applies the epithet 
to a higher kind of freedom, that of the mind and of the heart; a freedom 
from all moral contamination, and a nobility of thought and action, in re- 
spect of which the nobly-born are sometimes even the vilest of slaves. — 

9. Tulli. Servius Tullius. — Ignobile regnum. An allusion to the servile 
origin of this monarch. The idea which the poet intends to convey is this, 
that, before the reign of Tullius, many individuals, as meanly born as him- 
self, had often obtained honors equally as high, and led a life equally as 
praiseworthy. — 10. Nullis majorious ortos. " Sprung from no long line 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 457 

of aucestors," i. e., of obscure birth. Nullis is here equivalent in spirit to 
ignobilibus. 

12-17. 12. Lcevinnm. We have here an example, on the other ham!, 
of a man descended from illustrious ancestors, but so degraded by vices 
as to be held in universal contempt, and never to have gained an office be- 
yond the quaestorship. — Valeri genus, unde, &c. "A descendant of that 
Valerius by whom, 1 ' &c. Unde is here for a quo. The allusion is to tlie 
celebrated Valerius Poplicola, who was elected to the consulship A.U.C 
244, in the stead of Collatinus, and became the colleague of Brutus in that 
office. From Valerius were descended the families of the Laevini, Corvini, 
Messalae, Catuli, &c. — 13. Fugit. The present tense in place of the past, 
in order to make the narrative more graphic and animated. — Unius assis 
non unquam, Sec. " Has never been valued more highly than a single as, 
even when the populace themselves, with whose decision in matters of 
this kind thou art well acquainted, estimate his merits as the judge ; the 
populace, who often," &c. Licuisse properly refers to bidding at auction, 
so that the idea intended to be conveyed is, that the people would never 
have bid more for him, had he been set up at auction, than a single as. — 
15. Quo nosti. By attraction, in imitation of the Greek idiom, for quern 
7iosti, and equivalent in effect to quern qualis judex sit nosti. According 
to the poet's idea, Laevinus must be worthless enough, if the populace 
even think him so, since they most commonly are blinded to a person's 
defects of character by the brilliancy of his extraction. — 17. Qui stupct 
in titulis et imaginibus. "Who are lost in stupid admiration of titles and 
of images," i. c, of a long line of titled ancestors. An allusion to the B/O- 
m&n jus imaginum. 

18-19. 18. Vos. The idea intended to be ^onveyed is this : If, then, 
the very populace themselves pay but little regard to the nobility of such 
a man as Lsevinus, "how ought persons like thee to act, who art far, far 
removed in sentiment from the vulgar herd?" The answer is not given 
by the poet, but may be easily supplied : They should act even as thou 
dost : they should disregard, not in one, but in every instance, the adven- 
titious circumstances of birth and fortune, and they should look only t(» 
integrity, to an upright and an honest heart. — 19. Namque esto, Sec. The 
poet here gives a slight turn to his subject in a somewhat new direction. 
The connection in the train of ideas appears to be as follows : Such, then, 
being the true principle of action, and such the light in which merit, how- 
ever humble its origin, is regarded by the wise and good, let those unto 
whom titled ancestry is denied repine not at their condition, but remain 
contented with what they have. For suppose (Namquo esto) the people 
should even be unjust toward a candidate of lowly birth, or a censor like 
Appius should eject an individual from the senate because his father had 
not always been free, what great harm is suffered by this ? Is he not 
rather treated as he should be ? And ought he not to have been contented 
with his previous lot, with the approbation of those whose good opinion 
was his best reward, without going on an idle chase after vain and dis- 
quieting honors ? 

20-23. 20. Decio novo. "To a new man like Decius." The term De- 
do is here used as a species of appellative. So, in the preceding line, 

U 



458 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 

Lftvino must be rendered "to a Lsevinus." The allusion in the words 
Decio novo is to P. Decius Mus (Livy, viii., 9), who, like Cicero, was the 
first of his family that attained to a curule office. — Censor Appius. "A 
censor like Appius." The poet alludes to Appius Claudius Pulcher, who 
was censor A.U.C. 702, and ejected many individuals from the senate be- 
cause they were the sons of freedmen. — 22. Vel merito. " Deservedly 
would this even be done." — In propria pell e. " In my own skin," i. e., in 
my own proper sphere. — 23. Sed fulgente trahit, &c. "But glory, thou 
wilt say, leads all men captive at the wheels of her glittering' car." An 
allusion, beautifully figurative, to the triumphal chariot of a conqueror. 
The poet supposes some one to urge, in extenuation of the conduct which 
he has just been condemning, the strong and mastering influence that a 
thirst for distinction exercises upon all men, whatever their origin or con- 
dition in life. To this he replies in the next line, " Quo tibi, Tilli," &c, 
by showing how little real pleasure attends the elevation of the low-born, 
araid the sneers and frowns of the very populace themselves, as well as 
of those into whose circle they have thus intruded. 

24-38. 24. Quo tibi, Tilli. " In what way has it proved of advantage 
unto thee, Tillius V Supply prqfuit. A common ellipsis. (Compare 
Ovid, A. A., i., 303, and Heinsius, ad loc.) According to the scholiast, 
Tillius (or, as he writes the name, Tullius) was removed from the senate 
by Caesar for being a partisan of Pompey's. After the assassination of 
Caesar, however, he regained his senatorian rank, and was made a mili- 
tary tribune. He was an individual of low origin. — 25. Sumere depositum 
clavum. " To resume the laticlave which had been put off by thee." The 
hiticlave (latus clavus) was one of the badges of a senator. — Tribuno. A 
Graecism for tribunurn. — 26. Privato quae minor esset. "Which would 
have been less to thee, hadst thou remained in a private station," i. e., 
which thou wouldst have escaped, hadst thou remained in the obscurity 
to which thou wast forced to return. — 27. Nam ut quisque insanus, &c. 
" For the moment any vain and foolish man covers his leg up to the mid- 
dle with the black buskins." Among the badges of senatorian rank were 
black buskins (here called nigrce pelles, literally, "black skins"), reaching 
up to the middle of the leg, with the letter C in silver on the top of the 
foot. Hence calceos mutare, "to become a senator" (Cic, Phil., xiii., 13). 
■ — 30. Ut si qui aegrotet, &c. " Just as if one labor under the same disor- 
der that Barrus does, so as to desire to be thought a handsome man." As 
regards B arras, consult note on Satire i., 4, 110. — 34. Sic qui promittit, 
&c. An allusion to the form of the oath taken by the magistrates when 
about to enter on the duties of their office. — 35. Imperium. "The govern- 
ment of the provinces," i. e., as opposed to Rome and Italy. (Compare 
Wustemann, ad loc.) — 36. Inhonestus. "Dishonored." — 38. Tune Syri, 
Damae, &c. "Darest thou, the son of a Syrus, a Dama, or a Dionysius, 
hurl Roman citizens down from the Tarpeian Rock, or deliver them over 
to the executioner Cadmus?" Syrus, Dama, and Dionysius are the names 
of slaves, used here as appellatives, and the meaning of the passage is, 
" Darest thou, the son of a slave," &c. The poet supposes some individual 
of the people to be here addressing a tribune of the commons, who had 
risen from the lowest origin to that office of magistracy, by virtue of which 
he presided over the execution of condemned malefactors. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 459 

40-44. 40. At Novius collega, &c. The tribune is here supposed to 
answer, and to urge in his defence that his colleague Novius is of hum- 
bler origin than himself. To which the poet replies by demanding of 
him whether he fancies himself on that account a Paulus or a Messala, or, 
in other words, one of the old nobility. Paulus was the cognomen of one 
of the families of the gens ^Emilia, and Messala of one of those of the gens 
Valeria. — Gradu post me sedet uno. " Sits one row behind me," i. e., is 
inferior to me in rank. The reference is to the fourteen rows of seats set 
apart for the equestrian order at the public spectacles. The tribune of 
the commons, to whom the poet here alludes, as well as his colleague 
Novius, having obtained equestrian rank in consequence of possessing the 
requisite fortune, had seats, of course, among these fourteen rows. It 
would seem, however, that, in occupying these seats, those of better ori- 
gin always preceded those who were inferior to them in this respect.— 
41. Namque est ille, &c. "For he is what my father was," i. e., he is a 
freedman, whereas I am the son of a freedman, and consequently one de- 
gree his superior. — Hoc tibi Paulus, &c. " Dost thou fancy thyself, on 
this account, a Paulus and a Messala?" iEinilius Paulus and Messala 
Corvinus were two distinguished noblemen of the day, and the question 
here put is equivalent to this : Dost thou fancy to thyself that, on this ac- 
count, thou art deserving of being compared with men of the highest rank 
and the most ancient families ? — 42. At hie, si plostra ducenta, &c. The 
individual with whom the tribune is supposed to be engaged in argument 
here replies to the excuse which the latter has advanced : Well, suppose 
thy colleague Novius has been advanced to office, although a freedman, 
did not his merits obtain this station for him ? Has he not a voice loud 
enough to drown the noise of two hundred wagons and three funerals 
meeting in the Forum 1 It is this that pleases us in the man, and there- 
fore we have made him a tribune. All this, it will be readily perceived, 
is full of the most bitter and cutting irony against poor Novius (under 
which character the poet evidently alludes to some personage of the day), 
6ince his whole merit appears to have consisted in the strength of his 
lungs, and the people had advanced to the tribuneship a man who was 
only fit to be a public crier. — 43. Tria funera The funerals of the Ro- 
mans were always accompanied with music; and, for this purpose, per- 
formers of various kinds, trumpeters, cornetters, flute-players, &c, were 
employed. — Magna sonabit cornua, &c. This must be rendered in such 
a way as to express the foolish admiration of the person who utters it. 
" Will send forth a mighty voice, so as to drown the notes of the horns 
and the trumpets." Observe that magna is the neuter plural used ad- 
verbially, in imitation of the Greek. — 44. Saltern. There is something 
extremely amusing in the self-importance which this saltern denotes. — 
Tenet. In the sense of delectat. 

45-64. 45. Nunc ad me redeo, &c. The digression from which the poet 
now returns commenced at the 23d line. — 46. Rodunt. " Carp at." — Lib- 
ertino. The repetition of this word is meant to show how those who en- 
vied him used to carp at the circumstance of his humble origin. — 48. Quod 
mihi pareret, See. The poet alludes to the command which he once held 
in the army of Brutus and Oassius. In each Roman legion there were 
six military tribunes, who commanded under the general in pairs, each 
pair two months. — 49. Dissimile hoc Mi est. " This latter case is differ- 



460 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 

ent from the former." Hoc refers to his having obtained the office of mil- 
itary tribune ; Mi relates to the circumstance of his being a constant goest 
.at tbe table of Maecenas (convictor). — Quia non ut forsit konorem, &c. 
"Because, though any one may, perhaps, justly envy me the military ad- 
vancement that I once enjoyed, he can not with the same justice also envy 
me the possession of thy friendship, especially as thou art careful to take 
unto thee those alone that are worthy of it, and art far removed from the 
baseness of adulation." More literally, " from a base seeking after favor." 
Ambitio is here the seeking for favor by flattery and degrading arts. The 
idea involved is this, that however justly we may envy others the posses- 
sion of what fortune bestows, we can not, with the same propriety, envy 
them the enjoyment of what they obtain by their own deserts. — Forsit. 
The same as fors sit, and equivalent to forsitan. — 51. Dignos. Under- 
stand amicitia iua. — 52. Felicem dicere non hoc, &c. " I can not call my- 
self lucky on this account," i. e., lucky as in the case of my military trib- 
uneship. — 55. Varius. Consult notes on Satire i., 5, 40, and Ode i., 6, 1. — 
Quid essem. "What I was," i. e., what was my character for talents, 
rectitude, &c. — 56. Singultim pauca locutus. "Having stammered out 
a few words." — 57. Infans pudor. " Childish bashfulness." — 58. Circum- 
vectari. Divided by tmesis. — 59. Satureiano caballo. " On a Satureian 
nag." Saturium was a spot in the Tarentine territory, frequently alluded 
to by the ancient writers. It was famed for its fertility, and for its breed 
of horses. — Rura. "My fields." Equivalent to fundos or agros. — 63. 
Turpi honestum. Both adjectives are in the masculine. — 64. Non patre 
prceclaro, &c. " Not by reason of illustrious parentage, but by purity of 
life and of principles." 

65-75. 65. Atqui si vitiis, &c. The order of construction is Atqui si 
mea natura est mendosa mediocribus et paucis vitiis. Atqui must be here 
rendered "Now." — 68. Sordes. " Sordidness." — Mala lustra. "A fre- 
quenting of the haunts of impurity." Lustra literally denotes the dens 
or haunts of wild beasts ; hence it is figuratively applied to the abodes 
of profligacy and vice. — 69. Purus et insons, &c. The order of construc- 
tion is Si vivo purus et insons (ut me collaudem) et carus amicis. Ob- 
serve that ut me collaudem is added by a slight irony, in order to disarm 
the hearer or reader. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 71. Macro pauper agello. 
" Though in narrow circumstances, and the owner of a meagre farm." — 
72. In Flavi ludum. " To the school of Flavius." Flavius was a school- 
master at Venusia, the poet's native place. Magni quo pueri, &c. There 
is much of keen satire in the epithets magni and mag?iis as applied to 
the sons of these centurions and their parents. The poor parent of the bard 
sends his humble offspring to Rome, the great centurions send their great 
sons to the mean and petty school of the provincial pedagogue. — 74. Lasvo 
suspensi loculos, &c. " With their bags of counters and their ciphering 
tables hanging on the left arm." Literally, "hung as to their bags of 
counters," &c. The term tabula is here applied to the table for reckon- 
ing and for performing various operations in arithmetic, used by the Eto- 
nian boys and others. The computations were carried on, for the most 
part, by means of counters ; sometimes, as with us, characters were em- 
ployed. In the latter case, the table was covered with sand or dust. 
The more common name is abacus. — 75. Octonis referentes Idibus cera. 
"Bringing with them, from home, their tuition-money on the ides of each 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 461 

of the eight school months." There was, as appears from Martial (x., 62), 
a long- vacation in the schools every summer, apparently extending from 
the ides of June to those of October. As this would leave only eight 
months in the year for school, Hermann and others suppose that this is 
what is meant by Octonis Idibus, the didanrpov, or fee, being brought to 
the master on the ides of each month, school-fees, like interest, appearing 
to have been paid monthly. {Keightley, ad loc.) Another interpretation 
is as follows : " Bringing with them, from home, calculations of interest, 
for a given sum, to the day of the ides." These are sums, as we would 
call them, which the boys receive from their master to take home and 
work there. The answers they are to bring with them to school the next 
morning. The sums given are computations of interest; to ascertain, for 
example, how much a certain amount will yield, within a certain time, 
and at a certain rate of interest. The period up to which they are to cal- 
culate is fixed, it will be perceived, for the ides of the ensuing month ; in 
other words, the calculations on which they are employed have reference 
to monthly rates of interest. This was in accordance with Roman usage, 
by which the interest of money was paid either on the calends or the 
ides of every month. As regards the epithet octonis, it may be remark- 
ed, that it is here applied to the ides, because in every month eight days 
intervened between the nones and them. As our language affords no 
corresponding epithet, it is regarded by those who adopt this latter mode 
of explaining the text as merely expletive, and not to be translated. 

75-81. 75. Est ausus. The allusion is to the boldness of his parent in 
giving him an education, the expense of which could have but ill accord- 
ed with his narrow finances. — 77. Artes. "Accomplishments." — Doceat. 
"Causes to be taught." Equivalent to docendas curet. — 79. In magno 
ut populo. " As far as was possible in the midst of a crowded populace." 
Amid the crowd of a large city, little attention is comparatively paid to 
the appearance of others. We have followed here the explanation of 
Heindorf aud Orelli, making ut equivalent to quatenus id fieri poterat. 
Bentley and others, however, supply^, or accidere solet, after ut, and 
suppose an opposition to be intended to the custom of country towns, 
where appearance was less attended to. — Avita ex re. "From some 
hereditai-y estate." The poet means, that he appeared to the view of 
men, not as the son of a freedman, but as if he had been the heir of some 
wealthy family. — 80. Illos. Equivalent to tarn magnos. — 81. Ipse uiihi 
custos, Sec. Among the Romans, each youth of good family had his pced-a- 
gogus, or slave, to accompany him to and from school, and discharge the 
duties of protector and private instructor. The public teachers were call- 
ed doctores or pr&ccptores. The anxious father of Horace, however, will 
not trust him even with one of these, but himself accompanies his son. 

85-98. 85. Sibi ne vitio quis verteret olim. " Lest any one might, in 
after days, allege it as a reproach against him." — 86. Coactor. Com- 
mentators are divided in relation to the employment pursued at Rome by 
the father of Horace. In the life of the poet which is ascribed to Sueto- 
nius, his parent is styled, according to the common reading, exactionum 
coactor, " a tax-gatherer," or "collector of imposts." Gesner, however, 
suggested as an emendation, exauctionum coactor, " an officer attendant 
upon sales at auction, who collected the purchase-money." This correc- 



462 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 

tion has been generally adopted. — 87. Parvas mercedes sequerer. "I 
should come to follow an employment attended with petty gains," i. e., I 
should be compelled to follow a mean employment, and one utterly at 
variance with the education I had received. — Ad hoc. " On this ac- 
count." — 89. Sanum. "As long as I am in my right senses." — Eoque 
non, ut magna, &c. "And, therefore, I will not seek to excuse myself 
as a large number do, who declare it to be owing to no fault on their part 
that they have not freeborn and illustrious parents." — 93. Et vox el ratio. 
"Both my language and sentiments." — 94. A certis annis. "From any 
particular period of life." This seems to mean if Nature would allow each 
person to select the year from which he would go back. For many might 
be well enough content with their condition of late years. {Keightley, 
ad loc.) — 95. Atque alios legere adfastum, &c. "And to select any other 
parents whatever, as might suit our pride." — 96. Optaret sibi quisque, 
&c. " Each one might choose for himself what parents he pleased ; con- 
tented with mine, I should feel no inclination to take unto myself such as 
might even be graced with the fasces and the curule chair," i. e., with the 
badges of magistracy. The fasces were borne before dictators, consuls, 
and praetors. — 98. Sanus. "A man of sense," i. e., of sound mind. 

101-106. 101. Atque salutandi plures. " And a crowd of morning visit- 
ors must be received." Literally, " a greater number must be saluted." 
The allusion is to the complimentary visits paid by clients and others to 
the rich and powerful. These were made in the morning; and the poefs 
meaning is, that, as the offspring of powerful parents, he would have to 
receive a large number of them. — 104. Petorrita. The Petorritum, which 
is here taken generally to denote any carriage or vehicle, was properly a 
Gallic carriage or wagon, and drawn by mules. Celtic scholars derive 
the name from pedwar, " four," and rit, " a wheel." — 104. Curto mulo. 
The scholiast explains this by mulo cauda curta ("on my bob-tailed mule"). 
It may be very reasonably doubted, however, whether this interpretation 
is correct, especially as we have no other proof that the English custom 
of docking horses was ever practiced in the south of Europe. At all 
events, the epithet curto, if such is its true meaning in the present pas- 
sage, has very little, as far as regards force or felicity of expression, to 
recommend it. We would incline to the opinion of those who make curto 
here refer to the diminutive size of the animal in question : so that the 
meaning of curto mulo will be, " on my little mule." — 106. Mantica. Cor- 
responding to the modern " saddle-bags." 

107-114. 107. Sordes. " The sordid meanness. ' — 108. Tiburte via. 
The Tiburtine Way led from the Esquiline gate of the capital to the town 
of Tibur. The praetor is travelling along it to reach his villa at the latter 
place, and the meanness, to which the poet alludes, is his carrying along 
with him certain things which will save him the expense of stopping at 
inns by the way. — 109. Lasanum. "A travelling kitchen." We have 
followed the explanation of Seebode. — CE nophorumque. "And a vessel 
for holding wine." He carries also his wine with him. — 110. Hoc. "In 
this way." — 112. Incedo. " I stroll." — 113. Fallacem. " The resort of 
cheating impostors." According to the scholiast, there was always a 
large number of impostors, fortune-tellers, astrologers, and cheats of every 
description collected at the Circus, who imposed upon the ignorant and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VI. 463 

unwary part of the spectators. — Circum. The allusion is to the Circus 
Maximus, situate in the eleventh region of Rome, in the valley between 
the Aventine and Palatine Hills. — Vespertinumque forum. The forum, 
at evening, must have been the scene of many curious adventures, as it 
was the common place of resort for the idlers among the lower orders. 
Horace esteems it one of the peculiar pleasures of his humble situation, 
as a private individual, that he can mingle unnoticed with the crowfls of 
the populace, amuse himself with their various modes of diversion, and 
stroll wherever he pleases through the lanes and by-ways of the Capital. 
This one of higher rank could not do without being noticed and insulted. 
— 114. Divinis. " The fortune-tellers." 

115-118. 115. Ciceris. The chick-pea, which is here meant, is still a 
favorite article of food in the south of Europe. It is the ccce of the Italians, 
and the garbanzo of the Spaniards. [Keightley, ad loc.) — Lagani. "Pan- 
cakes." — 116. Pueris tribus. Namely, a cook, a structor, or slave who 
laid the table, and brought on the viands, and a pocillator, or cup-bearer. 
— Lapis albus. The scholiast Acron explains this by " mensa marmorea," 
but Fea shows very conclusively that the reference here is to a species 
of marble stand, with holes cut in for the purpose of receiving drinking- 
cups and other vessels of this kind, which could not stand of themselves, 
by reason of their spherical bottoms. Wustemann calls it a dumb-waiter. 
— 117. Pocula cum cyaiho duo. One of these cups held water, the other 
wine, and the cyathus would be used for mixing the contents of the two. 
— Echinus. This term is commonly, though erroneously, supposed to de- 
note here a vessel in which the cups were washed. The true meaning, 
however, is " a salt-cellar." — 118. Guttus. " A craet." A small vessel 
with a narrow neck, from which the liquor which it contained issued by 
drops (guttatim), or else in very small quantities. It was chiefly used in 
sacred rites, and is therefore classed here with the patera, or bowl for of- 
fering libations. — Campana supellex. " Campanian ware." This was 
cheap and common. 

119-120. 119. Non sollicitus, miki quod eras, &c. " Disquieted by no 
necessity of rising early the next morning, and visiting the statue of Mar- 
syas." Literally, " not disturbed in mind because I must rise," &c. The 
poet means that he has no lawsuit, nor any business whatever connect- 
ed with the courts, that will disturb his slumbers over night, and require 
his attendance early in the morning. — 120. Marsya. A statue of Mar- 
syas, the satyr, who contended with Apollo for the prize in music, and 
was flayed alive by the conqueror, stood in the Roman forum, in front of 
the rostra. The story of Marsyas presents a remarkable instance of well- 
merited punishment inflicted on reckless presumption, and as this feeling 
is nearly allied to, if not actually identified with, that arrogant and un- 
governable spirit which formed the besetting sin of the ancient democra- 
cies, we need not wonder that, in many of the cities of antiquity, it was 
customary to erect a groupe of Apollo and Marsyas in the vicinity of their 
courts of justice, both to indicate the punishment which such conduct 
merited, and to denote the omnipotence of the law. — Qui se vultum ferre 
negat, &c. The younger Novius, as the scholiast informs us, was accus- 
tomed to carry on his shameful usuries near the statue of Marsyas, and, as 
the satyr was represented with one hand raised up (compare Servius, ad 



464 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VII. 

Virg., JEn., iv., 58), Horace wittily supposes that this was done by him 
to show his aversion to such beings as Novins, and to drive them, as it 
were, from his presence. 

122-131. 122. Ad quartam jaceo. " I lie abed until the fourth hour." 
The fourth hour with the Romans answered to ten o'clock in the morn- 
ing. — Lecto aut scripto quod me, &c. "After having read or written 
something that may serve to occupy my thoughts agreeably when in a 
musing mood." Lecto and scripto are ablatives, eo being understood. 
Some commentators make them frequentative verbs. — 124. Non quofrau- 
datis, &c. " Not with such as the filthy Natta is, and which he has stolen 
from his lamps." Or, more literally, "not with such as the filthy Natta 
is, his lamps being cheated of their oil." Natta defrauded the lamps by 
using such oil as was only fit for them. "Withfrandatis understand oleo. 
— Natta. Understand ungitur. — 126. Fugio campum hiswmque trigonem. 
"I abandon the Campus Martius, and the game of ball." The game of 
ball was called pila trigpnalis, or trigon, when the parties who played it 
were placed in a triangle (rpiyuvov), and tossed it from one to another : 
he who first let it corn-e to the ground was the loser. The common text 
has fugio rabiosi tempora signi, i. e., as the scholiast explains it, " aes- 
tuosos dies caniculares," or the heat of the dog-days. It is veiy evident, 
however, that this has nothing to do with the object and meaning of the 
context. Bentley therefore adopts the reading which we have given, on 
the authority of the oldest of the Blandinian MSS. — 127. Pransus non 
avide, &c. " Having taken a moderate dinner, sufficient to prevent my 
passing the day with an empty stomach." The mid-day meal of the Ro- 
mans was generally very slight, after riches had increased among them, 
and the principal repast was the casna, or supper. The meaning of the 
poet is, that he took little food during the day, but waited until evening. — 
128. Domesticus otior. " I idle away the rest of my time at home." — 130. 
His me consolor victurum suavius. " I comfort myself with the hope that 
I will lead a happier existence by such rules as these," &c. — 131. Quces- 
tor. This term is purposely used in place of either Consvl or Praetor, 
as containing a satirical allusion to the quaestors of the day, and to their 
rapacity in accumulating wealth, which characterized so many of them 
as frequently to render a quaestorian descent quite other than a subject 
of boasting. 



Satire VII. A lawsuit is here mentioned for the purpose of introducing 
a very indifferent witticism of one of the litigants. The case was plead- 
ed before Marcus Brutus, who at the time was governor of Asia Minor, 
and was making a progress through his proviuce for the purpose of dis- 
tributing justice. The parties being named Persius and Rupilius Rex, 
the former, during the hearing of the cause, asked Brutus why, as it was 
the practice of his family to destroy kings, he did not cut the throat of his 
opponent. "A miserable clench," says Dryden, "in my opinion, for 
Horace to record. I have heard honest Mr. Swan make many a better, 
and yet have had the grace to hold my countenance." At this distance 
of time, the story has certainly lost all its zest ; but the faces and gestures 
of the parties, and the impudence of addressing this piece of folly to such 
a man as Brutus, may have diverted the audience, and made an impres- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VII. 465 

sion on Horace, who was perhaps present, as he at that time followed the 
fortunes of the conspirator. (Dunlop's Rom. Lit., vol. iii., p. 251.) 

l-o. 1. Proscripli Regis Rupili, <5cc. "In what way the mongrel 
Persius took vengeance on the filth and venom of outlawed Rupilius, sur- 
named the King, is known, I imagine, to every hlear-eyed person and 
barber about town." According to the scholiast, P. Rupilius Rex was a 
native of Pragneste, who, having been proscribed by Octavianus (Augus- 
tus), then a triumvir, fled to the army of Brutus, and became a fellow- 
soldier of the poet. Jealous, however, of the military advancement which 
the latter had obtained, Rupilius reproached him with the meanness of 
his origin, and Horace therefore retaliates in the present satire. — 2. Hyb- 
rida. The term hybrida properly denotes a creature begotten between 
animals of different species; when applied to human beings, among the 
Romans, it designated a person whose parents were of different countries, 
or one of whose parents was a slave. In the present instance, Persius is 
called hybrida, because, according to the scholiast, his father was a Greek 
and his mother a Roman. — 3 Lippis. The disorder of the eyes termed 
lippitudo appears to have been very common at Rome. The offices of 
the physicians, therefore, would always contain many patients laboring 
under this complaint, and who, while waiting for their turn to come un- 
der the hands of the practitioner, would amuse themselves, of course, 
with the news and gossip of the day. — 4. Permagna negotia habebat. 
" Was carrying on very extensive moneyed transactions." The allusion is 
here, not to trade, as the scholiast and many commentators pretend, but 
to the loaning of money.— 5. Clazomenis. Clazomenae was a city of Asia 
Minor, in the region of Ionia. It lay to the west of Smyrna, on the Sinus 
Smyrnaeus, and, on account of its advantageous situation for commerce, 
received many favors from Alexander the Great, and subsequently from 
the Romans. 

6-8. 6. Durus homo, ice. "A fellow of harsh and stubborn temper, 
and who in insolent importunity could surpass even the king." As regards 
the peculiar meaning of odium in this passage, compare Ruhnken, ad Ter- 
ent., Phorm., v., 6, 9 ; Ernesti, Clav. Cic, s. v. — 7. Adeo sermonis amari, 
&c. "Of so bitter a tongue, as far to outstrip the Sisennae, the Barri." 
The terms Sisennas and Barros are here taken as appellatives, and the 
reference is to persons in general, as infamous for the virulence of their 
defamatoiy railings as Sisenna and Barrus. With regard to the latter of 
these two individuals, consult note on Satire i., 4, 110. Dacier thinks 
that the other is the same with Cornelius Sisenna, of whom Dio Cassius 
(54, 27) relates a very discreditable anecdote. — 8. Equis pr&curreret al- 
bis. A proverbial form of expression, and equivalent to longe superaret. 
Various explanations are assigned for this peculiar mode of speech, the 
most common of which is, that white horses were thought by the ancients 
to be the swiftest. Compare Erasmus (Chil. 1, cent. 4, 21, p. 138, cd. 
Steph.) : " Ubi quern aliis quapiam, in re longe supcriorem signijicabant, 
longoque anteire intervallo, eum albis equis prceccdere dicebant ; vel, quod 
antiquitus equi albi meliores haberentur ; vel, quod victores in triumpho 
albis equis vectari solerent ; vel, quod albi eqxii fortunatiores et auspicati- 
ores esse credei-enlur, ut ad equestre certamen referamus melaphoram ." 



466 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VII. 

9-17. 9. Postquam nil inter utrumque convenit. " When no reconcili- 
ation could be effected between them. ' Or, more literally, " after noth- 
ing was agreed upon between the two." — 10. Hoc etenim sunt omnes, &c. 
"For all, between whom adverse war breaks out, are, by this fixed law of 
our nature, troublesome to one another in proportion as they are valiant." 
All from hoc etenim to missis in line 18 is parenthetic; not indicating, as 
Keightley thinks, the unpracticed poet by its awkwardness, but purpose- 
ly introduced to heighten the burlesque air of the piece. — 12. Hectora 
Priamiden, &c. The comparison here drawn is extremely amusing, and 
is intended to give an air of seriousness and importance to this mighty 
combat. 'Tis death alone, observes the poet, that can terminate the dif- 
ferences between brave men, such as Hector and Achilles, Persius and 
Rupilius ; whereas, if two faint-hearted men engage, or two persons not 
equally matched in courage and in strength, one of them is always sure 
to give up. — 13. Irafuit capitalis, &c. The order of construction is fuit 
(tarn) capitalis ira ut ultima mors solum divideret illos. " There was so 
deadly a feud, that the utter destruction of one of the two could alone ter- 
minate their difference." Literally, "could alone separate them." Cap- 
italis means, properly, " what affects the head," i. e., the life. — 15. Duo si 
discordia vexet inertes. " Whereas, if discord set two faint-hearted men 
in action." — 16. Diomedi cum Lycio Glauco. Alluding to the exchange 
of armor between Glaucus and Diomede. — 17. Pigrior. " The weaker 
of the two." 

18-19. 18. Bruto praztore tenente, &c. Brutus was praetor when he 
took part in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Asia formed, in fact, a 
proconsular province, that is, its govei-nor was to be a man of consular 
rank. In the confusion, however, which succeeded the death of Caesar, 
this rule, with many others of a similar nature, was not, of course, accu- 
rately complied with ; and the Roman senate, who, amid all their weak- 
ness and timidity, still felt convinced that their only hope of restoring the 
republic rested with Brutus, exerted themselves to strengthen his hands 
by provincial appointments. He received, therefore, first, the government 
of Crete, as propraetor, afterward that of Macedonia, and, A.U.C. 711, the 
province of Asia, a part of which, however, he had first to reduce to his 
authority by force of arms. It is evident, therefore, that Horace uses the 
term prcetore in the text in the sense of " governor" (propr&tore would 
have been unmanageable in verse), and with the more propriety, in the 
present instance, as Brutus never had obtained a higher rank in the re- 
public than the praetorian. — 19. Rupili et Persi par pu gnat. "The pair, 
Rupilius and Persius, enter the lists." Our idiom rejects the genitive 
("the pair of Rupilius and Persius"), which, in the original, conveys an 
air of peculiar elegance to the clause, being based upon the expression 
par gladiatorum. — Uti non compositi melius cum Bitho Bacchius. "With 
bo much spirit, that the gladiators Bacchius and Bithus were not more 
equally matched." 

21-26. 21. Acres. "Eager to bring 'their cause to a hearing." — Mag- 
nvm spectaculum uterque. " Each a very diverting spectacle." — 22. Per- 
sius exponit causam. "Persius opens the case," i. e., lays before the 
court the grounds on which the action was brought. He was the plaintiff. 
— Ridetur ab omni conventu. " He is laughed at by the whole assembly." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I., SATIRE VIII. 467 

Conventus here included all who were present at the hearing of the case. 
— 23. Cohortem. "His retinue." — 24. Solern Asia. As illumining the 
whole province of Asia by the splendor of his authority and name. — 25. 
Canem ilium, invisum agricolis, &c. " That Rupilius had come like that 
hound, the star hateful to husbandmen." The allusion is to the dog-star. 
Consult note on Ode i., 17, 17. — 26. Ruebat,ftumen ut hibemum, Sec. "He 
poured along, as a wintry flood is wont, in places whither the axe of the 
woodman seldom comes." Persius, choking with rage while he pours 
forth his torrent of angry invective against Rupilius, is compared to a 
stream swollen by the winter rains, and choked in its course by the thick 
underwood, and other impediments of the kind which it encounters. 

28-30. 28. Turn Prcenestinus salso, Sec. " Then the native of Prae- 
neste, like a stubborn and unconquered vine-dresser, to whom the pas- 
senger hath often been obliged to yield, when calling him cuckoo with 
roaring voice, retorts upon his opponent, as he flowed along in his cutting 
and copious style, invectives drawn, as it were, from the vulgar raillery 
of the vineyard itself." The vines in Italy were trimmed and pruned 
early in the spring. If any vine-dresser, therefore, attended to this branch 
of his duties late in the season (the period when the cuckoo begins to put 
forth its note), he was sure of encountering the raillery of passengers for 
his indolence and loss of time, and it was customary with them, in allusion 
to the lateness of the season, in which his labors had only just commenced, 
to salute his ears with the cry of cucullus (" cuckoo," i. e., in the vulgar 
dialect of our own days, " lazy lubber"). On this a fierce war of invective 
and abuse invariably ensued, in which the more extensive vocabulary of 
the vine-dressers generally insured them the victory. Horace compares 
Rupilius, therefore, to a vine-dresser who had been in many such conflicts, 
and had always come off conqueror; in other words, he pays a high com- 
pliment to his unrivalled powers of abuse. — 29. Arbusto. The Italian 
vines were trained along trees. Hence the use of arbustum to denote a 
vineyard. — 30. Vindemiator. This term properly denotes one who gathers 
the grapes for the vintage. It is here used, however, in the sense oiputa- 
tor. In metrical reading, vindemiator must be pronounoed vindem-yator. 

32-35. 32. Gr&cus. Compare note on verse 2, — Italo aceto. The in- 
vectives and abuse uttered by Rupilius are here designated by the ap- 
pellation of "Italian vinegar." — 34. Qui reges co?isuesti tollere. Brutus 
had aided in slaying Caesar only, but Junius Brutus, one of his aucestors, 
had driven Tarquin from Rome. Persius therefore addresses him as an 
hereditary tyrannicide. — 35. Operum hoc mi/ti crede tuorum est. " This 
is one, believe me, of the deeds that peculiarly belong to thee," i. e., this, 
trust me, is a work for thee alone, the hereditary foe of kings, to accom- 
plish. We may either understand unum after operum, tuorum, or, what 
is far preferable, make the genitive here an imitation at once of the Greek 
idiom. 



Satire VIII. The design of this satire is to ridicule the superstitions 
of the Romans. Priapus is introduced, describing the incantations per- 
formed by Canidia, in Maecenas's newly-laid-out gardens on the Esquiline 
Hill, which he protected from thieves. But he could not guard them from 



468 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VIII. 

the intrusion of Canidia and a sister hag, who resorted thither for the cel- 
ebration of their unhallowed rites. 

1-10. 1. Inutile lignum. The wood of the fig-tree was very little used, 
on account of its brittleness. Hence the Greek proverb, avijp ovklvoc, 
"A fig-tree man," to denote one that is of little firmness or real value. — 
2. Faber. " The carpenter." Supply lignarius. — Incertus, scatnnum fa- 
ceretne Priapum. Horace here represents the carpenter as at a loss 
whether to make a bench or a Priapus out of the wood in question. This, 
of course, is a mere witticism on the part of the poet, at the expense of 
the strange deity to whom he alludes. — =3. Furum aviumque maxima 
formido. A wooden figure of Priapus was generally set up in gardens 
and orchards. He was usually represented with a crown of reeds or of 
garden herbs, and holding in his right hand a wooden club, or else scythe, 
while his body terminated in an unsightly trunk. The Roman poets ap- 
pear, in general, to have entertained little, if any, respect for him ; and with 
the vulgar he degenerated into a mere scare-crow, whose only employment 
seemed to be to drive away the birds and thieves. — 4. Dextra. Alluding 
to the club or scythe with which his right hand was armed. — 5. Arundo. 
Referring to his crown of reeds, the rattling of which served to terrify the 
birds. — 6. Novis liortis. By the "new gardens" are here meant those of 
Maecenas on the Esquiline Hill, which were laid out on what had been 
previously a common burying-place for the lower orders, for slaves and for 
ruined spendthrifts. It seems to have been called Puliculi, because the 
bodies were thrown into common " pits," as is done in some parts of Italy 
at the present day. Slaves were crucified, and criminals executed at this 
place. As it was naturally, from its noxious effluvia, a source of annoy- 
ance to those who lived in the vicinity, Maecenas, having obtained pos- 
session of it (we know not precisely in what manner), laid it out in a park. 
{Keightley, ad loc.) — 7. Prius. Before the gardens of Maecenas were laid 
out. — Angustis ejecta cellis. "Tossed out of their narrow cells." The 
term ejecta forcibly denotes the unfeeling manner in which the corpses of 
slaves were disposed of. By cellis are meant their little cells, or dormi- 
tories at home. — 8. Conservus locabat. " The fellow-slave bargained for," 
i. e., he bargained with the designator, or undertaker, to have the dead 
body or bodies carried forth and interred. Orelli and others suppose that 
the conservi made up a common purse, as it were, among themselves, in 
order to defray the expense of this. Not so, however, by any means. 
The conservus merely bargained with the designator on his master's ac- 
count. Compare Keightley, ad loc. — Vili in area. "In a mean coffin." 
The coffin was only used for carrying the body to the grave, and had no 
cover or top. The corpse was thrown into the grave coffinless, a custom 
which still prevails among the poorer classes in Italy. The corpses of the 
higher orders and the wealthy were conveyed on litters (lectica) to the 
funeral pile. — 9. Commune sepulcrum. "A common burial-place." — 
10. Pantolabo scurrce, Nomentanoque nepoti. "For such beings as the 
buffoon Pantolabus and the spendthrift Nouientanus." Both Pantolabus 
and Nomentanus were still alive, as appears from Satire ii., 1, 19, and the 
poet, with cutting satire, makes their names grace, as appellatives, two 
entire classes of men. As regards Pantolabus, the scholiast tells us his 
true name was Mallius Verna, and that he received the appellation of 
Pantolabus from the habit of indiscriminate borrowing. With respect to 
Nomentanus, consult note on Satire i., 1, 101. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE VIII. 469 

11-18. 11. Milk pedes in j 'route, &c. "Here a small stone pillar mark- 
ed out for it a thousand feet of ground in front, three hundred toward the 
fields ; (rrith the injunction added) that this place of burial should not de- 
scend to the heirs of the estate/' This describes the whole extent of the 
burial-ground, which probably, as Keightley remarks, formed only a part 
of Maecenas's gardens. It was the custom, when ground was set apart 
by any individual, as in the present instance, for a place of interment, to 
erect upon it a small square pillar of stone, with an inscription on it, des- 
ignating the limits of the piece of land to be appropriated for this pur- 
pose, and declaring that it never was to return to the heirs of the estate. 
The cippus alluded to in the text marked out a thousand feet for the 
breadth {i?i /route, i. e., along the road), and three hundred for the depth 
(in agrum, i. e., extending inward toward the fields), and it had also the 
common injunction respecting the land's not descending to the heirs of the 
estate. — 14. Aggere in aprico. " On an open and sunny terrace." The 
allusion is to the Agger, or high Avail of Servius Tullius, which, like the 
Boulevards of continental towns in Europe, was probably used as a prom- 
enade. It is termed apricus on account of its height and sunny situation. 
Juvenal (viii., 43), for the same reason, calls it ventosus. {Keightley, ad 
loc.) — Modo. "A short time ago.'' — Tristes. Referring to the passers 
by, and the feelings that came upon them as this place of interment met 
their view. — 16. Qiium. "While, in the mean time." Quum is here 
equivalent to cum interea, and Priapus alludes to the period which has 
intervened between the first formation of the gardens and the present 
moment in which he is represented as speaking. — Ferce. " Birds of prey." 
They are called Esquilince alites in Epode v., 100. — Suetce. Equivalent 
to qua solebant. — 18. Quantum. Understand veneficce. sunt. — Carmini- 
bus qua versant, &c. "Who turn people's brains by their incantations 
and drugs." 

20-28. 20. Vaga Luna. The epithet vaga, "wandering," is merely 
applied to the moon in allusion to her course through the heavens. — 
22._ Vidi egomet. " I myself saw," i. e., I saw with my own eyes. A 
piece of humorous solemnity, as Keightley remarks. — Nigra succinctam 
palla. "With her sable robe tucked up." Duntzer and others think 
that palla is here used for tunica ; incorrectly, however, since, as Wiiste- 
mann remarks, the full-bosomed palla is meant, in the capacious sinus 
of which Canidia would carry the several articles required for her incan- 
tations. Keightley supposes the poet to mean the ordinary toga pulla, 
worn by women of Canidia's class, the palla being the peculiar mantle or 
robe of the Roman lady, and, according to him, out of place here. — 24. Cum 
Sagana majore. "With the elder Sagana." The scholiast makes this 
Sagana to have been a freedwoman of Pomponius, a Roman senator pro- 
scribed by the triumvirate, and to have had a sister younger than herself; 
whence the epithet major (sc. natu) here applied to her. During thinks 
that Sagana may have been termed. majo re by Horace, as being older 
than Canidia. — 26. Scalpere terrain unguibus, &c. The witches are here 
represented as digging a trench with their nails, and tearing the victim 
in pieces with their teeth. Thi3, of course, is invented by the poet, in 
order to give a more ridiculous appearance to the whole scene. — 26. Pul- 
lam agnam. Black victims were always offered to the gods of the lower 
world. — 27. Confusus. " All poured." — 28. Inde. This may either refer 



470 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 

to the trench or the blood. The latter appears to us more correct, and 
inde will therefore be equivalent to hac re, " by means of this." Nothing 
was supposed to be more delicious to the souls of the departed than blood. 
They would not foretell any future events, nor answer any questions, until 
they had tasted of it. — Manes. The Dei Manes, of course, are meant. 

29-35. 29. Lanea et effigies erat, &c. There were two images, one of 
larger size, and made of wool, the other smaller, and composed of wax. 
The former represented Canidia, the latter the intended victim of the 
charm ; and this one stood in a suppliant posture before the other, as if 
about to receive some signal punishment. The general rule in magic rites 
seems to have been, to make the images of those who were to be bene- 
fited of wool, and to employ wax in the case of those who were to be op- 
erated upon. The wool was deemed invulnerable, whereas the wax was 
either pierced with needles, or was made to melt away in magic fires. — 
31. Quce poenis compesceret inferiorem. "Which was to keep the smaller 
one withiu bounds by certain punishments," i. e., was to keep the indi- 
vidual whom the image represented from wandering in his affections, by 
the infliction of certain severe punishments. — 32. Servilibus modis. " Like 
a slave," i. e., by the severest inflictions of suffering. Compare Orelli : 
" Miserabiliter peritura, liquejieri enim debebat." — 34. Lunamque ruben- 
tern. "And the blushing moon." The moon blushes with shame at these 
abominable rites. — 35. Magna sepulcra. Not, as some suppose, the high- 
raised graves in the gardens, for these had long since disappeared, if they 
ever had been there at all, but probably the lofty tombs of some of the Ro- 
man nobility along the Via Tiburtina in the vicinity. (Keightley, ad loc.) 

37-39. 37. TJmbrcE. The manes evoked by the incantations of the sor- 
ceress. — Resonarent triste et acutum. The spirits of the dead are here 
represented, in accordance with the popular belief, as uttering a plaintive 
and shrill sound when speaking. — 38. Lupi barbam. Pliny (H. N., xxviii., 
10) informs us that tire snout of a wolf (rostrum lupi) was thought to pos- 
sess the greatest virtue in repelling enchantments, and was therefore 
fixed up over the doors of farm-houses. The modern belief respecting the 
efficacy of the horse-shoe is akin to this. On the present occasion, the 
hags bury a wolfs beard in order to guard their own enchantments against 
any counter-charm. — 43. Cerea. To be pronounced, in metrical reading, 
cer-ya. Compare Sat. ii., 2, 21, where a similar contraction occurs in the 
word ostrea. 



Satire IX. Horace describes the unavailing efforts which he employs 
to get rid of an importunate fellow, a fop and poetaster, who tires and 
overwhelms hitn with his loquacity. Sometimes he stops short, and then 
walks fast, but all his endeavors are vain to shake off the intruder. A 
few of the touches of this finished portrait, which is surpassed by none in 
delicacy of coloring and accuracy of delineation, have been taken from the 
characters of Theophrastus. The individual here described belonged to a 
class of persons, then so numerous at Rome, who fancied themselves to 
be bel-esprits, men of talents and accomplishments, and entitled to be> 
like Horace and Virgil, admitted to the society of the great. The poet 
here depicts the mean artifices by which they thought this was to be ef- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 471 

fected, and indirectly informs the world how things really were in the 
house of Maecenas. (Keightley, ad loc.) 

1-10. 1. Ibam forte Via Sacra. "I chanced to he strolling along the 
Sacred Way." Compare Ode iv., 2, 34 ; Epode vii., 7. — 2. Nescio quid 
meditans nugarum. "Musing on some trifle or other." — 4. Quid agis t 
dulcissime rerum ? " My dearest of friends in the whole world, how goes 
it?" More freely, "My dearest fellow, how do you do?" Some punc- 
tuate as follows : Quid agis, dulcissime, rerum ; but, as Wustemann re- 
marks, the usual expression was quid rerum geris. — 5. Suaviter ut nunc 
est, ice. "Pretty well at present, I reply, and thou hast my best wishes 
for thy welfare," i. e~, pretty well, as times go. The expression cupio 
omnia qua vis (literally, "I desire all things to come to pass as thou wish- 
est") was a form employed in taking leave of a person. Hence it is used 
by the poet on the present occasion, in turning away from the individual 
who accosts him. — 6. Num. quid vis ? occupo. " Dost thou want any 
thing else of me ? I ask, before he has time to begin a regular conversa- 
tion." Supply aliud after quid. The phrase num. quid vis ? was another 
customary mode of taking leave, and is of frequent occurrence in the 
comic writers. According to Donatus, it was used among the Romans in 
order that they might not seem to take their leave too abruptly. Our 
modern phrase, "Hast thou any thing with me?" is precisely analogous. 
— Occupo. The peculiar force of this verb in the present instance must 
be noted. The poet means that he gets the start of the troublesome indi- 
vidual with whom he has come in contact, and proceeds to bid him good- 
by before the latter has time to make a regular onset and commence talk- 
ing at him. — 7. Noris nos, inquit ; docti sumus. "Yes, replies he, I want 
thee to become acquainted with me : I am a man of letters." Complete 
the ellipsis as follows : velim ut nos noris. Orelli and Wustemann, how- 
ever, say that noris is here not the perfect subjunctive, but the past or 
complete future, and means "Surely thou knowest us." This, however, 
is less natural. — 8. Hoc. " On this account." — Misere discedere qucerens. 
" Wanting sadly to get away from him." — 9. Ire. The historical iufini- 
tive, as it is termed, used in the sense of the imperfect, ibam. So, also, 
dicere for dicebam. — 10. Puero. The "servant boy" who accompanied 
him, according to custom. — Quum. "While all the while." 

11-21. 11. O te, Bolane, &c. "Ah! Bolanus, murmured I to myself, 
•nappy in thy irritable temper !" i. e., would that I were blessed for this 
occasion with that temper of thine. According to the scholiast, the indi- 
vidual hero alluded to was a man of irritable and fiery temper, who had a 
summary mode of getting rid of such acquaintances by telling them to 
their faces what he thought of them. — 13. Vicos. " The streets," i. e., the 
fine appearance of the houses on both sides of the way. — 15. Sed nil agis, 
usque tenebo. "But 'tis all in vain. I'm determined to stick close by 
thee." This is meant for a bon-mot by the poet's persecutor. — 16. Perse- 
quar. " I'll follow thee wherever thou goest," i. e., I will accompany 
thee all the way to where thou art going. Bentley's prosequar is merely 
" I will escort thee." — Hinc quo nunc iter est tibi ? " Whither does thy 
route lie now from this quarter?" — 18. Cubat. "He is sick in bed." — 
C(Bsaris hortos. The reference is to the gardens of Julius Caesar, which 
he left by his will to the Roman people. (Suet., Cces., 83.) They were 



472 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 

situate on the right hank of the Tiber. — 19. Piger. " In a lazy mood." — 
Usque sequar te. "I will accompany thee as far." — 20. Ut iniquce mentis 
asellus. "Like a surly young ass." Beasts of burden, says Keightley, 
when out of temper, lay back their ears. — 21. Quum gravius dorso subtil 
onus. The construction is quum subiit (i. e., tit sub) gravius onus dorso. 
"When a heavier load than ordinary is put upon his back." Literally 
" when he goes under a heavier load than ordinary with his back." The* 
final syllable of subiit is lengthened by the arsis. . 

22-28. 22. Viscum. There were two brothel's named Viscus, of sena- 
torian rank, and sons of Vibius Viscus, a Roman knight, who stood high in 
favor with Augustus. They were both distinguished by their literary tal- 
ents, and both are named by Horace, in the tenth satire of this book, among 
those persons whose good opinion was to him a source of gratification. 
From the present passage it would appear, that, at this time, he was par- 
ticularly intimate with one of the two. — 24. Quis membra movere viol- 
lius 1 &c. " Who Can dance more gracefully ? My singing, too, even 
Hermogenes would envy." Consult note on Satire i., 6, 1. — 26. Inlerpel- 
landi locus hie erat. " An opportunity here offered itself for interrupting 
him." The poor bard, driven to despair by the garrulity of his new ac- 
quaintance, and finding it impossible to shake him off, seeks some little 
relief under his misery by endeavoring to change the conversation, and 
introduce the subject of his neighbor's extraction. He asks him, there- 
fore, if he has a mother living, if he has any relations who are intei-ested 
in his welfare. — 27. Queis te salvo est opus. "Who are interested in 
thy welfare," i. e., who are wrapped up in the safety and preservation 
of so valuable a man as thou. Literally, "who have need of thee safe." 
The poet, driven to extremities, indulges in a sneer at his persecutor, but 
the armor of the other is proof against the blow. — 28. Omnes composui. 
"I have laid them all at rest," i. e., I have buried them all. Compono is 
the proper term for laying the corpse on the bier, or placing the ashes in 
the urn. The talkative fellow wishes to intimate to Horace how able he 
is to serve the bard as well as all other friends, from the circumstance of 
his being free from the claims of any relatives on his time and attention. 
— Felices ! "Happy they," mutters the poor bard to himself, who are 
now out of the reach of thy never-ending tongue. From this to oetas, in 
the 34th line, inclusive, is supposed to be spoken aside by the poet. 
Nothing can be more amusing than to picture to ourselves the poor bard, 
moving along with drooping head, and revolving in mind his gloomy des- 
tiny. The prediction, of course, to which he alludes is a mere fiction, and 
got up expressly for the occasion. 

29-37. 29. Confice. "Dispatch me," i. c., come, make quick work of 
me. — Sabclla quod puero, &c. "Which an old Sabine sorceress foretolt 
unto me when a boy, after having shaken her urn." The common read- 
ing is divina viola anus nrna, to which Cruquius and Bentley both ob- 
ject, on the ground of ambiguity. We have adopted the order which they 
recommend instead of it, namely, mold divina anus urnd. This avoids 
the elision of the long vowel, which will occur if we read divina mold 
anus nrna. Compare si vie amas in verse 38. The divination here al- 
luded to was performed in the following manner : A number of letters 
and entire words were thrown into an urn and shaken together. When 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 473 

they were all well mixed they were thrown out, and, from the arrange- 
ment thus brought about by chance, the witch formed her answers respect- 
ing the future fortunes of the person that consulted her. — 31. Hunc. Re- 
ferring to the boy Horace. — Nee hos/icus avferct ensis. The poet escaped 
from the battle-field. (Ode ii., 7, 10.) — 32. Laterum dolor. "Pleurisy." 
— 33. Quando consumet cunque. A tmesis for quandocunque consumet. 
" Shall one day or other make away with." — 35. Ventum erat ad Vestee. 
Understand templum. This temple would seem to have stood between 
the Via Nova and that continuation or branch of the Via Sacra which is- 
sued from the western angle of the Forum. — 36. Et casu tunc respondere 
vadato debebat. " And it so happened that he had to answer in court to 
a person who had,held him to bail." Vadari aliqucm is to compel any 
one to give bail for his appearance in court on a certain day. Hence 
vadatus, the participle of this deponent, becomes equivalent, as in the 
present case, to petitor or plaintiff. With regard to the time of day men- 
tioned by the poet (quarta jam parte diei pr&terita), it may be remarked, 
that, as the Roman day was divided into twelve hours, the fourth part of 
the day would correspond to the third hour, or nine o'clock in the morning 
with us. At this hour the courts of law opened, according to Martial 
("cxercet raucos tertia causidicos." Epig., iv., 8), and the companion of 
Horace, therefore, when he reached the temple of Vesta, was after the 
time when he ought to have been present in court. — 37. Quod nifecissct, 
perdere litem. " And if he did not do this, he would lose his cause." Per- 
dere is governed by debebat understood. According to the rule of the Ro- 
man law, if the defendant was not in court when the case came on, he 
was said deserere vadimonium, and the praetor put the plaintiff in posses- 
sion of his effects. The present case, however, would seem to have been 
one in which the defendant had bound himself to pay a certain sum, equal 
to the amount in controversy, if he forfeited his recognizance. As he did 
not appear at the time stipulated, judgment went against him by default, 
and hence a new action arises on the recognizance. To compel his at- 
tendance at this new suit, the plaintiff goes in quest of him, and, on find- 
ing, drags him to court. Compare note on verse 76. 

38-44. 38. Si me amas. This must not be read si m'amas, but si me 
amas ; in other words, the long vowel in me parts with one of its short 
component vowels before the initial vowel of amas, and retains the other. 
— Pavlum hie ades. "Help me here a little." Adesse, in the legal 
phraseology of the Romans, was equivalent to palrocinari. It is here 
used in this sense. — 39. Stare. This term, like adesse in the preceding 
line, is used here in a legal sense, and is equivalent to advocate partes 
susti?iere. Hence the reply made by Horace is as follows : "May I die 
if I am either able to act the part of an advocate, or have any acquaintance 
whatever with the laws of the state." Inleream is here equivalent to our 
colloquial English phrase, "Hang me!" — Novi. The peculiar propriety 
of this term on the present occasion is worthy of notice. Noscere is to be 
acquainted with any thing as an object of perception, and the poet there- 
fore wishes to convey the idea that he is so great stranger to the laws as 
not to know even their very form and language. — 41. Re7n. "My suit." 
— Me, sodes. " Me, 1 beg." Sodes is said to be contracted for si etudes. 
— 42. Ut. In the sense of siquidem or quandoquidem. "Since." — 43. Mae- 
cenas quomodo tecum. " How is Maecenas with thee V i. e., on what foot- 



474 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 

ing art thou with Maecenas? Supply agit. — 44. Hie repetil. "He hera 
resumes." The troublesome fellow now begins to unfold the motive which 
had prompted him to hang so long on the skirts of the poor bard ; the de- 
sire, namely, of an introduction through him to Maecenas. — Paucorum 
hominum et mentis bene sanaz, Sec. " He is one that has but few intimates, 
and in this he shows his good sense. No man has made a happier use of 
the favors of fortune (than thou hast, Horace ; still, however), thou wouldst 
have," &c. Supply quam tu after est usus, and tamen with haberes. 
From McBcenas quomodo tecum down to omnes, in verse 48, is all one 
speech of the companion of Horace, and there must be no dash, therefore, 
before haberes. The words nemo dexterius fortuna est usus allude to 
Horace's good fortune in securing the friendship of a man like Maecenas, 
who has so few intimates. 

46-64. 46. Posset qui ferre secundas. " One who could play the sec- 
ond part." Understand partes. The allusion is a figurative one to the 
practice of the ancient Greek stage. — 47. Hunc hominem. Pointing to 
himself. — Tradere. " Introduce." — Dispeream ni summosses omnes. 
" May I be utterly undone, if thou wouldst not supplant in a moment 
every rival." The pluperfect summosses (for summovisses) carries with 
it here the idea of rapid performance. — 48. Non isto vivitur illic, &c. 
"We do not live there in the way that thou supposest." Isto is here 
employed in its genuine sense, as referring to the person spoken to. The 
poet, finding his antagonist determined not to take a hint, however broad 
it may be, now deals openly and plainly with him. — 49. Domus hac nee 
purior ulla est, &c. "No house is marked by more purity of principle 
than this, nor is freer from these evils." By mala are here meant jeal- 
ousies and rivalships, with their attendant evils. — 50. Nil mi officit in- 
quam. "It gives me, I tell thee, no umbrage." — 52. Atqui sic habet. 
"And yet it is even as I say." — 53. Accendis, quare cupiam. "Thou 
makest me more and more desirous." Literally, "thou inflamest me 
wherefore I am to desire." Supply me after accendis. — Illi. Alluding to 
Maecenas. — 54. Velis tantummodo ; quce tua virtus, &c. Bitter irony. 
" Thou hast only to entertain the wish ; such is thy merit, thou wilt carry 
every thing before thee." The ellipsis in quce tua virtus must be sup- 
plied as follows : ea virtute, quce tua virtus est. — 55. Eoque. " And for 
that very reason," i. e., and because he is well aware of his own yielding 
temper. An amusing piece of irony, aud well calculated to provoke a 
smile from Maecenas, when the passage met his view. — 56. Haud mihi 
deero, &c. A laughable picture. The garrulous man, completely miscon- 
struing the poet's ironical advice, already, in imagination, triumphs over 
every obstacle, and makes his way like a conqueror, detailing all the mean 
and vulgar artifices on which he counted for success. — 58. Tempora qua:- 
ram. " I will watch my opportunities." — 59. Triviis. Trivium proper- 
ly denotes a spot where three roads meet (rpiodog) ; here, however, it is 
taken in a general sense, for any place of public resort. — Deducam. " I 
will escort him home." This was regarded as a mark of honor, and was 
always paid to distinguished individuals. — 61. Fuscus Aristius. The 
same to whom the 22d ode of the 1st book, and the 10th epistle of the 1st 
book, are inscribed. He was a grammarian, a poet, and an orator, and the 
intimate friend of Horace. — 62. Pulchre. In familiar language equivalent 
to bene, and used in this $enBe particularly by the comic writers, as /ca/lwc 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE IX. 475 

among the Greeks. — 64. Lentissima brachia. " His arms, which seemed 
devoid of the least feeling." They were apparently dead to all the poet's 
attempts. This, of course, was done on purpose. — Male salsus, &c. 
"With cruel pleasantry, he laughed and pretended not to understand 
me," i. e., not to perceive my object. Observe the employment of the 
historical infinitive instead of the imperfect, to give animation and rapid- 
ity to the narrative. So urere immediately after. 

67-77. 67. Certe nescio quid, &c. A short dialogue here ensues be- 
tween the bard and Aristius Fuscus. — Nescio quid. "Something or oth- 
er." — 69. Hodie tricesima Sabbala, &c. " To-day is the thirtieth Sabbath : 
dost thou wish to offend the circumcised Jews ?" The ancient scholiasts, 
as well as the modern commentators, are divided in opinion with regard 
to what is here denominated " the thirtieth Sabbath." Some refer it to 
the Jewish Passover, which commenced on the thirtieth Sabbath of their 
year. It is better, perhaps, to adopt the opinion of Scaliger (de Emend. 
Temp., iii„ p. 309) and Selden (de I. N., iii., 15), and understand by trice- 
sima Sabbata the thirtieth day of the lunar month, in part, at least, kept 
sacred by the Jews. Roeder, whom Orelli follows, supposes the Feast 
of Tabernacles to be meant, which was about thirty weeks after the be- 
ginning of the Jewish year in April ; while Bretschneider maintains that 
there was no such festival at all as that mentioned in the text, and that 
the whole was an impromtu fiction of Fuscus, who was evidently a wag, 
to increase the comic embarrassment of his friend. (Compare Keightley, 
ad loc.) — Nulla mihi, inquam, religio est. " I have no religious scruples 
on that head, replied I." — 71. At mi; sum paulo infirmior, &c. "But I 
have. I am a little weaker, in that respect, than thou art; I am one of 
the multitude," i. e., I am one of the common herd, not a sage Epicurean 
like thee. The Latins use multi like the ol ttoTlXoi of the Greeks. — 73. 
Nigrum. In the sense of infaustum. — Surrexe. For surrexisse. — Irn- 
probus. "The wicked rogue." Alluding to Fuscus. — 74. Sub cultro. 
The poet pleasantly compares himself to a victim about to suffer, as it 
were, "under the knife" of the sacrificer. The garrulous man is going to 
talk him to death. — Casu venit obvius, Sec. " As good luck would have 
it, his adversary meets him." By adversarius is meant the opposite 
party in the law-suit. — 76. Licet antistari ? " Wilt thou be a witness to 
the arrest?" According to the rules of the Roman law, a plaintiff had 
the right of ordering his opponent to go with him before the praitor. If 
he refused, the prosecutor took some one present to witness, by saying 
licet antistari? If the person consented, he showed his acquiescence by 
offering the tip of his ear (auriculam opponebat), which the prosecutor 
touched, and the latter might drag the defendant to court by force in any 
way, even by the neck, according to the law of the Twelve Tables. As 
regards the peculiar circumstances which warranted the arrest in the 
present instance, compare note on verse 37 of the present satire. — 77. Au- 
riculam. The ancients believed that the seat of the memory was in the 
tip of the ear, and hence their custom of touching it, in order to remind 
another of a thing, or for the purpose of calling him to witness any circum- 
stance or occurrence. 



476 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., SATIRE X. 

Satire X. In this piece, which is entirely critical, Horace snpports an 
opinion which he had formerly pronounced respecting the satires of Lu- 
cilius, and which had given offence to the numerous admirers of that an- 
cient bard. 

1-8. 1. Lucili. The first eight verses of this satire are printed in a dif- 
ferent type from the rest, because it is uncertain whether they were com- 
posed by Horace or not. — Catone. The allusion is to Valerius Cato, a gram- 
marian and poet. He lost his patrimony at an early age, and, in conse- 
quence, turned his attention to literary pursuits. Horace here describes 
him as preparing to amend the ill-wrought verses of Lucilius. — 3. Male 
factos versus. " Thy badly-wrought verses." — Hoc lenius Me, &c. " In 
this he acts a milder part, by how much he is a better man, far more 
acute than that one who, when a boy, was often urged on," &c, i. e., Cato 
makes a fairer defender of Lucilius, and is far more frank in acknowledg- 
ing the errors of the old satirist, by how much he possesses a larger share 
of critical ability than that grammarian of equestrian rank whose Critical 
acumen was flogged into him at school. — 8. Grammaiicorum equitum. 
" Of grammarians of equestrian rank." The individual here alluded to 
is unknown. 

9-22. 9. Nempe incomposito, &c. "I did indeed say that the verses of 
Lucilius ran not smoothly along." Compare Sat. i., 4, 8, where Lucilius 
is described as being durus componere versus. — 10. Tarn inepte. "To so 
foolish a degree." — 11. Quod sale multo urbem dejricuit. " For having 
lashed the town with abundant humor." Literally, "for having rubbed 
down the city with much salt," i. e., he rubbed the city with salt, and 
made it smart, as wounds and sores do when thus treated. (Keightley, 
ad loc.) — 12. Charta eadem. " In the same piece," i. e., in the same satire. 
— 14. Laberi. Laberius was a Roman knight of respectable family and 
character, who occasionally amused himself with the composition of what 
were called mimes. These were a species of drama, to which mimetic 
gestures of every kind, except dancing, were essential, as also the exhi- 
bition of grotesque characters which had often no prototypes in real life. 
The titles and a few fragments of forty -three of the mimes of Laberius 
are still extant ; but, excepting the prologue, these remains are too in- 
considerable and detached to enable us to judge of their subject or merits. 
Horace condemns, in the present passage, an admiration of the mimes 
of this writer, but he does not appear to have been an infallible judge 
of true poetic excellence. He evidently attached more importance to 
correctness and terseness of style, than to originality of genius or fertility 
of invention. Probably, too, the freedom of the prologue, and other pas- 
sages of his dramas, contributed to draw down the disapprobation of the 
Augustan critic. — 16. Et estqucedum tamen, &c. " Though there is a cer- 
tain kind of merit even in this," i. e., in exciting the laughter of an audi- 
ence. — 17. Neu se impediat verbis, &c. " And may not embarrass itself by 
a multitude of words, that only serve to load the wearied ears." — 19 Et 
sermone opus est, &c. " There is need, too, of a style at one time grave, 
at another playful; now supporting the character of an orator or a poet^ 
at times that of a refined and polished rallier, who curbs the force of his 
pleasantry and purposely weakens it." — 22. Ridiculum acri fortius et 
melius, &c. " Ridicule often decides matters of importance more effectu 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE X. 477 

ally, and hi abetter manner, than severity of satire." This serves as an 
explanatory comment on what precedes, viz., " parceutis viribus," &c. 

24-27. 24. Illi, scripta quibus, &c. The construction is Illi viri, qui- 
bus viris prisca Comcedia scripta est. "The writers of the old comedy." 
Consult note on Sat. i., 4, 2. — 25. Hoc stabant. "Depended on this for 
success," i. e., owed their success to this preference of the jocose to the 
serious style. Sto is a dramatic term, expressing the success of a piece. 
— Pulcher Hermo genes. "The smooth-faced Hermogenes." This appears 
aimed at the effeminate habits of the man. The Hermogenes here allud- 
ed to is the same with the singer whose death is mentioned in the com- 
mencement of the second satire. We must bear in mind that these pro- 
ductions of Horace are not arranged in the order of time. — 26. Simius. 
" That little ape." The poet means, by this contemptuous appellation, 
to designate either some performer of the day, who made himself ridicu- 
lous by his ape-like imitation of Hermogenes, and who is generally sup- 
posed to be the Demetrius of verses 87 and 98, or else some individual of 
a dwarfish and deformed person. — 27. Nil prater Calvum, &c. " Who is 
skilled in nothing bat singing the compositions of Calviis and Catullus." — 
Calvum. The allusion is to C. Licinius Calvus, who was equally distin- 
guished as an orator and a poet. He is classed by Ovid among the licen- 
tious writers, and it is to this character of his writings that Horace here 
seems to allude. — Catullum. The celebrated Catullus, well known as an 
elegant though most licentious poet. 

28-32. 28. At magnum fecit, &c. One of the admh'ers of Lucilius is 
here introduced, who urges, as a decided proof of his high merit, the in- 
termixture of Greek with Latin words. The poet's reply is given in the 
following line. — 29. O seri studiorum. "Ye late learned," i.e., ye who 
are but little advanced in the paths of learning, to which your attention 
has ouly at a late period been directed. Seri studiorum means properly 
those who begin not their studies until at a late period of life. As they 
never, in general, arrive at any great degree of perfection, so the pains 
they are forced to be at, in order to master the easiest subjects, make 
them apt to admire trifles, such as Greek mixed with Latin, for example, 
in the writings of Lucilius. — Quine putetis. "How can you think?" — 
30. Rhodio Pitholeonti. Compare the explanation of the scholiast: "Di- 
citur Pitholeon epigrammata ridicula (i. e., inepta) scripsisse, in quibus 
Grceca verba mixta erant cum Lali?iis." — 31. Conligit. To complete the 
sentence understand facere. — At sermo lingua concinnus, &c. The ad- 
mirer of Lucilius replies to the bai-d. "But a style elegantly composed 
of both tongues is, on that very account, the more pleasing, as when Fa- 
lernian wine is mixed with Chian," i. e., the roughness of the former be- 
ing corrected by the sweetness of the latter. — 32. Nota Falerni is here 
used for vinum Falernum, from the Roman custom of marking their am- 
phora and other wine-vessel3 with the names of the consuls, in order to 
designate the year when the wine was put in, and, consequently, mark 
its age. 

33-38. 33. Quum versus facias, &c. At the beginning of this sen- 
tence supply the words Utrum Umc tantum. The poet here puts a ques- 
tion to his antagonist well calculated to expose the absurdity of the re- 



478 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE X. 

mark which the latter has just made. He demands of him whether he 
intends to confine this mixed phraseology, which so strongly excites his 
admiration, to the composition of verse merely (utrum tunc tantum quum 
versus facias), or whether he is to carry it with him into other fields of 
exertion, to the pleadings of the har, for example, and is to use, in the 
management of some important case, a jargon like that of the double- 
tongued Canusian, while other advocates are striving to defend their cli- 
ents in a style marked by purity of language. — 34. Petilli. An allusion 
to the story of Petillius Capitolinus. Consult note on Satire i., 4, 94. — 
35. Patriceque patrisque. " Of both country and parent," i. e., of thy native 
tongue, and of the father who taught it thee. — Latine quum Pedius causas 
exsudet Publicola, Sec. " While Pedius Publicola and Corvinus are plead- 
ing their causes with elaborate care in the Latin tongue," i. e., strive, by 
every means in their power, to prevent the admission of foreign words 
into their oral style. The individuals here alluded to were two distin- 
guished lawyers of the day. — 38. Canusini more bilinguis. " After the 
manner of a double-tongued Canusian." The inhabitants of Canusium 
spoke a mixed dialect, made up of Oscan and Greek. 

39-47. 39. Natus mare citra. " Born on this side the water," i. e., in 
Italy, not in Greece. — 40. Vetuit me. " Forbade me so to do," i. e., to 
write Greek verses. Horace is generally supposed to refer here to the 
period when he was pursuing his studies at Athens. — Quirinus. Romu- 
lus is here selected, because naturally more interested than any other 
deity in obliging his descendants not to cultivate any language but their 
own. — 41. Quum somnia vera. It was a common belief among the an- 
cients that dreams after midnight and toward morning were true. — 42. 
In silvam non lignaferas, &c. The proverbial form of expression, "in 
silvam ligna ferre," to denote a useless and superfluous effort, is analo- 
gous to the common English one, "to carry coal to Newcastle." — Insa- 
nius. "With more folly." — 44. Turgidus Alpinus jugulat, &c. The al- 
lusion is to a wretched poet, named Alpinus, who, in describing Memnon 
slain by Achilles, kills him, as it were, a second time, by the miserable 
character of his description. — Dumque defingit Rheni luteum caput. 
" And while, with inventive genius, he describes the muddy fountain-head 
of the Rhine." We have here an ironical allusion to another laughable 
feat of the same poet, in giving to the Rhine a head of mud. Dejingo 
does not merely mean " to describe," but carries with it also the idea of 
laborious and misapplied invention. Compare Orelli: "Defingit; operose 
et KaKO^rjTioc format, describit." In the present case, the invention or 
fiction is all the poet's own. — 46. In cede. " In some temple." The allu- 
sion is to the Roman custom of compelling the dramatic poets to read over 
their pieces before some person or persons appointed by the asdiles to de- 
cide upon the merits of their compositions. The successful piece was 
represented on the stage. A temple was usually selected for this pur- 
pose. — Ccrtantia judice Tarpa. "Contending for the prize, with Tarpa 
as the judge." Compare the account given by the scholiast, who is 
wrong, however, in what he states respecting the Temple of Apollo. 
Compare, also, preceding note: " Metius (or Macius) Tarpa fuit judex 
criticus, auditor assiduus poematum et poetarum, in ade Apollinis seu 
Musarum., quo convenire poetce solebant, suaque scripta rccitare, qua nisi 
Tarpa aut alio critico probarentur, in scenam non deferebantur." — 47. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — -BOOK I., SATIRE X. 479 

Nee redeant iterum, &c. The construction is, nee redeant theatris, iterum 
atque iterum spectanda. 

48-52. 48. Arguta meretrice spates, &c. "Thou, Pundanius, alone of 
all men living, dost possess the talent of prattling forth tales in a sportive 
vein, where an artful courtesan and a Davus impose upon an old Chremes." 
The allusion is to comedy, in which, according to the account here given 
by Horace, Fundanius appears to have been distinguished, though we 
know nothing of him from the testimony of other writers. The characters 
introduced into the text have reference to one of the plays of Terence, but 
are intended, also, to be general in their application to comic writing. — 
Davo. Davus is the name of a wily slave in Terence. — 50. Pollio. The 
poet refers to C. Asinius Pollio, whose acquirements enabled him to shine 
in the noblest branches of polite literature, poetry, eloquence, and history. 
—51. Pede ter percusso. " In iambic trimeters." The iambic trimeter 
verse is hei*e thus styled, from the circumstance of its being scanned by 
measures of two feet, after each of which measures the time was marked 
by the percussion of the musician's foot. There being three of these 
measures or metres in the trimeter, there were, consequently, three per- 
cussions. — Forte epos acer, &c. The construction is, acer Varius, ducit ut 
nemo forte epos. "The spirited Varius leads along the manly epic in a 
style that none can equal." In a literal translation, repeat ducit after 
nemo. — 52. Molle atque facetum Virgilio annuerunt, &c. " The Muses 
that delight in rural scenes have granted softness and elegance to Virgil." 
It is evident from this, as well as from the poet's placing Varius at the 
head of the Roman epic writers, that the iEneid was not published when 
the present satire was composed, and that the Bucolics and Georgics had 
alone as yet appeared. 

54-74. 54. Hoc crat, experto frustra, &c. " This kind of writing, in 
which I here indulge, was what, after the Atacinian Varro, and certain 
others, had essayed it in vain, I was enabled to pursue with better suc- 
cess, though inferior to the inventor." With hoc supply genus scribe ndi. 
The allusion is to satire, and the inventor of it, to whom Horace here ac- 
knowledges his inferiority, was Lucilius. — Varrone Atacino. The Varro 
here meant was not the learned Roman, but a native of Gallia Narbonen- 
ais, who was called Atacinus after the little River Atax, in that quarter, 
now the Aude. — 58. At dixijluere hunc lutulentum, &c. Compare Satire 
i., 4, 11, seqq. — 60. Doctus. "A learned critic." Ironical. — 61. Comis 
Lucilius. " The courtly Lucilius." The epithet comis appears to be here 
used by way of derision. — Atti. Attius (or Accius, as he is sometimes, 
but improperly called) was a Roman tragic writer, born about A.U.C. 
584. His compositions were harsh in their character, but were held in 
high estimation by his countrymen. Only some fragments remain. — 
62. Non ridet versus Enni, Sec. " Does he not ridicule some of the verses 
of Ennius as too trifling for the dignity of the subject?" Lucilius ridi- 
culed various verses of Ennius for their want of epic dignity. Compare 
Servius, ad Virg., ./En., xi., 601. — 63. Quum de se loquitur, &c. "When 
he speaks of himself, is it not as of one who is superior to those that are 
censured by him V — 64. Num illius, num. rerum, &c. " Whether his 
own genius, or the difficult nature of the topics which he handles, has de- 
nied him verses in any respect more finished, and flowing more smoothly, 
than if one, satisfied merely with this, with confining namely any thing 



480 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE X. 

whatever in the limits of six feet," &c, i. e., within the limits of an hex- 
ameter verse. "When that is the ease with Lucilius, why should not I, 
asks Horace, acting with the same modesty as he did, play the part of the 
critic on his own writings also ? {Keightley, ad loc.) — 69. Elrusci Cassi. 
The "Etrurian Cassius" here spoken of appears to have been a distinct 
individual from the "Cassius of Parma" (Cassius Parmensis) mentioned 
in Epist. i., 4, 3, though confounded with him by some. Of the Etrurian 
Cassius we know little, if any thing, except that he was a most rapid 
writer. — 71. Capsis quern fama est, &e. " Who, as the story goes, was 
burned at the funeral pile by means of his own book-cases and produc- 
tions." A satirical allusion to the number of his works. So many were 
they, that, together with the cases that contained them, they furnished 
fuel enough to consume his corpse. The story, of course, may be believed 
or not, as we see fit. The poet's object is answered notwithstanding. — 
72. Fuerit Lucilius, inquam, &c. " Grant, I say, that Lucilius is a court- 
ly and pleasing writer; grant that he is also more polished than Ennius, 
the first writer in a species of poetry then still rude in its character, and 
never attempted by the Greeks." The word auctor is here equivalent to 
scriptor. — 74. Rudis et Grcecis intacti carminis. Satire is meant. Com- 
pare Remarks on Roman Satire. 

75-85. 75. Poetarum seniorum. The allusion is to Livius Andronicus, 
Naevius, Ennius, Attius, Pacuvius, and others. — Ille. Referring to Lu- 
cilius. Horace's meaning is this : Grant, however, all that is asked for 
Lucilius ; even that poet himself, if living at the present day, would see 
and acknowledge that his verses were deficient in polish. — 78. Et in 
versufaciendo. " And in polishing his verse." — 79. Scepe caput scaberct, 
&c. A sportive mode of conveying the idea, that he would exercise the 
greatest care and attention. — Vivos. " To the quick." Equivalent to ad 
vivum usque. — 80. Stepe stilum vertas, &c. "Be frequent in thy correc- 
tions, if thou intendest to write what shall be worthy of a second perusal." 
Quitting the subject of Lucilius, he now gives some advice to writers in 
general. Literally, " turn the stilus often," &c. An allusion to the Ro- 
man mode of writing. The ordinary writing materials of the Romans 
were tablets covered with wax, and, besides these, paper and parchment. 
The former, however, were most commonly employed. The stilus, or in- 
strument for writing, was a kind of iron pencil, broad at one end, and hav- 
ing a sharp point at the other. This was used for writing on the tablets, 
and when they wished to correct any thing, they turned the stilus and 
smoothed the wax with the broad end, that they might write on it anew. 
— 82. Contentus paucis leclombus. " Content with a few readers of taste." 
— 83. Vilibus in ludis dictari. " To be dictated by pedagogues to their 
pupils in petty schools." Literally, " in cheap schools." Copies of works 
being scarce, the schoolmasters, in ancient times, were accustomed to 
read aloud, or dictate to their pupils the verses of an author, and these 
the boys had to write down and get by heart. — 85. Explosa Arbuscula. 
The female here alluded to was a freed woman, and a celebrated mime- 
player. The anecdote to which Horace refers is this : Having been hiss- 
ed on one occasion on the stage by the lower orders of the people, she 
observed, with great spirit, that she cared nothing for the rabble as long 
as she pleased the more cultivated part of her audience among the eques- 
trian ranks. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., SATIRE X. 481 

86-100. 86. Men moveat cimex Pantilius ? &c. The poet here alludes 
by name to four of his adversaries, Pantilius, Demetrius, Fannius, and Ti- 
gellius, as mere fools, and worthy only of his contempt. — Cimex. " That 
bug." He compares him to a bug, that not merely bites, but offends by 
its odious smell. This epithet is intended to denote here, in a figurative 
sense, an individual of so disagreeable a character, and so mean and in- 
sidious in his attacks, as to be deserving of general aversion. — 87. Vellicet. 
Understand me. And so, also, with laedat in the following line. — Deme- 
trius. Compare note on verse 26. — 89. Plotius. Consult note on Satire 
i., 5, 40. — Varius. Consult note on Ode i., 6, 1. — 90. Valgius. Consult 
Introductory Remarks, Ode ii., 9. — Octavius. Concerning this friend of 
the poet's nothing is known. He must not by any means be confounded 
with Octavianus (Augustus), since Hoi - ace always styles the latter either 
Caesar or Augustus. — 91. Fuscus. Aristius Fuscus, to whom Ode i., 22, 
and Epist. i., 10, are inscribed. — Viscorum uterque. Consult note on 
Satire i., 9, 22. — 92. Ambitione relegata. "Every feeling of vain-glory 
apart." The poet, in naming the illustrious individuals that follow, wishes 
to be understood as not intending to pride himself on their powerful sup- 
port, but as referring to them simply in the light of candid and able judges 
of poetical merit. — 93. Pollio. Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode ii., 
1. — Messala. Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode iii., 31. — 94. Bibitle. 
Bibulus, to whom the poet here alludes, is thought to have been the son of 
M. Calpurnius Bibulus, who was consul with Julius Caesar, A.U.C. 694. 
— Servi. The poet refers probably to Servius Sulpicius, the cousin of D. 
Brutus, who was attached to the study of philosophy and the liberal arts, 
and was tribune of the commons A.U.C. 706. — Simul Ids. For una cum 
his. — Furni. The scholiast gives the following account of this Furuius : 
" Fundus historiarumfide et elegantia claruit." He seems, therefore, to 
have enjoyed eminence as an historical writer. — 96. Prudens. "Purpose- 
ly." He adds this in order to avoid giving offence. — Hccc. "These my 
productions." — 97. Arridere. " To please." An unusual sense of this 
verb; but it is so used by Cicero, Ep. ad Att., xiii., 21. — 98. Deterius. 
Equivalent here to minus. Compare Epist. i., 10, 19. — Demetri, teque, 
Tigelli, &c. The poet, having brought to a conclusion his defence of him- 
self against the admirers of Lucilius, now ends his poem by an address to 
Demetrius and Tigellius, in which he takes leave of them, not in the com- 
mon form, but by bidding them go and mourn amid the seats of their fe- 
male pupils. — Jubeo plorare. An imitation of the Greek forms of expres- 
sion, oijuofr, and oi/xu^LV My to coi. The more usual Latin phrases are 
"Perms," "Malum tibi sit" (Liv., iv., 49), " I in malam crucem." — 100. I, 
puer, a/que meo, &c. The poet bids his amanuensis write down what he 
has uttered against Demetrius and Tigellius, that it may not be lost. 
This is to be added to the satire as far as dictated to the scribe.— Meo 
libelio. " To my present production." 

X 



BOOK II. 



Satire I. Our author, observing that many persons were irritated and 
alarmed by the licence of bis satiric muse, states the case to his aged 
friend, the lawyer Trebatius, who had been known as a professed wit in 
the age of Cicero, and who humorously dissuades him from again ven- 
turing on the composition of satires. The poet, however, resolves to per- 
severe, and, in pleading his cause, indulges in his natural disposition for 
satire and ridicule with his wonted freedom. 

1-8. 1. Et ultra legem tendere opus. "And to push this species of 
writing beyond its proper limits." Legem is here equivalent, in spirit, to 
normam or regulam, i. e., the laws or rules of this species of composition, 
and the simple verb tendere is employed by the poet for the compound 
extendere, "to stretch," i. e., to push; a metaphor borrowed from bending 
a bow or straining a cord. — 2. Si?ie nervis. " Without force," i. e., hav- 
ing, as it were, no strings to be stretched. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 4. Dcdvci 
posse. "Might be spun." Deduct is a metaphorical expression taken 
from spinning wool, and drawing down the thread. — Trebati. The poet 
is here supposed to address himself to C. Trebatius Testa, a distinguish- 
ed lawyer, and a man well known for his wit. — Quiescas. "Write no 
more." Begin now to keep quiet, and put an end to thy satirical effusions. 
Supply, for a literal translation, prosscribo ut, "I advise that thou keep 
quiet."-^-6. Aio. The poet here very pleasantly makes use of another 
expression peculiar to the lawyers of the day. Thus, when they affirmed, 
it was Aio ; when they denied, Nego; and when the point required de- 
liberation, their form of reply was Deliberandum sentio. — 7. Erat. The 
Latin and English idioms differ here. We translate erat as if it were 
esset, whereas, in the original, the advantage referred to is spoken of as 
something actual, in the indicative mood, though the circumstances which 
would have realized it never have taken place. Compare Heindorf, ad 
Plat., Phccd., § 35. — Verum nequeo dormire. The sentence is elliptical, 
and, when completed, will run as follows : "But I can't sleep at night, 
and, therefore, to fill up the time, I write verses." — Ter uncti transnanto, 
&c. " Let those who stand in need of deep repose, having anointed them- 
selves, swim thrice across the Tiber." Some commentators suppose 
that the anointing with oil, which is here alluded to, is recommended in 
the present instance in order to give more pliancy to the limbs in swim- 
ming. It would seem, however, to refer rather to the Roman gymnastic 
exercises, preparation for which was always made by anointing the body, 
and which were generally succeeded by swimming. Hence the advice 
which Trebatius gives the poet is simply this, to go through a course of 
gymnastic exercises, then swim thrice across the Tiber, and, lastly, end 
the day with plenty of wine [Irriguumaue mero sub noctcm, &c). These 
directions on the part of Trebatius are intended to have a. sly allusion to 
his own habits, and, like an honest, good-natured physician, he is made to 
prescribe for Horace two things which he himself loved best, swimming 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE I. 483 

and drinking. — 8. Transnanto. This form is of a legal character, and 
therefore purposely used on the present occasion. It is chiefly employed 
for the sake of emphasis in the wording of laws. 

11-17. 11. Ccesaris. Augustus. — 12. Pater. Trebatius was now ad- 
vanced in years, hence the customary appellation of pater. — 13. Horrentia 
pilis agmina. The allusion here is to the Roman battalia, the pilum be- 
ing peculiar to the Roman troops. — 14. Fracta pereuntes cuspide Gallos. 
An allusion to the contrivance which Marius made use of in his engage- 
ment with the Cimbri. Until then the Romans had been accustomed to 
fasten the shaft of the pilum to the iron head with two iron pins. But 
Marius, on this occasion, letting one of them remain as it was, had the 
other taken out, and a weak wooden peg put in its place. By this he in- 
tended that, when the pilum struck in the enemy's shield, it should not 
stand right out ; but that the wooden peg breaking, and the iron pin bend- 
ing, the shaft of the weapon should drag upon the ground, while the point 
stuck fast in the shield. The Cimbri, it will be perceived, although of 
Germanic origin, are here called by the appellation of Galli. The Ger- 
mans and Gauls were frequently confounded by the Roman writers. "We 
may observe, remarks Keightley, that, in speaking of the Gauls and Par- 
thians, Horace does not mean victories gained by Caesar over them, for, in 
effect, he never fought against either, and the Gauls had been completely 
subdued by his uncle. They are merely named here as the most formida- 
ble foes the Romans had as yet encountered. — 16. Et justum et fortem. 
"Both just and energetic." — 17. Scipiadam ut sapiens Lucilius. "As 
the discreet Lucilius did Scipio." Scipiadam is put for the more regular 
patronymic form Scipioniadem. The allusion is either to the elder or 
younger Africanus, but to which of the two is not clearly ascertained. 
Most probably the latter is meant, as Lucilius lived on terms of the closest 
intimacy with both him and his friend Lajlius. Horace styles Lucilius 
"sapiens" (discreet), with reference, no doubt, to his selection of a sub- 
ject ; Lucilius having confined himself to the pacific virtues of his hero, 
and thus having avoided the presumption of rivalling Ennius, who had 
written of the warlike exploits of the elder Africanus. Keightley, less 
correctly, refers the epithet sapiens to the prudent cai'e taken by Lucilius 
to make himself powerful friends. 

18-29. 18. Quum res ipsa feret. "When a fit opportunity shall offer." 
— Nisi dextro temjjore. " Unless offered at a proper time." — 20. Cui male 
si palpere, &c. " Whom if one unskillfully caresses, he will kick back 
upon him, being at all quarters on his guard." Horace here compares 
Augustus to a spirited horse, which suffers itself with pleasure to be ca- 
ressed by a skillful hand, but winces and kicks at those who touch him 
roughly. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole passage is this, 
that the productions of the bard, if well timed, will be sure to elicit the at- 
tention of Augustus ; whereas, shielded as he is on every side against the 
arts of flatterers, he will reject ill-timed praise with scorn and contempt. 
— 21. Hoc. " This course," i. e., to celebrate the exploits of Augustus. — 
Tristi l&dere versu. "To attack in bitter vei-se." — 22. Pantolabum scur- 
ram, &c. This line has already occurred, Sat. i., 18, 11. — 23. Intactus. 
"Though as yet unassailed." — Et odit. "And hates both verses of this 
kind and those who compose them." — 24. Quid faciam ? &c. The poet 



484 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE I. 

here strives to excuse himself, and alleges the following plea in his de- 
fence. Huniau pursuits are as various as men themselves are many. 
One individual is fond of dancing the moment his head is turned with 
wine, another is fond of horses, a third of pugilistic encounters ; my de- 
light, like that of Lucilius, consists in writing satirical effusions. — Saltat 
Milonius. The Romans held dancing in general in little estimation. — Ut 
semel icto, &c. " The moment his head, affected with the fumes of wine, 
grows hot, and the lights appear doubled to his view." More literally, 
"when once heat is added to his head wounded (with wine), and number 
to the lights." With icto, for a literal translation, supply vino. — 26. Cas- 
tor gaudet equis. Compare Ode i., 12, 26. — Ovo prognatus eodem. Pol- 
lux. Compare Ode i., 12, 26.-28. Pedibus claudere verba. " To versify." 
— 29. Nostrum melioris ut rogue. The argument a fortiori. If Lucilius, 
"who was superior in point of birth and fortune to us both" (nostrum me- 
lioris utrogue), was not ashamed to write satires, with much stronger 
reason should I, a man of ignoble birth, banish all fear of degrading my- 
self by indulging in this same species of composition. 

31-39. 31. Neque, si male cesserat, &c. " Neither having recourse else- 
where, if his affairs went ill, nor if well." — 32. Quo Jit ut omnis, &c. 
" Whence it happens that the whole life of the old bard is as open to the 
view as if it were represented in a votive painting." The expression 
votiva tabella alludes to the Roman custom of hanging up, in some temple 
or public place, in accordance with a vow, a painting, in which was repre- 
sented some signal deliverance, or piece of good fortune, that had happen- 
ed to the individual. It was most frequently done in cases of escape from 
shipwreck. — 34. Seguor kunc, Lucanus an Appulus, anceps, &c. A pleas- 
ing and slyly-satirical imitation of the rambling and talkative manner of 
Lucilius in describing the circumstances and events of his own life. One 
geographical mile south of Venusia, there was a chain diverging from the 
Apennines, which separated Apulia from Lucania. Hence the city of 
Venusia, the natal place of Horace, would lie on the immediate confines 
of the latter region. With anceps supply an sim. — 36. Ad hoc. " Tor 
this purpose." — Sabellis. The allusion here is to the Samnites, who were 
driven out of this quarter by Curius Dentatus, A.U.C. 463. — 37. Quo ne 
per vacuum, &c. " That the enemy might make no incursious into the 
Roman territory, through an unguarded frontier." Quo ne is here equiv- 
alent to ut ne. Compare Heindorf, ad loc. With Romano supply agro. 
Some supply populo, making the term Romano equivalent therefore to 
Romanis. — 39. Incuieret. Equivalent to inferret, but in reality a much 
stronger term, as violenta is stronger than bellicosa. 

39-49. 39. Ultro. Equivalent to non lacessitus. — 42. O pater et rex 
Jupiter, ut per eat, <5cc. " O Jupiter, father and sovereign, may my weapon 
be laid aside and consumed with rust." To show that he is not too much 
in earnest, the poet parodies in his prayer a line of Callimachus (Fragm. 
7). Ut is here used for utinam, as uc in Callimachus for eldc — 45. Qui 
me commorit. " Who shall irritate me." Understand ira in the ablative. 
— 46. Flebit. " Shall be sorry for it." — Insignis. " Marked out by me in 
verse."— 47. Ccrvius iratus leges, &c. The poet, intending to express 
the idea that every one has arms of some kind or other, with which to at- 
tack or to defend, introduces, for this purpose, four infamous characters, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE I. 485 

well equipped with evil arts for the injury of others. The first of these, 
Cervius, appears to have been a public informer. — Leges et uruam. 
" With the laws and a prosecution." Literally, "with the laws and the 
(judiciary) urn." Urtia refers to the practice of the Roman judges, in ex- 
pressing their opinions, of throwiug their votes or ballots into an urn 
placed before them. — 48. Canidia. Compare Introductory B.emarks, 
Epode v. Canidia is here made to threaten her enemies with the same 
poison that Albutius used. According to the scholiast, this individual 
poisoned his own wife. — 49. Grande malum Turius, &c. "Turius great 
injury, if one goes to law about any thing while he presides as judge." 
The allusion is to a corrupt judge, and by grande malum is meant an un- 
fortunate and unjust teiunination of a cause, brought about by bribery or 
personal enmity. 

50-61. 50. Ut, quo quisque valet, &c. " How every creature strives 
to terrify those who are taken by it for enemies, with that in which it is 
most powerful, and how a strong natural instinct commands this to be 
done, infer with me from the following examples." — 53. Sctfvce vivacem 
crede ncpoti, &c. The poet here, in his usual manner, so manages his 
argument as to convert it into a means of lashing one of the abandoned 
characters of the day. The train of thought is as follows : But Scaeva, the 
spendthrift, one will say, is an exception to my rule ; for he makes no use 
whatever of the weapons of attack that nature has bestowed upon him ; 
he employs open violence against no being. Ay! intrust his aged mother 
to his power. He won't do her any open harm. Oh ! no, he is too pious 
for that. But he will remove the old woman by a secret dose of poison. 
According to the scholiast, Scaeva poisoned his mother because she lived 
too long. — 53. Vivacem matrem. "His long-lived mother." — 54. Pia. 
Ironical. — Mirum, ut neque calce lupus, <Scc. "A wonder indeed! just 
as the wolf does not attack any one with his hoof, nor the ox with his 
teeth." Wonderful indeed ! observes the poet; how, pray, do other an- 
imals act? since the wolf does not attack with his hoof, but his fangs, and 
the ox not with his teeth, but his bora. Horace does not mean to dimin- 
ish the criminality of Scaeva' s conduct because he secretly made away 
with his mother ; on the contrary, he considers it equally as criminal as 
if he had been guilty of open and violent parricide. His leading position 
must be borne in mind, that all, whether men or animals, have their own 
ways of attack and defence, and that he too has his, the writing of sat- 
ires. — 56. Vitiato melle. "In the honey poisoned with it." Keightley 
supposes it may have been an electuary, or a draught of mulsum, i. e., 
wine and honey. — 59. Jusserit. Supply si. — 60. Quisquis erit vita co- 
lor. " Whatever shall be the complexion of my life." — O puer ut sis vi- 
talis metuo. " My son, I am afraid that thou wilt not live long." After 
the verbs metuo, timeo, vereor, ne is used when the following verb ex- 
presses a result contrary to our wish, ut when it is agreeable to it. 
Trebatius wishes Horace to enjoy a long life, but is afraid he will not. 
(Zumpt, § 533.) Hence ne after such verbs must be rendered by that, aud 
ut by that not. — 61. Et majorum ne quis amicus, &c. "And that some 
one of thy powerful friends will kill thee by a withdrawing of his favor." 
Frigore is here equivalent to amicitia remissione. The idea intended to 
be conveyed by the whole reply of Trebatius is as follows : Yes, yes, my 
good friend, it would be very well if even exile alone were involved in 



486 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE I. 

this matter. But there is something worse connected with it. At pres- 
ent all is fair ; thou livest at Rome in the society of the great and power- 
ful, and they smile on thee, because thou amusest them. But where is 
thy safety ? In an unguarded moment, those very powers of satire, which 
they now laud to the skies, will be directed against some one of their own 
number: coldness and aversion will succeed, on their part, to intimate 
and familiar friendship, and thou, unable to bear the change, wilt pine 
away in vexation and grief, until death closes the scene. 

63-77. 63. In hunc operis morem. "After this manner of writing." — 
64. Detraliere et pellem. " And to tear away the covering," or, more freely, 
" to remove the mask." Compare the explanation of Orelli : " Vulpinam 
pellem simvlatio7iis ac fraudis" -"-Per ora cederet. " Moved proudly be- 
fore the faces of men." Cederet is for incederet. — 65. Qui duxit ab oppres- 
sa, Sec. Alluding to the younger Africanus. — 67. lngenio. " By his satiric- 
al vein." — Offensi. Supply sunt. — Metello. The reference is to Metellus 
Macedonicus, who, as a political opponent of Scipio's, was of course satir- 
ized by Lucilius. As Metellus was a political opponent, one might rather 
expect Scipio to have been gratified at his being attacked. But the mean- 
ing, as Orelli rightly observes, is, that he did not take alarm at seeing 
men of high rank attacked, fearing his own turn might come next. 
(Keightley, ad loc.) — 68. Lupo. The allusion is to L. Cornelius Lentulus 
Lupus, a considerable man in the Roman state, and who held the consul- 
ship A.U.C. 598, but who was noted for his wickedness and impiety. Lu- 
cilius, in one of his books of satires, represents an assembly of the gods 
deliberating on human affairs, and, in particular, discussing what punish- 
ment ought to be inflicted on him. — 69. Arripuit. " He attacked." — Tri- 
butim. "Tribe after tribe." Not content with lashiug the patricians, he 
ran through all the thirty-five tribes, one after another, every where select- 
ing, with an impartial hand, those whose vices or failings made them the 
legitimate objects of satire. — 70. Scilicet uni cequus virtuti, &c. "In 
short, sparing virtue alone and virtue's friends." — 71. Quin ubi se a vulgo, 
&c. " And yet, when the brave Scipio and the mild and wise Laslius had 
withdrawn themselves from the crowd and the scene of public life to the 
privacy of home, they were accustomed to trifle and divert themselves 
with him, free from all restraint, while the herbs were cooking for their 
supper." — 72. Virtus Scipiadce et mitis sapientia Lcsli. An imitation of 
the Greek idiom, for fortis Scipio et mitis atque sapiens Lcelius. Laelius 
received the cognomen of Sapiens. — 73. Ludere. The scholiast relates 
the following little incident, as tending to show the intimacy of the indi- 
viduals alluded to : " Scipio Africanus et Leelius feruntur tarn fuisse 
familiares et amici Lucilio, ut quodam tempore Lalio circum lectos tri- 
clinii fugienti Lucilius superveniens cum obtorta mappa quasi feriturus 
sequerelur." — 75. Infra Lucili censum ingeniumque. " Inferior to Lucilius 
in birth and talents." Compare verse 29 of this same satire. Lucilius 
was of equestrian origin, and grand-uncle to Pompey the Great, on the 
mother's side. — 76. Magnis. Alluding to Augustus, Maecenas, &c. — 77. Et 
fragili qucerens illidere dentem, &c. " And, while seeking to fix its tooth 
in something brittle, shall strike against the solid," i. e., while endeavor- 
ing to find some weak point of attack in me, shall discover that I am on 
all sides proof against its envenomed assaults. The idea in the text is 
borrowed from the apologue of the viper and the file. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 487 

79-86. 79. Equidem nihil hinc diffindere possum. " Indeed, I can deny 
no part of this." The term diffindere suits the character of the speaker, 
being borrowed from the courts of law. In this sense it means properly 
to put off a matter, as requiring further consideration, to another day, and 
it is here employed, with the negative, to convey the idea that the pres- 
ent matter is too clear for any further discussion, and can not be denied. 
— 80. Ne forte negoti incutiai tibi, &c. "Lest an ignorance of the estab- 
lished laws may chance to bring thee into any trouble." The allusion is 
to the laws of the day against libels and defamatory writing of eveiy kind. 
— 82. Si mala condiderit, dec. In order to understand the reply of Horace, 
which follows, the term mala must be here plainly and literally rendered : 
"If any person shall compose bad verses against an individual, there is a 
right of action, and a suit may be brought." In the law, as here cited by 
Trebatius, mala means "libellous," "slanderous," &c. ; but Horace, hav- 
ing no serious answer to make, plays upon the word, pretending to take 
it in the sense of " badly-made," and hence he rejoins, Esto, si quis mala : 
sed bona si quis, &c. — 86. Solventur risu tabula;, &c. "The indictment 
shall be quashed with a laugh." The term tabula; is here taken for the 
libellus, or indictment as we would term it, and which was written on 
tablets. — Missus. "Treed," i. e., from any danger attending the prose- 
cution. Put for dimissus. 



Satire II. This satire, on the luxury and gluttony of the Romans, is 
put into the mouth of a Sabine peasant, whom Horace calls Ofellus, and 
whose plain good sense is agreeably contrasted with the extravagance 
and folly of the great. He delivers rules of temperance with the utmost 
ease and simplicity of manner, and thus bestows more truth and liveliness 
on the pictures than if Horace (who was himself known to frequent the 
luxurious tables of the patricians) had inculcated the moral precepts in his 
own person. 

1-9. 1. Boni. " My good friends." — Vivcre parvo. " To live cheerful- 
ly upon little." — 2. Nee meus hie sermo est. Compare Introductory Ke- 
marks. — 3. Abnormis sapiens, crassaque Minerva. " A philosopher with- 
out rules, and of strong, rough common sense." The expression abnormis 
sapiens is here used to denote one who was a follower of no sect, and de- 
rived his doctrines and precepts from no rules of philosophizing as laid 
down by others, but who drew them all from his own breast, and was 
guided by his own convictions respecting the fitness or unfitness of things. 
The phrase crassa Minerva is meant to designate one who has no ac- 
quaintance with philosophical subtleties or the precepts of art, but is 
swayed by the dictates and suggestions of plain, native sense. — 4. Men- 
sasque nitentes. "And glittering tables," i. e., glittering with plate. — 
5. Quum stupet insanis, &c. " When the sight is dazzled by the sense- 
less glare." The allusion in the tei'm insanis appears to be to the folly of 
those who indulge in such displays. Some commentators, however, make 
it equivalent simply to ingentibus. — 6. Acclinis falsis. "Inclined to false 
things." Acclinis is formed like inclinis, reclinis, &c, and properly 
means "leaning upon," " lasting upon," &c. Compare Orelli : "Inclina- 
tus, propensus ad falsa probanda." — 7. Impransi. "Before you have 
dined," or, more freely, " apart from splendid banquets." — 8. Dicam si 



488 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 

polero, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole passage is 
as follows : The mind, when allured by a splendid banquet, becomes, like 
a corrupt judge, incapable of investigating the truth. He alone that is 
thirsty and hungry despises not common viands. Therefore, if thou wilt, 
either by hunting or riding, or, should these please thee more, by a per- 
formance of Grecian exercises, by throwing the ball or discus, drive away 
loathing , and then, both hungry and thirsty, thou wilt not contemn home- 
ly fare, thou wilt not wait for mulsum nor for fish, but wilt appease thy 
sharpened appetite with plain bread and salt. — 9. Leporem seclatus, 
equove, &c. Hunting and riding formed among the ancients a principal 
part of those exercises by which the body was thought to be best prepared 
for the toils of war. Compare Ode iii., 24, 54, and Epist. i., 18, 49. 

30-22. 10. Roma?ia militia. "The martial exercises of Home." The 
two most important of these, hunting and riding, have just been mention- 
ed. — 11. Assuetum Grcecari. "Accustomed to indulge in Grecian games," 
i. e., in less hardy exercises. These were the games of the pila and dis- 
cus, as is stated immediately after. — 12. Molliler austerum shidio, &c. 
" While the excitement of the sport softens, and renders the player insen- 
sible to, the severity of the exercise." Keightley regards austerum as 
ironical. — 13. Discus. The discus was a quoit of stone, brass, or iron, 
which they threw by the help of a thong put through a hole in the middle 
of it. It was of different figures and sizes, being sometimes square, but 
usually broad and round. The sport seems to have been to try who could 
throw it farthest. — Agit. In the sense ofdelectat or allicit. — 14. Extuderit. 
" Shall have driven away." Literally, " shall have pounded out," i. e., 
worked off. — Siccus. "Thirsty." — 15. Sperne. "Despise if thou canst." 
— Nisi Hymettia mella Falerno, &c. An allusion to the Roman drink call- 
ed mulsum, which was made of wine and honey. As the Falemian here 
indicates the choicest wine, so the Hymettian is meant to designate the 
best honey. The drink here referred to was generally taken to whet the 
appetite. — 17. Defendens pisces. "Protecting its fish," i. e., from being 
caught. — Hiemat. " Is stormy." — 18. Latrantem stomachum. " A hun- 
gry stomach." Literally, " a barking stomach," i. e., one that, being 
empty of aliment and full of wind, demands food by the noise it makes. 
— Uride pulas, aut qui parluml "Whence, or in what way dost thou 
think that this is obtained ?" i. e., comes to pass. — 19. In caro nidore. 
" In the price and savor of thy food." Literally, " in the dear-bought 
savor," &c. — 20. Tu pulmentaria qucere sudando. "Do thou seek for 
delicate dishes in active exercise," i. e., do thou seek in active exercise 
for that relish which delicious and costly viands are falsely thought to be- 
stow. The terms pulmentarium and pulmentum originally denoted every 
thing eaten with puis. Subsequently they came to signify eveiy thing 
eaten with bread or besides bread, and hence, finally, they serve to indi- 
cate all manner of delicate and sumptuous dishes. — 21. Pinguem vitiis 
albumquc. "Bloated and pale with excessive indulgence." Vitiis here 
alludes to high living generally, and to all the evils that follow in its train. 
— Ostrea. To be pronounced, in metrical reading, as a dissyllable, ost-ra. 
— 22. Scarus. Consult note on Epode ii., 50. — Lagois. The Lagois is 
quite unknown ; some think it a bird, others a fish. The former, very 
probably, is the true opinion, as the fish of this name (the Cyclopterus 
Lumpus of modern ichthyology) is not esculent. The bird Lagois is said 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 489 

to have tasted like a hare, whence its name from the Greek layuc. Bax- 
ter makes it the same with the Greek ?i.ayo)irovc, a species of grouse, 
which the French term Francolin, and the Germans Birkhun or Berg- 
huhn. Schneider, however, in his Lexicon (*. v. Xaycoc), thinks that the 
lagopus coi'responds to the modern Schneehuhn, or " White Game." 

23-29. 23. Vix tamen eripiam, &c. "And yet with difficulty will I 
prevent thee, if a peacock be served up, from wishing to gratify thy palate 
with this, rather than a fowl, misled as thou art by mere outside, because," 
&c. More literally, " with difficulty will I drag thee away." So tergere 
palatum, literally, "to rub thy palate;" an almost comic expression, ob- 
serves Keightley, produced by Ofellus's indignation and contempt. The 
idea intended to be conveyed is this : And yet, after all my advice, and 
all my precepts to the contrary, 1 shall have no easy task in eradicating 
from thy mind that false opinion, which, based on mere external appear- 
ance, leads thee to prefer the peacock, as an article of food, to the com- 
mon fowl, merely because the former is a dearer bird, and adorned with 
a rich and gaudy plumage. — 25. Vanis rerum. A Graecism for vanis 
rebus. — 26. Et picta pandat spectacula cauda. " And unfolds to the 
view a brilliant spectacle with its gaudy tail." — 27. Tanquam ad rem, 
&c. "As if this were any thing to the purpose," i. e., as if this rarity and 
beauty of the peocock have any thing at all to do with the taste of it. — 
28. Cocto num. adest, &c. No ecthlipsis operates in num, but in metrical 
reading the word must be retained uualtered, cocto num adest. — Honor 
idem. " The same beauty." — 29. C 'arne tamen quamvis, &c. The mean- 
ing of this passage has given rise to much contrariety of opinion. The fol- 
lowing appears to us to yield the fairest sense : " Though there is indeed 
a difference in the flesh of the fowl and the peacock, yet it is plainly evi- 
dent that thou art deceived not more by the latter than the former, but 
merely by the discrepancy in external appearance," i. e., Quamvis disf.at 
gallinae caro a pavonis, tamen nihil (non) hac (pavonis) magis ilia (gal- 
linae, sed) imparibus formis decepUim ie esse patet. 

31-34. 31. Unde datum scntis. For unde tibi concessum est ut sentias. 
"Whence is it given thee to perceive," i. e., by what means art thou able 
to discover. The scholiast alludes to this nicety of taste on the part of 
the Roman epicures, by which they pretended to be able to tell whether 
a fish had been taken between the Mulvian and Sublician bridges, or at 
the mouth of the Tiber. In the former case, the fish was thought to have 
a better taste, as having been caught in more rapid water. — Lupus. The 
Perca labrax of modern ichthyology. The Italians call it spigola ; the 
people of Marseilles, loupasson. Keightley says it is peculiar to the 
Mediterranean, and must not be confounded with the pike, whose Italian 
name, luccio (old English luce) is apparently derived from the Greek Tivitoc. 
— 32. Amnis Tusci. The Tiber. — 33. Laudas insane trilibrem, &c. The 
poet now passes to another piece of folly, in the gourmands of the day, 
by whom the rarer the food, the more highly is it esteemed, and the more 
eagerly sought after, while other viands, of equal flavor in every respect, 
are despised because they are common and easy to be procured. Thus 
the case of the mullet and lupus is cited, the former a small, the latter a 
long fish. If the mullet, which seldom exceeded two pounds, according 
to Pliny {H. N., ix., 17), even when kept in the vivaria and piscines of the 
X2 



490 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 

rich, could only be procured of three pounds' weight, it was esteemed one 
of the greatest of rarities, while the lupus, though weighing many pounds, 
was thought to be far its inferior. — 34. Mullum. Horace here alludes to 
a three-pound mullet, as a prize of rare occurrence. — In singula quern 
minuas pulmenta necesse est. " Which thou art compelled to cut into 
small bits." The allusion is to the small pieces into which the fish must 
be divided, in order that each of the guests may have a share. Ofellus, 
says Keightley, is wrong here in what he implies, namely, that you might 
as well have bought small ones, for the large, full-grown fish is generally 
the best. 

35-47. 35. Ducit. In the sense of traliit or capit. — 37. His. Alluding 
to mullets. — 38. Jejunus raro stomachus, &c. In construction (if the line 
be genuine), raro must be joined with jejunus, and the allusion is to the 
stomach of the rich, which is here described as "rarely hungry." This, 
therefore, is the reason, according to Ofellus and the poet, why the stom- 
ach of the rich contemns common food, and gives the preference to the 
small mullet over the large pike. Bentley considers the line spurious, 
but the sense would be incomplete without it. — 39. Magnum. Under- 
stand mullum. — 40. Ait Harpyiis gula digna rapacibus. "Exclaims 
a gullet worthy of the ravenous Harpies," i. e., exclaims some glutton, 
whose craving paunch renders him a fit companion for the ravenous Har- 
pies. — 41. Coquite horum opsonia. "Taint the dishes of these men." — 
Quamquam putet aper, &c. "Though the boar and the fresh-caught tur- 
bot are already nauseous, when surfeiting abundance provokes the sick- 
ened stomach ; when, overloaded with dainties, it prefers rapes and sharp 
elecampane." Putet is here equivalent to nauseam creat, and the oxy- 
moron is worth noting between it and recens. — Rhombus. Consult note 
on Epode ii., 50. — 43. Rapula. The rape is a plant of the genus Brassica, 
called also cole-rape and cole-seed, and of which the navew, or French 
turnip, is a variety. — 44. Inulas. The elecampane marks a genus of 
plants, of many species. The common elecampane has a perennial, thick, 
branching root, of a strong odor, and is used in medicine. It is sometimes 
called yellow star-wort. Horace applies to this herb the epithet acidas, 
not, as the scholiast pretends, because it was commonly preserved in 
vinegar, but from the sharp and pungent nature of the plant itself. — Nee- 
dum omnis abacta, &c. " Nor is every kind of homely fare yet driven 
away from the banquets of the rich." Rex is here used, as elsewhere in 
Horace, in the sense of beatior, ditior, &c. — 46. Nigris oleis. Columella 
(xii., 48) recommends the dark-colored olives as the best for preserving. 
— Haud ita pridem, &c. " It is not so long ago that the table of Gallonius, 
the crier, was exclaimed against by all for having a sturgeon served upon 
it," i. e., was exclaimed against by all for this piece of extravagance in 
one of such contracted means. This is the Gallonius whom Lucilius lashes 
in his satires, and whom, for his gluttony, he calls gurges. The phrase 
haud ita pridem, therefore, must be considered here as used with consid- 
erable latitude of meaning. Compare Epist. ad Pis., 254 ; Cicero, de Fin., 
ii., 8. — 47. Accipensere. The sturgeon with us is far from being regarded 
as a delicacy. In the time of Pliny it would seem to have been viewed as 
a common fish, and the naturalist expresses his surprise at the fallen for- 
tunes of this "piscium apud antiquos nobilissimi." So, in the present in- 
stance, neither Horace nor Ofellus praises the sturgeon, but they only al- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 491 

lude to the change of tastes in the ease of this fish and the turbot, the lat- 
ter having completely superseded the former. 

48-50. 48. Quid ? turn rhombos, &c. The -meaning is, that the turbot 
is now in as great repute as the sturgeon was in the time of Gallonias. 
Did the sea then furnish no turbots 1 Far from it; but no fool had as yet 
brought them into fashion. — 50. Donee vos auctor docuit prcetorius. " Un- 
til a man of prastorian rank first taught you to eat these birds." The al- 
lusion is to a certain Asinius Sempronius Rufus, who was the first that in- 
troduced young storks as an article of food, an addition to the luxuries of 
the table made in the reign of Augustus. Horace, in giving Sempronius 
the appellation of prcetorius, indulges in a bitter sarcasm. This individ- 
ual never was praetor; he had merely stood candidate for the office, and 
had been rejected by the people on account of the badness of his private 
character. 

51-62. 51. Edixerit. Another hit at Sempronius. Edicere properly 
means to issue an edict as praetor. — 53. Sordidus a tenui victu, &c. Ofel- 
lus thus far has been inveighing, through the poet, against the luxurious 
and the gluttonous, and recommending a plain and simple course of life. 
He now interposes a caution, and warns us that this plain mode of life, 
which he advocates, must by no means be confounded with a mean and 
sordid one. — 54. Namfrustra vitium vitaveris Mud, &c. " For to no pur- 
pose wilt thou have shunned that vice which has just been condemned, 
if thou perversely turn away to its opposite." — Avidienus. A fictitious 
name, most probably. We know nothing further of this pei'sonage than 
what Horace states. His filth and his impudence obtained for him the 
nickname of " Dog." He ate olives that were five yeai-s old, whereas 
they were usually accounted good for nothing after two years. — 56. Duc- 
tum. "Derived." — 57. Est. "Eats." From edo. — 58. Ac nisi mutatum, 
&c. " And avoids pouring out his wine until it has become sour." Parcit 
defundere is elegantly used for non defundit or nonvult defundere. — Et 
cujus odorem olci nequeas perferre, &c. The order of construction is as 
follows: Et (licebit Me albatus celebret repotia, natales, aliosve festos 
dierum) ipse instillat, bilibri cornu, caulibus, oleum, odorem cujus olei 
nequeas perferre, non parous veteris aceti. — 59. Licebit. " Although." In 
the sense of licet or quamvis. The meaning is, no matter how solemn or 
festive the occasion. — 60. Repotia. The repotia was an entertainment 
given by the husband on the day after the marriage, when presents were 
sent to the bride by her friends and relations, and she began to act as mis- 
tress of the family by performing sacred rites. — Dierum festos. A Gra?- 
cism for dies festos. — 61. Albatus. "Clothed in white." The general 
color of the Roman toga was white : this color, however, was peculiarly 
adopted by the guests, or those who bore a part, at formal banquets, or on 
occasions of ceremony. — Ipse. "With his own hands." In this showing 
his mean and sordid habits, since, afraid that his guests, or his slaves, 
should be too profuse of his oil, bad as it was, he pours it out himself. 
Nor is this all: he poui-s it out drop by drop [instillat). Moreover, the 
vessel containing it was of two pounds' weight, i, e., about two pints, as 
if it were his whole store, and It wa.s of horn, that it might last the longer. 
— 62. Veteris non parw aceti. This, at first view, seems not to agree 
with th.p close and sordid character of Avidienus, because old vinegar is 



492 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 

always the best. Hence some commentators have been disposed to make 
veteris, in the present passage, mean "stale" or "flat." On the other hand, 
Gesner thinks that the early reading-, non largus aceli, would answer bet- 
ter than the received one. There appears to be no necessity, however, 
for either the one or the other of these remarks. Old vinegar was not 
more costly than new, and, besides, it would serve better to correct the 
smell of his oil on his cabbage. 

64-68. 64. Utrum. Alluding to the case of Gallonius on the one hand, 
and that of Avidienus on the other. Compare the scholiast : " Utrum ; 
Gallonium an AvidienumV — Hac urget lupus, &c. "On this side, as 
the saying is, presses the wolf, on that the dog." We have here a pro- 
verbial form of expression, used whenever one was between two dangers 
equally threatening. In the present instance the adage applies with re- 
markable felicity, lupus denoting the glutton, and cams Avidienus. — 
65. Mundus erit, qui non ojfendat sordidus, &c. " He will be regai'ded as 
one that observes the decencies and pi'oprieties of life, who does not of- 
fend by sordid habits, and who gives no occasion for censure by running 
into either mode of life," i. e., by either carrying a regard for the proprie- 
ties of life too far on the one hand, or indulging in soi'didness or want of 
cleanliness (whether intentional or the result of careless habits) on the 
other. Observe that cultus is the genitive singular. — 66. Miser. Literal- 
ly, " is wretched" or " unhappy." Supply sit. One is disliked for his se- 
verity, the other contemned for his weakness. Of each of these opposite 
characters an example is given, the one carrying a regard for exactness 
and precision to such an extreme as to punish his slaves for the most 
trifling omission ; and the other, a good-natured, easy, and indulgent 
master, who lets his slaves act just as they please, the consequence of 
which is, that these negligent domestics even serve greasy water [unctam 
aqnam) to his guests to mix with their wine. — 67. Dum munia didit. 
"While he assigns them their several employments," i. e., apportions 
their duties and places in attendance at table. — Scevus erit. By threat- 
ening them with severe punishment in case of negligence or failure. — 
68. Simplex Nasvius. "The easy, good-natured Naevius." — Unctam 
aquam, " Greasy water." 

71-77. 71. Valeas. Equivalent to Valebis. — Varies res. "A mixture 
of one's food," Equivalent, literally, to varia ciborum genera. — 72. Memor 
illius esccs, &c. " When thou callest to mind that fare, which, simple in 
its nature, sat so well on thy stomach in former days." — 74. Miscueris. 
Eor some remarks on the quantity of the final ris in the second future of 
the indicative and perfect subjunctive, consult Anthon's Lat. Pros., p. 94, 
note. — 75. Dulcia. " The sweet," i. e., the natural juices of the food, or 
the chyle in the stomach. [Keigktley, ad loc.) — 76. Lenta piluita. " The 
viscid mucus." This is the mucus which covers the intestines. He calls 
it lenta, " viscid," or '.' tough," because in an unhealthy state. (Keigkt- 
ley, ad loc.) Observe that pituita is to be pronounced, in metrical read- 
ing, pit-wila. — 77. Cosna dubia, " From a doubtful banquet." Coma 
dubia denotes a feast, where there are so many dishes that a man knows 
not which to eat of; and, consequently, a splendid banquet where every 
luxury and delicacy present themselves (compare Terence, PJwrm., ii., 2, 
28) ; whereas ccena ambigua merely signifies a banquet half meat and half 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 493 

fish served up together. — Quin corpus onustum, &c. "Besides this, the 
body, overcharged with yesterday's excess, weighs down the soul also 
with it, and fixes to the earth this portion of the divine essence/' or, more 
freely, "and immerses amid gross matter this pai'ticle of the divinity." 
Horace, to give a higher idea of the nobleness and dignity of the soul, 
borrows the language of the Pythagoreans, the Stoics, but particularly 
the Platonists, respecting the origin of the human soul. These and other 
schools of ancient philosophy believed the souls of men to be so many por- 
tions or emanations of the Deity. 

80-93. 80. Dicto citius. Referring, not to sopori, but to curata mem- 
bra. The allusion is now to a frugal repast, in opposition to "a doubtful" 
one, and to the ease and quickness with which such a meal as the former 
is dispatched, as well as to the peaceful slumbers which it brings, and the 
renewed bodily vigor which it bestows for the labors of the ensuing day. 
— 81. Prcescripta ad munia. " To his prescribed duties," i. c, to the du- 
ties of his calling. — 82. Hie tamen ad melius, &c. "And yet even this 
abstemious man may on certain occasions have recourse to better cheer." 
— 84. Tenuatum. "Worn out with toil." — Ubique. "And when." — 
86. Tibi quidnam accedet ad islam, &c. "What will be added for thee to 
that soft indulgence, which, young and vigorous, thou art now anticipating, 
if either ill health or enfeebling age shall come upon thee?" i. e., thou art 
now anticipating the only things that can support thee amid the pains of 
sickness or under the pressure of age. When age and sickness come, 
where will be their aid? — 90. Credo. "I presume." — Quod hospes tar- 
dius adveniens, &c. " That a guest, arriving later than ordinary, might 
better partake of it, tainted as it was, than that the greedy master should 
devour it all himself, while sweet." Integrum has here the force oi' recen- 
lem, " fresh," "sweet." — 92. Hos utinam inter heroas, &c. Ofellus is in 
earnest. The poet indulges in a joke. — 93. Tellus prima. "The young 
earth." The good Ofellus, in his earnestness, confounds the " antiqui" 
and their " rancidus aper" with the happy beings who lived in the Golden 
Age, and the rich banquets that nature pi'ovided them. — Tulisset. In al- 
lusion to the belief that the primitive race of men were produced from the 
earth. 

94-111. 94. Das aliquid fam<z, &c. "Hast thou any regard for fame, 
which charms the human ear more sweetly than music ?" ~Byfama is here 
meant, in fact, good report, praise. The idea here intended to be convey- 
ed is said to be borrowed from a remark of Antisthenes the philosopher. 
— 96. Una cum damno. " Along with ruin to fortune." — 97. Iratum pa- 
truum. The uncle on the father's side [patruus] was always regarded 
as a severe censor. — Te tibi iniquum. "Thee angry with thyself." — 
98. Quum dceril egenti, &c. " When an as, the price of a halter, shall be 
wanting to thee in thy poverty," i. e., when plunged in abject poverty, 
thou shalt not have wherewithal to purchase a halter in order to put an 
end to thy misery. — 99. Jure, inquit, Trausius istis, &c. These words are 
supposed to proceed from some rich and luxurious individual. " Trausius 
(says some rich individual) is deservedly reproached in such words as 
these : as for me, I possess great revenues, and riches sufficient for three 
kings," i. e., go and read these wise lectures to Trausius, I am too rich to 
need them. Trausius was one who had wasted his patrimony in luxury 



494 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE II. 

and debauchery. — 101. Ergo quod superat, non est, &c. " Hast thou, then, 
no better way in which thou mayest employ thy superfluous resources 1" 
Superat is here, as often elsewhere, equivalent to superest. — 103. Cur 
eget indiguus quisquam. " Why is any man, who deserves not so to be, 
suffering under the pressure of want ?" With indignus supply, for a lit- 
eral translation, qui egeat. — 105. Tanto cmetiris acervo ? The terms are 
here extremely well selected. The wealth of the individual in question 
is a heap, and he does not count his riches, but measures them. — 106. Nimi- 
rum. "No doubt." Ironical. — 107. Postkac. Alluding to the possibility 
of his experiencing hereafter some reverse of fortune. — Uterne. "Which 
of the two." — Casus dubios. "Doubtful emergencies." — 109. Pluribus. 
"To a thousand artificial wants." — Superbum. "Pampered." — 111. In 
pace, ut sapiens, &c. A beautiful comparison. As the prudent man, in 
time of peace, improves and strengthens his resources against the sudden 
arrival of war and the attacks of an enemy, so the temperate man, in pros- 
perity, enjoys with moderation the favors of fortune, in order that the 
change to adversity may neither be too sudden nor too great. 

112-124. 112. His. "These precepts," i. e., as uttered by Ofellus. — 
Puer hunc ego parvus, &c. " I took notice, when I was a little boy, that 
this Ofellus did not use his resources in any way more freely when unim- 
paired, than he does now that they are diminished." — 114. Videas metato 
in agello, &c. " One may see the stout-hearted countryman, surrounded 
with his flocks and children, laboring for hire on his own farm, now meas- 
ured out to another, and talking to this effect." Ofellus was involved in 
the same misfortune with Virgil, Tibullus, and Propertius. Their lands 
were distributed among the veteran soldiers who had served at Philippi 
against Brutus and Cassius ; those of Ofellus were given to one Umbre- 
nus, who hired their former possessor to cultivate them for him. — Metato. 
" Measured out," i. e., transferred or assigned to another. In distributing 
the land to the veterans, they measured it, and allowed each so many 
acres. — 116. Non temere. Equivalent to non facile, i. e., raro, "rarely." 
— Luceprofesla. " On a work-day." The dies prqfesti were directly op- 
posed to the dies festi. — 117. PerntB. The perna was the pig's ham, or 
rather hind leg salted and dried; for it contained the foot also, since Cato 
{R. R., 162) directs the uuguhc to be cut off previous to salting. Horace 
says pede, as we would say shank, to indicate that it was only the worst 
part he ate on work-days. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 119. Operum vacuo per 
imbrem. "Freed from labor by the badness of the weather." — 120. Bene, 
erat. "We had a pleasant time of it." We regaled ourselves. — 121. Pcn- 
silis uva. " The dried grape." A species of raisin. The grapes here re- 
ferred to were hung up within doors to dry. — 122. Dupliccjicu. The al- 
lusion is to "the split fig." The sweetest figs, according to Aristotle, 
were those that were split, dried, and then pressed together again (dlxa 
kaxtopeva). This process is still followed in some parts of Italy and 
Sicily. — 123. Post hoc ludus erat, culpa potare magislra. "After this we 
amused ourselves with drinking, having the fine of-a bumper as the ruler 
of the feast." The phrase culpa potare magislra clearly alludes to the 
custom prevalent at the entertainments of former days, and not disused 
even in our own times, by which the individual who might chance to of- 
fend against any of the rules of the feast was fined in one cup, or in many, 
according to the extent of his offence. The nature of his fault, therefore, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 495 

would be the standard by which his amercement was to be estimated. 
Compare Orelli, ad loc. — 124. Ac venerata Ceres, ita culmo, &c. "And 
Ceres was woi'shipped that the corn might thereupon l-ise in a lofty stem." 
Venerata is here taken passively, and the allusion is to a libation poured 
out in honor of the goddess. — Ita. Equivalent to "thereupon." — Sur- 
geret. Understand ut. 

128-134. 128. Nituistis. " Have you fared." Equivalent, by a pleas- 
ing figure, to nutriti estis. Compare the remai'k of Doring : " nam bene 
■nutriti, pr&cipue rustici, nitent vultu et corpore." — Ut. " Since." — Novus 
incola. Alluding to Umbrenus. — 129. Nam propria telluris, &c. " For 
nature has made neither him, nor me, nor any one else, owner of a piece 
of land as a lasting possession." — 131. Nequities, aut vafri inscitia juris. 
"An evil course of life, or a want of acquaintance with the subtleties of 
the law." — 132. Vivaciorheres. "His longer-lived heir." — 134. Erit nulli 
proprius. " It will be a lasting possession to no one." 



Satire III. Horace here converses with Damasippus, a broken mer- 
chant, who had lately taken to Stoicism. Damasippus breaks in upon the 
poet at his Sabine villa, whither the latter had retired at the time of the 
Saturnalia, and forces on him a long lecture. In this fictitious dialogue, 
the pretended philosopher adduces the authority of a brother charlatan to 
prove that all mankind are mad, with the exception of the stoical sage. 
They deal out folly to every one in large portions, and assign Horace him- 
self his full share. The various classes of men, the ambitious, luxurious, 
avaricious, and amorous, are distributed by them, as it were, into so many 
gi-oups, or pictures, of exquisite taste and beauty, in which are delineated, 
with admirable skill, all the ruling passions that tyrannize over the heart 
of man. Some of their precepts are excellent, and expressed in lively 
and natural terms ; but occasional bursts of extravagance show that it was 
the object of the poet to turn their theories into jest, and to expose their 
interpretation of the principles established by the founders of their sect. 
(Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. 256.) 

1-7. 1. Scribis. The allusion is to the composing of verses. Dama- 
sippus, says Keightley, begins by upbraiding the poet with his indolence, 
a thing which the Stoics, in contrast to the Epicureans, strongly condemn- 
ed. — 2. Membranam. "Parchment," i. e., in oi'der to copy upon it what 
had been written upon his waxen tablets. — Scriptorum quceque retexens. 
" Retouching each of thy former productions." Retexo is properly applied 
to the operation of unweaving ; it is here metaphorically used for correct- 
ing and retouching a work. — 3. Benignus. "Prone to indulge in." — 
4. Dignum sermone. "Worthy of mention." — Quidfiet? "What is to 
be done V i. e., what dost thou intend doing ? wilt thou write, then, or not? 
— Ab ipsis Saturnalibus hue fugisti. The train of ideas is as follows: 
One would imagine, indeed, from thy conduct, that the former of these 
plans had been adopted, and that thou wast actually going to write, for 
"thou hast fled hither," to the retirement of thy villa, "from the very 
feast of Saturn itself." Hue refers to the poet's Sabine villa, whither he 
had retired from the noise and confusion attending the celebration of the 
Saturnalia in the streets of the capital. — 5. Sobrius. " In sober mood," 



496 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

i. e., amid the sober tranquillity and the retirement of thy villa. — Incipe. 
After uttering this, Damasippus is supposed to pause a while, waiting for 
the poet to begin the task of composition. At length, tired with waiting 
to no purpose, he exclaims Nil est. " Nothing is forthcoming." — 7. Ca- 
lami. " The pens." When writing on paper or parchment, the Romans 
made use of a reed sharpened and split in the point, like our pens, which 
they dipped in ink [atr amentum). — Immeritusque laborat iralis natus 
paries, &c. "And the unoffending wall suffers, born under the maledic- 
tion of gods and of poets." A humorous allusion. The walls of a poet's 
chamber, observes Francis, seem built with the curse of the gods upon 
them, since the gods have subjected them to the capricious passions of the 
rhyming tribe, who curse and strike them in their poetical fits as if they 
were the cause of their sterility. 

9-16. 9. Atqui vultus erat, Sec. "And yet thou hadst the air of one 
that threatened many fine things, if once thy little villa should receive 
thee, disengaged from other pursuits, beneath its comfortable roof/' — 
Minantis. Compare the scholiast : pollicentis, promittentis. The allu- 
sion is to the promised results of the poet's labors. — 10. Vacuum. Sup- 
ply the ellipsis as follows : te vacuum a negotiis. — Tepido. Alluding to 
the comfortable accommodations at the poet's Sabine villa. — 11. Quorsum 
pertinuit stipare, &c. "What good purpose has it answered to pack 
Plato on Menander, Eupolis on Archilochus." The allusion is to the 
works of these writers, which the poet is supposed to have packed up and 
brought with him into the country. Plato is selected by the poet for the 
precepts and maxims of philosophy with which he abounds, Archilochus 
for his iambic humor and bitterness, and the writers of the Old and New 
Comedy are represented by Eupolis and Menander. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 
13. Invidiam placare paras, virtute relicta? "Art thou attempting to 
allay the odium excited against thee by abandoning the path of virtue ?" 
?'. e., art thou endeavoring to allay the odium excited by thy satirical writ- 
ings by abandoning altogether that branch of composition ? The writing 
of satires is here dignified with the appellation of " virtus," its object be- 
ing to lash the vices and the failings of men. — 15. Quidquid. Understand 
laudis. — Vita meliore. " In the better period of thy life," in those better 
days when spiritless and indolent feelings had not as yet come upon thee, 
and when thou wast wout to lash with severity the failings of men. — 
16. Ponendum. " Must be given up." For deponendum. 

17-25. 17. Donenl tonsore. Horace pretends not to be aware that 
Damasippus is a philosopher, and therefore nourishes a length of beard, 
but charitably wishes him a barber, who may remove from his chin its 
unseemly covering, to the uncouth appearance of which the want of per- 
sonal cleanliness had, no doubt, largely contributed. — 18. Postquam ornnis 
res mea Janum, &c. "After all my fortunes were shipwrecked at the 
middle Janus." — Janum ad medium. By this is meant what we would 
term, in modern parlance, " the exchange." On the northern side of the 
Forum there were three arches or arcades dedicated to this god, standing 
at some distance apart, and forming by their line of direction a kind of 
street, as it were (for, strictly speaking, there were no streets in the 
Forum). The central one of these arches was the usual rendezvous of 
brokers and money-lenders, and was termed medius Janus, while the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 497 

other two were denominated, from their respective positions, summus 
Janus, and injimus, or imus Janus. Damasippus speaks of himself as 
having become bankrupt at the middle one of these. — 19. Alicna negotia 
euro, excussus propriis. " I attend to the concerns of other people, being 
thrown completely out of my own," i. e., having none of my own to occu- 
py me. — 20. Ohm nam qucerere amabam, &c. With qucercre supply ces. 
The TTodaviTTTrjp, or foot-bath, is meant. The allusion, however, is, in fact, 
to vessels of bronze generally, and Damasippus, describing the line of 
employment which he had pursued up to his bankruptcy, makes himself 
out to have been what we would term a virtuoso and a dealer in antiques, 
for which there appears to have been a great rage at the time at Rome. 
— 21. Quo vafer Me pedes, &c. Sisyphus was the most crafty chieftain 
of the heroic age. A bi-onze vessel as old as his time would meet with 
many sad unbelievers among the common herd of men. — 22. Infabre. 
" With inferior skill." — Durius. "In too rough a mould." This term is 
directly opposed to mollias— 23. Callidus huic signo, &c. "Being a con- 
noisseur in such things, I estimated this statue at a hundred thousand ses- 
terces." "With millia centum supply sestertiiim or nummtlm. As regards 
the use of the verb pono in this passage, compare the analogous expres- 
sion ponere pretium, to estimate, or set a value upon. — 25. Cum lucro. 
" At a bargain." — Unde frequentia Mercurialc, «5cc. " Whence the crowds 
attending auction in the public streets gave me the surname of Mercury's 
favorite." — Frequentia compita. Literally, " the crowded streets." The 
allusion, however, is to the crowds attending sales at auction in the public 
streets. Damasippus, a professed connoissem-, made it a point to attend 
every sale of this kind, however low, in the hope of picking up bargains. 

27-36. 27. Morbi purgatum illius. The genitive is here used by a 
Grsecism, Kadapdivra ttjc vogov. Horace alludes to the antiquarian mania 
under which Damasippus had labored. — Atqui. "Why." — 28. Ut solet, 
in cor trajecto, &c. "As is wont to happen when the pain of the afflict- 
ed side or head passes into the stomach." Cor is often used by the Latin 
writers, in imitation of the Greek napdla, to signify the stomach. Dama- 
sippus wishes to convey the idea that his antiquarian fit was converted 
into a philosophical one, just as pleurisy sometimes changes into a cardiac 
affection. — 31. Huic. The poet means himself. Provided you do not do 
so, and fall on me, says Horace, jokingly, do as you please. {Keiglitley, 
adloc.) — 32. Ne te frustrere. "Don't deceive thyself." — Stultique prope 
omnes, i. e., et prope omnes, utpote stulti. The wise man of the Stoics is 
alone excepted. Consult note on Satire i., 3, 77. — 33. Si quid Stertinius 
r.eri crepat. " If Stertinius utters any truth." The use of the indicative 
in this passage is intended to express the full reliance which Damasippus 
has in the infallibility of Stertinius. This Stertinius was a Stoic of the 
day, who left behind him, according to the scholiast, two hundred and 
twenty volumes on the philosophy of his sect, written in the Latin tongue ! 
— Crepat. The peculiar force of this verb, in the present instance, is lost 
in a translation. It refers to the authoritative tone assumed by Stertinius 
in uttering his oracles of wisdom. — 35. Sapientem pascere barbam. "To 
nurse a philosophic beard," i. e., a long and flowing one, the badge of wis- 
dom. — 36. Fabricio ponte. This bridge connected the island in the Tiber 
with the left bank of that river. It was erected by L. Fabricius, super- 
intendent of Ways, in the consulship of d. Lepidus and M. Lollius, as an 



498 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

inscription still remaining on one of the arches testifies. The modern 
name is Ponte di quattro Capi, "the bridge of the four heads," from a 
four-faced statue of Janus erected near it. — Non tristem. " With my mind 
at ease." No longer plunged in melancholy. 

37-45. 37. Operto capite. Among the ancients, all who had devoted 
themselves to death in any way, or on any account, previously covered 
the head. Damasippus intended to destroy himself, on the occasion al- 
luded to, in consequence of the ruin of his private affairs. — 38. Dexter 
stelit. " He stood, on a sudden, by my side, like a guardian genius." — 
Cave. The final vowel of this word is short, the form here employed be- 
ing deduced from the old cavo, -ere, the primitive and stem-conjugation of 
caveo, -ere. Consult Anthon's Lat. Pros., p. 70, note 2. — 39. Pudor malus. 
"A false shame." — 43. Mala stultitia. "Vicious folly." — 44. Chrysippi 
porticus et grex. " The portico, and the school of Chrysippus." The 
ignorant Stoic here confounds the disciple with the master, and, instead 
of referring to Zeno, the actual founder of the Stoic sect, names Chrysip- 
pus as such. — 45. Autumat. "Deem." — Hcec formula. "This defini- 
tion," i. e., of madness. — Tenet. In the sense of complectitur. 

48-60. 48. Velut silvis, ubi passim, &c. The train of ideas is as fol- 
lows : As is accustomed to happen in woods, where those who wander 
about generally all go wrong ; this one mistakes his way to the left, that 
one to the right; each errs, but in a different way from the other: in this 
same manner (hoc modo) believe tlryself to be insane ; while he who 
laughs at thee is in no respect whatever a wiser man than thou art, and 
will be himself laughed at by others as not in possession of his senses. — 
53. Caudam trahat. A metaphor, taken, as the scholiast informs us, from 
a custom among children, who tied a tail behind a person whom they had 
a mind to laugh at. — 56. Huic varum. "The opposite to this." Varum 
is here equivalent to diversum, and is a much better reading than the or- 
dinary varium. Compare Satire i., 3, 47. — 57. Clamet arnica mater. 
" Though an affectionate mother cry out." — 58. Honesta soror. "A duti- 
ful sister." — 59. Serva. " Take care." — 60. Non magis audierit quam 
Fufius ebrius olim, &c. The idea of a person madly making his way 
amid such dangers as those mentioned in the text, deaf to all the exclama- 
tions and warnings of his friends, naturally reminds Stertinius of the laugh- 
able anecdote relative to the actor Fufius. The Iliona was a celebrated 
play of the Roman poet Pacuvius, resembling somewhat in plot the Hecu- 
ba of Euripides. In this piece Priam was represented as having sent his 
son Polydorus, when quite young, to his daughter Iliona, who was mar- 
ried to Polymestor, king of Thrace, to be taken care of by her. Iliona 
made him pass for her own son, and her son Deiphilus for her brother, so 
that when Polymestor, at the instigation of the Greeks, killed, as he 
thought, Polydorus, it was his own son that he slew. The ghost of De- 
iphilus then appeared to his mother in her sleep, and began to address 
her in the words Mater, te appel.lo, proceeding to relate what had hap- 
pened to him, and entreatingthe rites of burial. The drunken Fufius, who 
should have awakened and sprang from his couch at the very first words 
Mater, te appello, slept away in good earnest, while Catienus, the per- 
former who acted the part of the shade, and the entire audience after him 
(Catienis mille ducentis), kept calling out the words to no purpose, the in- 
toxicated actor being too soundly asleep to hear them. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 499 

61-62. 61. Quum Ilionam edormit. "When he sleeps through the 
part of Iliona." Madvig (Opusc. Academ., ii., p. 225) is correct in regard- 
ing edormit here as the simple present, and differs therefore from Zumpt, 
who makes it a contracted perfect. Compare donat in Satire i., 2, 56. 
Orelli and Wustemann agree with Madvig. {Orelli, Proef. ad T., ii., p. 
vi.) — Catienis mille ducentis. The audience joined in the cry of Catienua 
to the sleeping performer, and hence they are pleasantly styled so many 
Catienuses. — 62. Huic ego vulgus, &c. The construction is as follows : 
Ego docebo cunctum vulgus insanire errorem similem huic errori. " I 
will now show that the common hei-d of mankind are all similarly insane," 
i. e., resemble either one or the other of the two instances which 1 have 
cited. The term vulgus is here purposely employed, as keeping up the 
distinction between the wise man of the Stoics and the less favored por- 
tion of his fellow-creatures. 

64-72. 64. Insanit veteres statuas, &c. Stertinius now proceeds to 
prove his assertion that the common herd of mankind are all mad. The 
train of ideas is as follows : Damasippus is mad in buying up old statues ; 
the creditor of Damasippus, who lends him the money wherewith to make 
these purchases, is also mad, for he knows very well it will never be re- 
paid ; usurers are mad in putting out money at interest with worthless 
and unprincipled men, for, however careful they may be in taking written 
obligations for repayment, these Proteus-like rogues will slip through 
their fingers. Finally, he is mad who lends money at such an exox-bitant 
rate of interest that it can never be paid by the debtor. — 65. Esto. Ac- 
cipe, quod numquam, &c. An indirect mode is adopted to prove the in- 
sanity of Damasippus's creditor. The poet, for argument sake, concedes 
at first that he is sane [Esto. " Suppose for a moment that he is so"), 
only to prove him eventually altogether out of his senses. If I tell thee, 
observes Stertinius, to take what I know thou wilt never be able to re- 
pay, will it be madness in thee to accept of it 1 Will it not rather be the 
height of madness for thee to refuse such an offer? It is I, then, that am 
mad in acting this part to thee. — 68. Prtesens Mercurius. "Propitious 
Mercury." — 69. Scribe decern a Nerio: non est satis, &c. Stertinius is 
now supposed to address some sordid usurer, whom he advises to take 
care and not be over-reached in lending out his money. " Write ten ob- 
ligations for the repayment of the money, after the form devised by Nerius : 
'tis not enough : Add the hundred covenants of the knotty Cicuta," i. e., 
make the individual, who borrows of thee, sign his name, not to one mere- 
ly, but to ten obligations for repayment, and let these be drawn up after 
the form which Nerius, craftiest of bankers, has devised, and which he 
compels his own debtors to sign. Still, this form, cautious and guarded 
as it is, will not prove strong enough. Add to it the hundred covenants 
of the banker Cicuta, with which, as if they were so many knots, he ties 
down his debtors to their agreements. With decern supply tabulas. The 
form of the obligation or bond is given in the Digests (xii., 1, 40) as follows : 
"L. Titius scripsi me accepisse a P. Mcevio," &c. This form would be 
followed by Nerius, a Nerio being, besides the other changes, substituted 
for a P. Mavio, and hence the words a Nerio in the text are, in fact, a 
quotation from the bond, and serve to indicate it as such. The meaning 
of the whole passage is, that the money-lender, with all his precautions, 
gives away his money as effectually as the extravagant Damasippus.— 



500 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

72. Malis ridentem alienis. "Laughing with the cheeks of another." 
Commentators differ in their explanation of this phrase. According to 
some, it means "laughing immoderately;" others take it to denote "laugh- 
ing at the expense of another," while a third class render it "forcing a 
laugh." The first of these explanations is the best, the individual being 
sure that his adversary will lose his cause. The expression is borrowed 
from the Odyssey (xx., 347), yvaO/noiGL yeAoiuv u/.Aorpioiaiv. There, 
however, the presence of rrpbc (3iav shows that a forced laugh is meant. 
Compare Orelli, ad loc. 

75-88. 75. Putidius multo cerebrum est, &c. "Believe me, the brain 
of Perillius is by far the more addle of the two, who lends thee money 
which thou canst never repay," i. e., lends it at such an exorbitant rate of 
interest as to preclude the possibility of its being ever repaid. Perillius 
appears to have been a noted usurer. — 76. Dictantis. This term hei*e re- 
fers literally to the creditor's dictating the form of the written obligation 
for repayment. This the borrower writes aod signs. If the money is re- 
paid, another writing is signed by both the borrower and lender. Hence 
scribere, "to borrow," and rescribere, "to repay." — 77. Audire atquetogam 
jnbeo componere, &c. Thus far, the examples of insanity, which Stertinius 
has adduced, have grown naturally out of the particular case of Dama- 
sippus. He now enters on a wider field of observation. The expression 
togam componere refers to an attentive hearer. — 80. Calet. In the sense 
of astuat. — 82. Ellebori. The black hellebore, or Veratrum, was pre- 
scribed by the ancients in cases of madness or melancholy. It is not so 
employed at present. — 83. Anticyram omnem. "The whole produce of 
Anticyra." There were twoAnticyras in the ancient world, one in Thes- 
saly and the other in Phocis. The first of these places was situate at the 
mouth of the River Sperchius. It was said to produce the genuine helle- 
bore. The second lay on a bend of the Sinus Corinthiacus, east of the 
Sinus Crissaeus. It was also celebrated for its producing hellebore. — 
84. Hoeredcs Staberi summam, &c. " The heirs of Staberius engraved the 
sum he left them on his tomb." With summam the genitive hcercditatis 
may be supplied. — 85. Gladiatorum dare centum, &c. " They were bound 
by the will to exhibit a hundred pair of gladiators to the people." The 
term damnati contains an allusion to the form of the will, in which the tes- 
tator required any thing of his heirs, Hares metis damnas esto, or Haredes 
mei damnas sunto. — 86. Arri. Arrius appears to have been a noted gour- 
mand of the day, and an entertainment such as he should direct would 
be, of course, no unexpensive one. — 87. Frumenti quantum metit Africa. 
Africa Propria, corresponding to the modem kingdom of Tunis, with part 
of Tripoli, was famed for its fertility. — Sive ego prave seu recle hoc volui, 
ne sis patruus mihi. The words employed by Staberius in his will. — 
88. Ne sis patruus mihi. "Be not severe against me," i. e., blame me 
not. Consult note on Satire ii., 2, 97. 

89-103. 89. Prudentem. Ironical. — Hoc vidisse. " Foresaw this," i. 
e., that they would refuse to engrave the amount of the inheritance on his 
tomb, unless they were forced to do it by severe penalties. — 91. Quoad. 
To be pronounced, in metrical reading, as a word of one syllable. — 94. Vi- 
dcrehir. For the common form visits csset. — 98. Hoc. Alluding to his ac- 
cumulated riches : and in this we see the reason for the injunction which 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK If*, SATIRE III. 501 

Staberius laid upon his heirs. As he himself thought every thing of 
wealth, he conceived that posterity would adopt the same standard of ex- 
cellence, and entertain the higher opinion of him, the greater they saw 
the sum to be which he had amassed during his life, and left by testament 
to his heirs. — 99. Quid simile isti Grcecus Aristippus. "What did the 
Grecian Aristippus do like this man," i. e., how unlike to this was the 
conduct of the Grecian Aristippus. The philosopher here named was 
founder of the Cyrenaic sect, which derived its name from his native city, 
Cyrene in Africa. Pleasure, according to him, is the ultimate object of 
human pursuit, and it is only in subserviency to this that fame, friend- 
ship, and even virtue are to be desired. Since pleasure then, argued 
our philosopher, is to be derived, not from the past or the future, but the 
present, a wise man will take care to enjoy the present hour, and will be 
indifferent to life or death. His doctrine was, of course, much decried by 
the Stoics, and Stertinius, who was himself a Stoic, has given an ill-na- 
tured turn to this story. — 103. Nil agit exemption litem quod lite resolvit. 
"An instance, which solves one difficulty by raising another, concludes, 
thou wilt say, nothing." Stertinius here anticipates an objection that 
might be urged against his mode of reasoning, and in so doing indulges 
his feelings of opposition to the doctrines of Aristippus. The excessive 
regard for wealth which characterized Staberius can not be censured by 
adducing the opposite example of Aristippus, for this last, according to 
him, is equally indicative of an insane and distempered mind. 

104-128. 104. Si quis emat citharas, &c. Stertinius allows the force 
of the objection, that it is impossible to decide who is the greater fool, 
Staberius or Aristippus ; but he now gives other instances to determine 
the question against the former. Money to a miser is like an instrument 
of music in the hands of a man who knows not how to play on it. They 
both owe their harmony to the art of using them. — 105. Ncc studio cilkarce, 
nee Masai deditus ulli. " Neither from any love for the lyre, nor because 
attached to any Muse," i. e., to any branch of the liberal arts. — 106. Forraas. 
"Lasts." — 108. Undique. " On all sides," i. e., by all. — Qui. "How." — 
110. Compositis. "What he has accumulated." — 113. Dominus. "Though 
the owner of the same." — 114. Foliis amaris. "Bitter herbs," i. e., suc- 
cory, endive, &c. — 115. Chii veterisque Falerni. The Chian was the most 
valued of the Greek wines, the Falerniau of the Italian ones. — 116. Nihil 
est. "Nay." Literally, " 'tis nothing." Compare Orelli, "Quid dico? 
non satis est." — 117. Age. "Still further." Equivalent to audi porro. — 
Undeoctoginta annos natus. " When seventy -nine years old." — 120. Ni- 
mirum. "No doubt." Ironical. — 121. Morbo jactatur eodem. "Labor 
under the same malady." Literally, " are tossed to and fro by the same 
disease." — 123. Dis inhnice. " Object of hatred to the gods themselves." 
— JVe tibi desit ? Supply an. " Or is it lest want may overtake thee 1" 
— 124. Quantulum enim summas, &c. The train of ideas, when the ellipsis 
is supplied, is as follows : Be of good cheer, old man ! want shall not come 
nigh thee ! "for, how little will each day take from thy accumulated hoard, 
if," &c. — 125. Ungere si caules oleo mcliore. Compare verse 59 of the pre- 
ceding satire. — 127. Si quidvis satis est. " If any thing suffices," i. e., if 
our wants are so few as thou maintainest them to be. Covetous men 
have always some excuse at hand to palliate and disguise their avarice ; 
that they deny themselves nothing necessary ; that nature is satisfied 



502 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE' HI. 

with a little, &c. Stertinius here retorts very severely upon them. If 
nature's wants are so few, why dost thou commit so many crimes to heap 
up riches, which thou canst be as well without. — 128. Tun sanus. We 
have here a new character introduced, and a new species of madness 
passes in review. — Ccedere. " To pelt." 

131-141. 131. Quum laqueo uxorem interimis, &c. The scene again 
changes, and the Stoic now addresses one who had strangled his wife to 
get into possession of a rich portion, and another who had poisoned his 
mother in order to attain the sooner to a rich estate. Thus avarice is regu- 
larly conducted through all its degrees, until it ends in murder and parri- 
cide. — 132. Quid euim? " And why not 1" Stertinius, at first, ironically 
concedes that the individual in question is not insane, because, forsooth, 
he neither killed his mother at Argos, nor with the sword, as Orestes 
did, just as if the place or instrument had any thing to do with the crimi- 
nality of the act. After this, however, he changes to a serious tone, and 
proceeds to show that Orestes, in fact, was the less guilty of the two. The 
latter slew his mother, because, contrary to the common belief, the Furies 
maddened and impelled him to the deed ; but the moment his mother fell 
beneath his hand, insanity departed, and reason returned; whereas the 
person whom the Stoic addresses, after having committed crimes to which 
nothing but his own inordinate desire of riches prompted him, is still as 
insane as ever in adding to his store. — 137. Quin ex quo habitus male 
tutce, 6cc. "Moreover, from the time that Orestes was commonly regard- 
ed as of unsound mind." The expression male tutce is here equivalent to 
male sance. — 139. Pyladen. Pylades, the well-known and intimate friend 
of Orestes. — 141. Splendida bilis. "High-toned choler." The Stoic will 
have that Orestes was not insane after he had slain Clytemnestra, but 
only in a state of high-wrought excitement. This statement, so directly 
in opposition to the common account, but necessary here for the argument, 
may either be a discovery of the Stoic's himself, or else Horace may have 
followed a different tradition from that which Euripides adopted. 

142-155. 142. Pauper Opimius, Sec. Another instance of the insanity 
of avarice. " Opimius, poor amid silver and gold hoarded up within." — 
143. Veientanum. Understand vinum. The Veientan wine, his holiday 
beverage, is described by Porphyrion as being of the worst kind. Per- 
sius (v. 147) calls it rubellum from its color, and makes it the drink of the 
common sailors. — 144. Campana trulla. "From an earthen trulla." The 
epithet Campana is here used to indicate the earthen- ware of Campania. 
The trulla was a species of ladle or cup used for drawing wine, and from 
which the liquor was also poured into the drinking-cups. The meaning 
of the text therefore is, not that Opimius drank his wine immediately 
from the trulla, but after it had been poured from such a vessel (made of 
earthen-ware, and not of better materials, such as silver, gold, &c.) into 
the poculum or cup. — 147. Multum celer atque fidelis. "A man of great 
promptness and fidelity." — 152. Men vivo? "What! while I am yet 
alive?" — Ut vivas igitur, vigila: hoc age. The reply of the physician. 
Connect the train of ideas as follows : In the state in which thou at pres- 
ent art, thou canst hai'dly be said to be alive ; that thou mayest live, there- 
fore, in reality, arouse thyself, do this which I bid. — 154. Ruenti. In the 
sense of deficienti. The term is here employed on account of its direct 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 503 

opposition to fultura. — 155. Hoc ptisanarium oryzas. " This ptisane of 
rice," i. e., rice gruel. Ptisanum was barley or rice unhusked and sodden 
in water. 

160-166. 160. Cur, Stoice. Stertinius here puts the question to him- 
self, and* immediately subjoins the answer, following-, as Keightley re- 
marks, the usual dramatic mode of the Stoics. — 161. Nov, est cardiacus. 
"Has nothing the matter with his stomach." The cardiacus morbus is a 
disorder attended with weakness and pain of the stomach, debility of 
body, great sweatings, &c. — Craterum. Craterus was a physician, of 
whom Cicero speaks in a flattering manner in his correspondence with 
Atticus (Ep. ad Att., 12, 13, and 14).— 162. Negabit. Scil. Craterus.— 
163. Quod latus aut renes, &c. This verse occurs again in Epist. i., 6, 
28. — Tentantur. "Are attacked." The MSS. are divided, many of them 
reading tententur, which would be the proper term if we suppose him to 
be repeating the words of the doctor. {Keightley, ad loc.) — 164. JEquis. 
In the sense of Propitiis. — 165. Porcum. As all the good and bad acci- 
dents that happened in families were generally attributed to the house- 
hold deities, Stertinius advises the man who by the favor of these gods is 
neither perjured nor a miser, gratefully to sacrifice a hog to them, which 
was their usual oblation. — 166. Naviget Anticyram. Compare note on 
verse 83. The expression naviget Anticyram (or Anlicyras) is one of a 
proverbial character, and equivalent to " insanus est." — Barathro. " On 
the greedy and all-devouring gulf of the populace." The populace, con- 
stantly demanding new gratifications from the candidates for their favor, 
and never satiated, are here forcibly compared to a deep pit or gulf, into 
which many things may be thrown, and yet no perceptible diminution in 
depth present itself. 

169-171. 169. Dives antiquo ccnsu. "Rich according to the estimate 
of former times," i. e., who in the earlier and simpler periods of the Ro- 
man state, when riches were less abundant, would have been regarded 
as a wealthy man. — Divisse. Contracted from divisisse. — 171. Talos 
nucesque. "Thy tali and nuts," i. e., thy playthings. The tali here 
meant were a kind of bones, with which children used to play, by throw- 
ing them up and catching them on the back or the palm of the hand. Con- 
sult Diet. Antiq., s. v. Tali. — Nuces. Walnuts are supposed to be meant, 
with which probably they played at what was called Par impar, "Even 
or odd." Compare verse 248. 

172-186. 172. Sinu laxo. "In the bosom of thy gown left carelessly 
open." Aulus carried about his playthings in the bosom or sinus of his 
pra:texta, which he allowed to hang in a loose and careless manner about 
him. The anxious father saw in this, and in what immediately follows 
(donare et ludere), the seeds, as he feared, of prodigality in after-life. Do- 
nare et ludere. " Give them away to others, aud lose them at play." — 
173. Tristem. " With an anxious bi'ow." — 174. Vesania discors. "Dif- 
ferent kinds of madness," i. e., the father feared lest Aulus should become 
a prodigal, and Tiberius a miser. — 175. Nomcntanum. Consult note on 
Sdt'A., 1, 101. — Cicutam. Compare note on verse 69. — 178. Coercct. "As- 
signs as a limit," i. c., deems sufficient. What is sufficient to answer all 
the demands of nature. — 180. ^Edilis, fueritve vestrum prcetor. The of- 



504 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

Bees of aedile and prsotor being the principal avenues to higher prefer- 
ment, and those who were defeated in suing for them finding it difficult, 
in consequence, to attain any office of magistracy for the time to come, it 
was a necessary result that canvassing for the respective dignities of 
eedile and prastor should open a door to largesses and heavy expenditure, 
for the purpose of conciliating the good-will of the voters.— 18» Intesta- 
bills et sacer. "Infamous and accursed." The epithet intestabilis, which 
both here and in general is equivalent simply to infamis, denotes, in its 
proper and special sense, an individual who is neither allowed to give 
evidence in a court of justice, to make a will, be a witness to one, nor re- 
ceive any thing by testamentary bequest. — 182. In cicere atque faba, &c. 
Alluding to largesses bestowed on the populace. Horace here puts for 
iai'gesses in general those of a particular kind, though of an earlier date. 
— 183. Latus. " Puffed up with importance." — Et aeneus ut stes. " And 
that thou mayest stand in bronze," i. e., mayest have a bronze statue 
raised to thy honor, and as a memorial of thy liberality. — 184. Nudus 
agris, nudus nummis, &c. Alluding to the ruinous effects of largesses 
on the private resources of the individual who bestows them. — 185. Scili- 
cet. Ironical. — Agrippa. M. Vipsanius Agrippa, the illustrious Roman, 
having been elected aedile A.U.C. 721, displayed so much magnificence in 
the celebration of the Circensian games, and in the other spectacles which 
he exhibited, and also evinced such munificent liberality in the public 
buildings with which he caused the city to be adorned, as to be every 
where greeted with the loudest acclamations by the populace. — 186. As- 
tuta vulpes. Supply veluti, or some equivalent particle. "Like a cun- 
ning fox having imitated a noble lion." 

187-191. 187. Ne quis kumasse velit, Sec. Stertinius now brings for- 
ward a new instance of insanity, that of no less a personage than the royal 
Agamemnon himself, in offering up his own daughter as a victim to Dia- 
na. The transition at first view appears abrupt, but when we call to mind 
thfct this new example is aimed directly at the criminal excesses to which 
ambition and a love of glory lead, the connection between it and the 
concluding part of the previous narrative becomes immediately appar- 
ent. A man of lower rank is here introduced, who inquires of Agamem- 
non why the corpse of Ajax is denied the rites of burial. The monarch 
answers that there is a just cause of anger in his breast against the son 
of Tclamon, because the latter, while under the influence of phrensy, slew 
a flock of sheep, calling out at the same time that he was consigning to 
death Ulysses, Menelaus, and Agamemnon. The interrogator then pro- 
ceeds to sbow, in reply to this defence on the part of the Grecian king, 
that the latter was far more insane himself when he gave up his daughter 
Iphigenia to the knife of the sacrificer. — 188. Hex sum. " I am a king," 
i. e., I do this of my own royal pleasure, and no one has a right to inquire 
into the motives of my conduct. — El aquam rem imperilo. The humility 
of his opponent, in seeming to allow his royal manner of deciding the 
question, now extorts a second and more condescending reply from the 
monarch. — 189. Inulto. "With impunity." — 191. Ditibi dent, &c. Com- 
pare Home)', II, i., 18. 

192-207. 192. Consulere. " To ask questions." Both consulo and re- 
spondeo, as used in the present passage, are terms borrowed from the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 505 

practice of the Roman bar. — 145, Gaudeat ut populus Priami, &o. Com- 
pare Homer, II., i., '255 : $ kev yr/drjaaL Hpia/wc, Tlpiuiioio re iralSeg. — 
197. Mille ovium insanus, &c. In this and the following line we have 
the reply of Agamemnon, but almost the very first word he utters [insanus) 
excuses, in fact, Ajax, and condemns himself. A man, as Sanadon re- 
marks, who revenges himself upon the corpse of an insane person, must 
be more insane himself than the individual was who injured him.^- 
199. Natam. Iphigenia. — Aulide. Aulis, on the coast of Bceotia, and al- 
most opposite Chalcis in Euboea, is celebrated in history as the rendez- 
vous of the Grecian fleet, when about to sail for Troy. — 200. Improbe. 
"Wicked man." — 201. Rectum animi. " Thy right mind." — Quorsum? 
"What art thou, aiming at?" Supply tendis. The common text has 
quorsum insanus? "Why is the hero styled by thee insane?"' — 203. Uxore 
et gnato. Tecmessa and Eurysaces.^-ikfa/a multa precatus Atridis. 
" Though he uttered many imprecations against the Atridae." — 204. Ipsum 
Ulixen. " Ulysses himself," who was the cause of his madness. — 205. Ve- 
rum ego, ut haerejites, &c. Agamemnon speaks, and refers to the well- 
known story respecting the sacrifice of his daughter. — Adverso litore. 
"On au adverse shore." — 506.. Prudens. "Being fully aware of what I 
was doing." Opposed to insanus or furiosus. — Divos. The common ac- 
count assigns the adverse winds, which detained the Grecian fleet, to the 
instrumentality of Diana alone ; here, however, the allusion is not only to 
Diana, but to the other deities, who are supposed to have been request- 
ed by Diana, and to have aided her in the accomplishment of her wishes. 
— 207. Nempe, "Yes." Ironically. 

208-222. 208. Qui species alias, Sec. "He who shall form in mind 
ideas other than true ones, and confounded together in the tumult of crime, 
will be regarded as a man of disordered intellect." By sceleris tumnltu 
is meant, in fact, that disordered state of mind which leads to crime. The 
general meaning of the passage is, that whoever holds wrong and confused 
opinions is mad. — Veris. The ablative of comparison after alias. Most 
of the MSS. and editions have veri. The present reading, however, is fol- 
lowed by Orelli, Dillenburger, and some of the best continental editors. 
— 210. StuUitiane an ira. Compare the remark of the scholiast. " Stul- 
titiane ut tu ; an ira, ut Ajax.'-' — 212. Ob titulos inanes. Alluding to the 
ambitious feelings of Agamemnon, and to his desire of distinction both 
with the present age and with posterity. — 213. Quum tumidum est, 
"When it is swollen with ambition." — 214. Si quis lectica, &c. The 
plebeian gives his royal antagonist no quarter. He has already shown 
that his folly was criminal, he now proves that it was ridiculous, — 
215. Aurum. "Golden ornaments." — 217. Interdicto kuic omne, Sec. 
"Let the praetor, by a decree, deprive this madman of all control over his 
property, and the care of it devolve on his i-elations of sound mind." He 
uses adimat and abeat in the subjunctive, says Reightley, as if he were 
issuing the decree himself. It may be observed that we have here an 
amusing instance of the licence taken by the poet with the " mos Ro~ 
manus," or Roman custom of applying to other nations, a.nd to other 
times, expressions and epithets which suit only the Roman state. -^ 
221. Qui scehratus, et furiosus eril. "He who is wicked will also be 
mad," i. e., every wicked man is at the same time a madman. — 222. Quern 
cepit vitreafama, &c. " Around the head of him whom glassy fame has 



506 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

captivated, Bellona, delighting- in scenes of bloodshed, has rolled her thun- 
ders," i. e., the man whoni a love of glory seizes, is also rnad, for that glory 
can only be attained by wading through seas of blood. Vitrea properly 
means here, as bright and yet as fragile as glass. Consult note on Ode 
i., 17, 20. As regards the expression circumtonuit, it may be remarked, 
that the ancients ascribed to thunder a maddening or deranging influence 
on the mind. Hence the words hunc circumtonuit Bellona become, in 
a free translation, equivalent to "him Bellona has thundered out of his 
senses and plunged into phrensy." 

224-229. 224. Nunc age, luxuriant, &c. Stertinius, intending nest to 
prove that spendthrifts and prodigals are mad, returns to Nomentanus, 
whom he had brought upon the scene in the 175th verse. — Arripe. " Ar- 
raign." — 225. Vincet. "Will prove." Equivalent to argumentis pro- 
habit. — 228. Tusci turba impia vici. "The worthless crew of the Tus- 
can street." The Tuscan street was a little to the south of the Vicus Ju- 
garius, and consequently nearer the Palatine. It appears to have led 
from the Forum to that part of the city called the Velabrum, and from 
thence to the Circus Maximus. This street was occupied by the worth- 
less and corrupt of eveiy description. — 229. Fartor. "The poulterer." 
{Becker, Gallus, p. 139.) Literally, " the fowl-crammer." The term fartor 
also denotes " a sausage-maker," u,?i?mvtottg)?i,7]c. The former, however, 
is the preferable meaning here. Consult Porphyrion, ad loc, and Colu- 
mella, viii., 7. — Cum Velabro. " "With the venders of the Velabrum," i. e., 
with those who sell various kinds of food in the quarter of the city denom- 
inated Velabrum. The name of Velabrum was applied generally to all 
the ground which lies on the left bank of the Tiber, between the base of 
the Capitol and the Aventine. — Macellum. "The market." Under this 
name were comprehended the various market-places where different 
commodities were sold. These were all contiguous to one another along 
the Tiber. 

231-246. 231. Verba facit leno. "The pimp speaks for the rest." 
Compare the scholiast, " Apud luxuriosum leno primum loquitur tam- 
quam patronus omnium nebulonum." — 233. Juvenis <equus. "The just 
youth," i. c., having a just perception of the merits and services of others. 
Ironical. — 234. In nive Lucana. Lucania was famed for its wild boars. 
— Ocreatus. "Booted." — 237. Sume tibi decies. "With decies supply cen- 
tena millia sestertium. — 238. Films ./Esopi detractam, &c. We have here 
a new instance of prodigality, rivalling even that of ISTomentanus, in the 
case of Clodius, son of the famous tragedian iEsopus. The story told of 
him by Stertinius will remind us of the one relative to Cleopatra. Pliny, 
however, assigns to Clodius the merit of having invented this piece of ex- 
travagance, though Cleopatra surpassed the Roman spendthrift in the 
value of the pearl which she dissolved. — MeLellcB. Who this female was 
is uncertain. Some suppose her to be the one of whom Cicero speaks, 
Ep. ad Alt., xi., 23. She must have been wealthy, since none but the 
richest females wei-e able to wear such expensive ornaments as those to 
which the stoiy alludes. — 239. Decies solidum. " A whole million of ses- 
terces." As we would say, " a solid million," i. e., a million at once. Ob- 
serve that solidum is here the neuter singular, not the genitive plural con- 
tracted. The use of solidus (nummus) for aureus appears not to have 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 507 

come in until the time of the Emperor Alexander Severus. [Heindorf, 
ad loc.) — 240. Qui sanior, ac si. "In what respect less insane than if." 
—242. Qui, iti progenies Arri. Compare note on verse 86. — 243. Nequitia 
et nugis, &c. "Most closely assimilated to each other in profligacy and 
folly, and in perverted desires." Gemellum is here equivalent to similli- 
mum, and agrees as an epithet with par. — 244. Impenso. "At an ex- 
travagant price." "With impenso (which is here equivalent to permagno) 
supply pretio. — 245. Quorsum abeant ? &c. " To which class are they 
to go ? Are they to be marked with chalk as sane, or with charcoal as 
insane ?" Among the Romans, white was the lucky color, black the un- 
lucky. Hence things of a favorable or auspicious nature were denoted by 
the former, and those of an opposite character by the latter. 

246-252. 246. ^Edificare casas. " To build baby-houses."— 247. Lit- 
dere par impar. " To play at even and odd." — 248. Amentia verset. 
"Let it be taken for granted that he is mad." Literally, "let madness 
agitate him." — 249. Si puerilius his ratio, &c. " If reason shall clearly 
prove that to love is more puerile even than these, and that it makes no 
difference whether thou raise in the dust such childish works as thou 
formerly didst when three years old, or," &c. Stertinius here passes to 
the madness of those who are enslaved by the passion of love. The ques- 
tion put by the Stoic is as follows : If reason shall clearly establish the 
point that they who love are guilty of even greater puerilities than those 
just enumerated, will it not be better for lovers to follow the example of 
Polemon, and, by changing entirely their feelings and sentiments, enter 
on a wiser and a better course of life ? — 252. Quod olim mutatus Polemon. 
""What the reformed Polemon once did." Polemon was an Athenian of 
distinction, who in his youth had been addicted to infamous pleasures. 
As he was one morning, about the rising of the sun, returning home from 
the revels of the night, clad in a loose robe, crowned with garlands, strong- 
ly perfumed, and intoxicated with wine, he entered the school of Xenoc- 
rates, with the intention of turning the philosopher and his doctrine to ridi- 
cule. The latter, however, dexterously changed his discourse to the topics 
of temperance and modesty, which he recommended with such strength 
of argument and energy of language, that Polemon, heartily ashamed of 
the contemptible figure which he made in so respectable an assembly, 
took his garland from his head, concealed his naked arm under his cloak, 
assumed a sedate and thoughtful aspect, and, in short, resolved from that 
hour to relinquish his licentious pleasures, and devote himself to the pur- 
suit of wisdom. With such ardour did he apply himself to his studies as 
to succeed Xenocrates in his school. 

253-256. 253. Ponas. For deponas. — Insignia morbi. "The marks 
of thy distemper." The distemper here alluded to is the mania of de- 
bauchery and illicit pleasure. — 254. Fasciolas, cubital, focalia. "Thy 
rollers, elbow-cushion, mufflers." These properly were confined to wom- 
en, and only adopted by the more effeminate of the other sex. The Fas- 
ciolce, were pieces of cloth or other material, with which the effeminate 
youth of the day, in imitation of the women, covered their arms and legs, 
wrapping them around their limbs like bands or rollers. The Romans, it 
will be recollected, wore neither stockings nor any under-garment for the 
hips and thighs. These fasciolce were also used by persons in delicate 



508 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

health. The cubital was a cushion or small pillow, for supporting the el- 
bow of the effeminate when reclining at an entertainment. Some, how- 
ever, understand by the term a kind of fore-sleeve, extending from the 
elbow downward, and others a species of short cloak, descending as far 
as the elbow, and with which the head might be covered, if requisite ; 
used properly by those who were in feeble health. The focalia (quasi 
faucalia, afaucibus) were a kind of woollen wrapper, or shawl, to keep 
the neck aud throat warm. — 256. Correptus. "Rebuked." — Impransi 
magistri. " Of the sober sage." 

258-264. 258. Amator exclusus qui distat ? " How does a discarded 
lover differ from this?" — 259. Agit ubi secum. "When he deliberates 
with himself." This whole passage is an imitation of a scene in the 
Eunuchus of Terence {Act i., Sc. i.), where Phaedria, conceiving himself 
slighted by Thais, is debating whether he shall answer a summons from 
her or not, while the slave Parmeno tries to urge on his master to firmness 
of resolve and a more rational course of conduct. — 261. Ne nunc. For ne 
nunc quidem, which Terence has. — 262. Finire dolores. " To put an end 
to my sufferings," i. e., by abandoning forever the author of them. — 
264. Quce res nee modum habet, &c. "That which has not in itself either 
measure or advice, refuses to be controlled by reason and by measure." 
Horace here imitates in some degree the language of Terence. 

269-277. 269. Reddere certa sibi. "To render steady and fixed." — 
Ac si insanire paret certa ratione modoque. " Than if he try to play the 
madman in accordance with fixed reason and measure," i. e., by right 
reason and rule. — 271. Quid ? quum Picenis, &c. The Stoic now passes 
to another kind of insanity connected with the passion of love, the prac- 
ticing, namely, of various foolish and superstitious contrivances, for the 
purpose of ascertaining if one's passion will be successful. Under this 
head he alludes to a common mode of divining, adopted in such cases by 
lovers. They placed the seeds of apples hetween their fore-finger and 
thumb, and shot them forth in an upward direction. If the seed struck 
the ceiling of the chamber, it was considered an excellent omen. — 271. Pi- 
cenis pomis. The apples of Picenum, as being of the best kind, are here 
put, /car' k^ox^v, for any. — 272. Penes te es ? "Art thou in thy senses V 
More literally, " art thou under thy own control ?" — 273. Quum balba feris 
annoso verba palato. "When thou strikest lisping words against thy 
aged palate," i. e., when thou strikest thy aged palate with lisping words. 
The allusion is now to some " senex amator" — 274. yEdijicante casas. 
Compare note on verse 246. — Adde cruorem stultitice. " To the folly of 
love add the bloodshed which it often occasions." — 275. Atque ignem 
gladio scrutare raodo. " And only stir the fire with a sword." Not to 
stir the fire with a sword (irvp /xaxaipa fir] cruaTieveiv) was a precept of 
Pythagoras, by which the philosopher meant that we ought not to provoke 
a man in a passion, or throw him into a more violent rage ; and further, 
that a man transported by passion ought not to give in to every thing that 
his rage dictates. Horace here applies this saying to the conduct of 
lovers, whose passions often carry them to murders, bloodshed, and all 
manner of extravagance ; often, too, their rage turns against themselves, 
as in the case of Marius, mentioned immediately after, who, in a fit of 
jealousy, slew his mistress, and then, in despair, threw himself headlong 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II., SATIRE III. 509 

from a rock. We have followed Heindorf and Wiistemann in joining 
modo with scrutare. Orelli adopts Bentley*s arrangement, namely, a 
period after scrutare, and a new sentence to commence with Modo, to 
which he assigns the meaning of " on a late occasion," nuper. — 276. Hel- 
lade percussa Marius, &c. Compare the scholiast : " Marius guidam ob 
amoris impatientiam Helladem puellam occidit, quod ab ea contemneretur." 
— 277. Cerritusfuit? "Was he oat of his senses?" The derivation of 
cerritus is uncertain. It is commonly formed from cereritus, as if intend- 
ed to express the anger of Ceres, exerted in driving one mad. Perhaps 
there is here a confounding of Ceres with the Phrygian Cybele and her 
orgiastic worship. Compare Hartung, Relig. der Homer, i., p. 69. — An 
commotes crimine mentis, &c. Every wicked man, observes Francis, is 
a fool, for vice and folly are synonymous terms. But mankind endeavor 
to divide these ideas, thus nearly related, by giving to each of them, at 
particular times, a different name. As, when they would find Marius 
guilty of murder, they would acquit him of madness. But the Stoic con- 
demns him of both, since, in his philosophy, murder and madness are 
"kindred terms" (cognata vocabula). 

280-289. 280. Libertinus erat, qui circum, &c. The Stoic now directs 
his attack against those who display their folly by seeking for things that 
are inconsistent with their condition, or by addressing vows to the gods 
that are unreasonable and absurd. There is not a word here, as Dacier 
well remarks, which does not aggravate the folly of this conduct on the 
part of the freedman. He was old, senex, and should have better known 
what prayer to make ; siccus, his folly was not an effect of wine ; lautis 
manibus, he washed his hands with calmness, and a real spirit of religion ; 
and yet he makes this extravagant petition, only because the gods are 
able to grant it, not that it is in itself just and reasonable. — Compita. In 
the compita, or places where two or more roads met, Augustus ordered 
statues of the public Penates to be erected, that public worship might be 
openly rendered to them by those who passed by. — TJnum, unum me sur- 
pite morti. " Save me, alone, from death." Surpite is for surripite. — 
282. (Quid tarn magnum? addens.) "Adding, 'what is there so great 
in this V " i. e., this is but a trifling favor that I ask. We have given here 
Bentley's emendation, with Orelli and others. The common reading is 
Quiddam magnum addens, the allusion in which is to some secret vow. 
— 284. Nisi litigiosus. Masters were bound, if they warranted a slave at 
the time of sale, to make that warranty a full and perfect one. When the 
seller gave a false account, or omitted to mention any defects, the pur- 
chaser had a right of action against him. — 286. Meneni. A passing thrust 
at some individual of the day, remarkable for his stupidity and folly, and 
who is here honored by being placed at the head of a whole family, as it 
were, of fools. — 287. Jupiter, ingentes qui das, &c. A frightful instance 
of superstition is here given. A mother begs of Jupiter to cure her son, 
and at the same time makes a vow, the fulfillment of which, on her part 
will bring certain death to him. — 288. Menses jam quinque cubantis 
41 Who has been lying sick now for fiVe months." — 289. Illo mane die quo 
tu indicts, &c. " On the morning of that day, when thou dost appoint a 
fast, naked shall he stand in the Tiber." The commentators seem gen- 
erally agreed that the day alluded to is Thursday (dies Jovis), and that 
the satire of the poet is levelled at the superstitious observances, of Jew 



510 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE III. 

ish and Egyptian origin, which had begun about this time to be introduces 
among the lower classes at Rome. The placing of her son in the Tiber 
appears to be an imitation, on the part of the superstitious mother, of some 
Egyptian rite. 



292-297. 292. Ex prcecipiti. " Erom his imminent danger," i. e., from 
the dangerous malady which threatens his life. — 294. Timore deorum. 
Compare the Greek expression deiaLSaifiovta. — 295. Hcec miki Stertin- 
ius, &c. Damasippus, after recounting his interview with Stertinius, 
and the remarks of the latter, now resumes the conversation in person 
with Horace, which had been broken off at verse 41. — 294. Arma. Al- 
luding to the precepts just laid down by the Stoic. — 297. Totidem audiet. 
" Shall hear as much of himself." — Atque respicere ignoto discet, &c. 
"And shall leam to look back at the things which hang behind him, and 
of which he is ignorant." Some explain this passage by a reference to 
verse 53, "candam trakat." It is better, however, to regard it, with other 
commentators, as an allusion to the fable of iEsop, which says, that Ju- 
piter threw over the shoulder of eveiy mortal two bags ; that the faults 
of his neighbor were put into the bag before him, and his own into that 
behind him. 

299-308. 299. Stoice, post damnum, &c. The poet wishes, as Torren- 
tius and Sanadon remark, that Damasippus may sell every thing here- 
after for more than it is worth ; a wish that insults the honest wisdom of 
a philosopher. Thus, in covert terms, he advises him to return to his mer- 
chandise, and trouble his head no more about philosophy. Damasippus 
understands the ridicule, and is very sufficiently, though with not too much 
delicacy, revenged. — 302. Agaue. This female, inspired with Bacchana- 
lian fury, tore in pieces her son Pentheus, whom she mistook for a wild 
beast, and carried his head about with her as a trophy of the animal which 
she supposed had been destroyed by her. — 307. yEdificas. Wieland sup- 
poses that Horace, about this time, was improving the appearance of his 
Sabine farm, which he had received as^ a gift from his patron, and con- 
verting the small farm-house that stood on it into a kind of villa. This 
excited the ill-will of his enemies at Rome, and, as Maecenas at this same 
time was erecting a splendid residence on the Esquiline, they charged 
the poet with an attempt to ape the conduct of his superiors. It is to this 
that Horace pleasantly alludes, under the character of Damasippus. — 
Longos. " The great." There is a pun in this word as opposed to 
moduli bipedalis, since it means tall as well as great. Horace was of 
diminutive stature, as he himself acknowledges, in Epist. i., 20, 24. — 
308. Et idem corpore majorem, &c. " And yet thou art wont to laugh at 
the fierceness and the martial air of Turbo when in arms, as too great for 
his stature." Turbo was a brave but diminutive gladiator. 

311-325. 311. Te quoquc verum est. Supply facere. Verum is here 
equivalent to rectum or aquum. — 312. Tantum dissimilem et tanto ccrtare 
minorem. " So unlike (him), and too inferior to vie with so exalted a per- 
sonage." We have given tantum, in the sense of tarn, with Bentley, 
Orelli, and others. The common reading is tanto dissimilem, which vio- 
lates Latinity. Minorem certare is a Graecism. — 313. Absentis ranee pul- 
lis, &c. Although this fable is not to be found among those that remain 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 511 

to us of iEsop's, yet there is every probability that it is one of bis. Phae- 
drus, however, recounts the fable in a different manner. He tells us that 
a frog, seeing a bull in the meadow, became jealous of his bulk, and began 
to blow herself up that she might rival him. Horace's manner is by far 
the more lively. — 314. Matri denarrat. " He tells his mother all the par- 
ticulars." The verb denarro is happily chosen. — 315. Cognatos. "His 
brothers." Equivalent here to una secum natos. — 316. Num tantum. 
Supply ingens. — 320. Oleum adde camino. A proverbial form of expres- 
sion, and equivalent here to insanim nova alimenta praebe. Horace, ac- 
cording to Damasippus, is mad enough already; if, in addition to this, he 
goes on writing verses, the increase of madness will be so violent, that it 
may fitly be compared to the flame which fiercely arises when oil is thrown 
upon the fire. — 321. Quce si quis sanus fecit, sanies facis et tu. The idea 
intended to be conveyed is, that all poets are unsound in mind. The an- 
cients would seem to have believed, indeed, that no one could either be a 
genuine poet, or great in any department of exertion, unless he left the 
beaten track, and was influenced by some sort of feeling bordering on mad- 
ness or melancholy. — 322. Non dico horrendam rabiem. "I say nothing of 
thy dreadfully vindictive spirit." — Ctdtum majorem censu. " Thy style of 
living, too expensive for thy fortune." — 324. Teneas, Damasippe, tuis te. 
"Damasippus, do mind thy own affairs." Keep thyself to the things 
which concern thee, my good friend. — 325. O major tandem parcas, &c. 
" O greater madman of the two, spare at length one who is in this thy 
inferior." 



Satire TV. A person called Catius repeats to Horace the lesson he had 
received from an eminent gastronome, who, with the most important air, 
and in the most solemn language, had delivered a variety of culinary pre- 
cepts. The satire is written with the view of ridiculing those who made 
a large portion of human felicity consist in the pleasures of the table. 
This abuse of the genuine doctrines of Epicurus, the poet, himself a 
staunch adherent of the more refined forms of that philosophy, under- 
takes, for the honor of his master, to expose and deride. Doring sup- 
poses that Horace, having frequently heard the secrets of the culinary art 
made a topic of conversation by some of the guests at the table of Maece- 
nas, seizes the present opportunity of retaliating upon them, and that, un- 
der the fictitious name of Catius, he alludes to an entire class of persons 
of this stamp. According to Manso (Schriften und Abhandlungen,\>. 59), 
Catius appears to have had for his prototype one Matius, a Roman knight, 
famed for his acquaintance with the precepts of the culinary art. 

1-7. 1. Unde et quo Catius ? A familiar mode of salutation. The sub- 
stitution of the third for the second person shows the intimacy of the par- 
ties. For a literal translation, supply the ellipsis as follows : unde venit 
et quo tendit Catius ? — Non est mild tempus. Understand confabulandi. 
— 2. Ponere signa novis prceceptis. "To commit to writing some new 
precepts." An elegant form of expression, for litteris mandare nova prce- 
cepta. — Novis. This epithet implies that the precepts in question are 
such as have never before been made known. — 3. Anytique reum. " And 
him who was accused by Anytus," i. e., Socrates, in the number of whose 
accusers was Anytus. This individual was a leather-dresser, and a pow- 



512 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 

erful demagogue, who had long entertained a personal enmity against 
Socrates, for i-eprehending his avarice in depriving his sons of the bene- 
fits of learning, that they might pursue the gains of trade. The other two 
accusers were Meletus, a young tragic poet, and Lycon, an orator. — 4. Sic 
tempore Icevo. " At so unseasonable a time." — 6. Interciderit tibi. " Shall 
have escaped thee, 1 ' i. e., in consequence of my interruption. — 7. Hoc. 
"This faculty," i. e., of recollecting, or recalling a thing to mind. The al- 
lusion is to memory, both natural and artificial. — Mirus utroque. Ironical. 

8-14. 8. Quin id erat cures, &c. "Why, I was just then consider- 
ing how I might retain them all in mind, as being nice matters, and ex- 
pressed in nice language." — 10. Hominis. The individual who uttered 
these precepts to Catius. — Hospes. "A stranger," i. e., probably a Greek, 
as the Greeks were the great professors of this science. {Keightley, ad 
loc.) — 11. Celabitur auctor. The poet evidently had some person in view, 
to whom all could make the application, even though his name was kept 
back. It was most probably some man of rank, whom he did not wish 
openly to provoke. — 12. Longa quibus fades ovis erat, Sec. " Remember 
to serve up those eggs which shall have a long shape, as being of a better 
taste, and more nutritious than the round." Catius preserves a regular 
order in delivering his precepts. He begins with the first course of the 
Roman tables, then proceeds to the fruit, which was called the second 
table, and ends his remarks with some general reflections upon neatness 
and elegance. The Roman entertainments, it will be recollected, always 
commenced with eggs. Consult note on Sat. i., 3, 6. — 14. Namque marem 
cohibent callosa vitellum. " For they have a thicker white, and contain 
a male yolk." Literally, " for, being of a thicker white, they," &c. The 
verb cohibent is extremely well selected ; the albumen of such eggs, being 
of a thicker consistence than that of others, keeps the yolk confined, as it 
were, on every side, and in a state of equilibrium. 

15-23. 15. Suburbano. " Raised in gardens near the city." — 16. Ir- 
riguo nihil est elutivs horto. " Nothing is more insipid than the produce 
of a much-watered garden." The proper meaning of eluo is "to wash 
out," whence elutiux is "more tasteless" or "insipid," the flavor being, 
as it were, all washed out by constant watering. [Kdgld.ley, ad loc.) 
The precept here laid down by Catius is denied by the commentators to 
be true, and they cite, in opposition to it, the remark of Palladius, iii., 24. 
Catius, however, ma} 7 , after all, be right, if he means to contrast merely 
the productions of the fields, matured in due season, with the forced off- 
spring of the gardens. — 17. Subito te opprexscrit. " Shall have come upon 
thee by surprise." — 18. Ne gallina malum response!, &c. " In order that 
the hen served up to him may not prove tough, and badly answer the ex- 
pectations of his palate." The hen which is killed on the sudden arrival 
of a guest, and immediately thereafter cooked, will prove, according to 
Catius, tough and unpleasant. To remedy this evil, the fowl should be 
plunged, before it is killed, in Falernian must. Fea tells us that the cooks 
in Italy at the present day pour strong wine, or brandy, down the throats 
of the live fowl, to make their flesh tender. — 20. Pratensibns op'.ivw, fun- 
gis, &c. Connoisseurs declare that this precept is false, and that the best; 
mushrooms, generally speaking, are those gathered in woods and on heaths 
or downs. These, they maintain, are more wholesome, and better flavor- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 513 

ed, than those of meadows. Lenz, however, a German writer on this sub- 
ject, informs us that the locality has no influence whatever on the edible 
or poisonous properties of mushrooms. According to him, more mush- 
rooms, as well edible as poisonous, grow in woods than on meadows ; 
while those which grow on meadows are generally edible, and but few 
poisonous. — 31. Male creditur. "It is unsafe to trust." Literally, "cre- 
dence is ill given." — 22. Qui nigris prandia moris jiniet . Another false 
precept. Mulberries should be eaten before, not after dinner. Compare 
Pliny, " Ipsa poma (mori) ad prcesens stomacho utilia, refrigerant, sitim 
faciunt. Si non superveniat alius cibus intumescunt." (H. N., xxiii., 
70.) — 23. Ante gravem quae legerit, &c. The juices of tenderer fruit, ob- 
serves Francis, evaporate by the heat of the sun, but are collected and con- 
fined by the coldness of the night. On the contrary, harder and firmer 
fruit, such as apples, should be gathered in the middle of the day, when 
the sun has ripened and concocted their juices. 

24-32. 24. Aufidius forti miscebat, &c. Aufidius, an epicure, is here 
blamed for having introduced a kind of mulsum, or mead, composed of 
honey and strong Falernian wine. In this he was wrong, for he made it 
too strong. The precept laid down by Catius goes to recommend a mild- 
er draught. The mulsum of the Romans was either taken early in the 
morning, in order to fortify the stomach and promote digestion, or else at 
the gustatio, the first part of the casna, consisting of dishes to excite the 
appetite, whence what was eaten and drunk to whet the appetite was 
named promulsis. The Aufidius mentioned in the text is supposed to 
have been M. Aufidius Lurco, who was the first that fattened pea-fowl for 
sale, and by which he made a great deal of money. (Plin., H. N., x., 20.) 
-=-25. Vacuis venis. Because the mulsum was taken at the beginning of 
the meal. — 27. Si dura morabitur alvus . "If thou art costive." Liter- 
ally, "if thy stomach shall be hard-bound." — 28. Concha?. The mention 
of shell-fish comes in very naturally here, as they formed, in general, a 
part of the promulsis. — 30. Lubrica nascentes implent, &c. This is an 
error much older than the days of Catius. It is contradicted by constant 
and universal experience. — 32. Murice Baiano melior Lucrina peloris. 
" The peloris from the Lucrine Lake is better than the murex from Baiae." 
By the peloris is meant a large kind of oyster, deriving its name, accord- 
ing to Athenaeus, from its size, al Sk TreXupideg uvojuaudnuav napa to tce- 
/.upiov. Casaubon, however, prefers deducing the name from the Sicilian 
promontory of Pelorus, around which they were taken in great numbers. 
The murex appears to be the same with the burret, or purple fish, a spe- 
cies of shell-fish, from the juice of which the purple dye was procured. 

33-45. 33. Echini. Consult note on Epode v., 27. — 34. Pectinibus pa- 
tulis jactat se, &c. " The luxurious Tarentum prides herself on her broad 
scallops." The pecten of the Latins is the kteic of the Greeks, and both 
receive their names from the indented and comb-like appearance of their 
shells. — 36. Non prius exacta tenui ratione saporum. " Unless the nice 
subject of tastes shall have been first carefully considered by him." — 
37. Cara pisces averrere mensa. " To sweep off the fishes from a dear 
stall," i. e., to buy them at a high price. — 38. Quibus est jus aptius, &c. 
« For which kind sauce is better adapted, and for which, when broiled, the 
already sated guest will replace himself on his elbow," i. e., will prepare 
Y2 



514 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 

for eating again. The Romans, when eating at table, lay with the upper 
part of the body reclined on the left elbow. — 40. Iligna glande. " With 
the acorn of the holm-oak." — Rotundas curvet lances camera vitantis in- 
ertem. " Bend with its weight the round dishes of him who dislikes flab- 
by meat." — 42. Nam Laurens malus est, &c. All people of taste, observes 
Dacier, have ever esteemed boars fed in marshy ground as of higher 
flavor, although Catius is of another opinion. — Pinguis. "Fattened." — • 
43. Summittit. In the sense of suppeditat. — 44. Fecundce leporis, sapiens, 
sectabitur, &c. This precept also is laughed at by connoisseurs, since no 
part of the hare is less juicy than the shoulders. Some commentators, to 
save the credit of Catius, make armos here mean the back. As regards 
the terra fecundce, " fruitful," Keightley remarks as follows : " This seems 
a strange epithet, for the hare (unlike the rabbit) has young only once a 
year, and goes only a month with young. But the ancients had strange 
notions of her superfetation. They seem to have confounded the hare 
with the rabbit. Heindorf, indeed, regards fecundce here as equivalent to 
gravida, i. e., 'pregnant,' but of this sense no example has been pro- 
duced." — 45. Piscibus atque avibus quce natura, &c. "What might be 
the nature and age of fishes and of birds, though inquired into, was ascer- 
tained by no palate before mine." A false and foolish boast. 

47-62. 47. Nova crustula. " Some new kind of pastry." — 50. Securus. 
"Regardless." — 51. Massica si caslo, &c. Pliny tells us that this ought 
to be done with all the wines of Campania, and that they should be ex- 
posed both night and day to the wind and rain. — 53. Odor. The bouquet, 
or strong fragrant smell. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 54. Vitiata. " When 
strained." The meaning is, that these wines lose all their strength if 
they are strained through linen. The ancients used to strain their wine 
through the colum, or cullender, and through the saccus, a linen bag. This 
last was thought to reduce its strength. — 55. Surrentina vafer qui miscel, 
&c. The wine of Surrentum, on the south side of the Bay of Naples, be- 
ing of a light quality, they used to mix it with the lees of the strong Fa- 
lernian, which were dried and made up into cakes for the purpose. This, 
of course, made the wine muddy, and it required then to be fined with 
eggs, as is done at the present day. (Keightley , ad loc.) — 56. Columbino 
limum bene colligit ovo. "Succeeds in collecting the sediment with a 
pigeon's egg." — 57. Aliena. "Foreign substances." — 58. Marcentem po- 
torern. "The jaded drinker." — Squillis. The shell-fish here alluded to 
is the same with our prawn or larger kind of shrimp. — Afra cochlea. Di- 
oscorides (ii., 11) ranks the African with the Sardinian snails among the 
best of their kind. Snails are still a favorite dish in the south of Europe. 
— 59. Nam lactuca innatat acri, &c. The lactuca, or lettuce, is the Spidat; 
of the Greeks, and possesses cooling properties. Catius here condemns 
the eating of it after wine, a precept directly at variance with the custom 
of the day, since this plant, being naturally cold, was thought well adapt- 
ed to dissipate the fumes and allay the heat occasioned by drinking. Let- 
tuce, therefore, at this time closed the entertainments of the Romans. 
(Compare Apicius, hi., 18, and Virgil, Moret., 76.) At a later period, how- 
ever, we find it actually used at the beginning of the cozna (compare Mar- 
tial, 13, 14), which maybe some defence for Catius against the ridicule of 
commentators. — 60. Perna magis ac magis hillis, &c. " Aroused by bam 
rather, and by sausages rather, than by this, it seeks to be restored to its 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 515 

former powers." Supply stomachus, not potor, as some insist. The allu- 
sion is to the effect of salt food on a languid stomach, in exciting a relish 
and rousing it to fresh exertion. — Hillis. The term Julias properly denotes 
the intestines of animals, and is a diminutive from kira. Our sausages 
are clearly meant. — 61. Quin omnia malit, &c. According to Catius, a 
languid stomach will prefer any thing to lettuce, even the dishes brought 
from dirty cook-shops. — 62. Fervent allata. For afferuntur ferventia. 
"Are brought hot and steaming." 

63-69. 63. Duplicis juris. " Of the two kinds of sauce." Catius first 
speaks of the jus simplex, down to the end of verse 66. He then pro- 
ceeds to state how this may be converted into the jus duplex. — 64. Dulci. 
" Fresh." Equivalent here to recente, and opposed to raucido. — 65. Pin- 
gui mero. "With old rich wine." The epithet pingue seems to allude 
to that oily appearance and taste which the more generous wines acquire 
by age. — 66. Quam qua Byzantia putuit orca. "Than that with which 
the Byzantine jar has been tainted." The allusion is to the Byzantine 
pickle made of the tunny-fish, which were taken in large numbers near 
that city. This is pronounced by Catius to be the best, and the term 
putuit, as used in the text, will serve to give us some idea of its pungent 
odor. — Orca. A large vessel or jar, round below, and having a narrow 
neck. Compare the Greek opai] and vpxa.— 67. Hoc ubi confusum sectis, 
&c. "When this, after herbs cut small hf»^e been mixed in, has been 
made to boil, and has then stood to cool for a time, sprinkled over with 
Corycian saffron." Stetit here refers to the placing of the sauce apart 
from the fire, but also, and in a more particular sense, to the thickening 
or concretion which results from the process of cooling. — 68. Corycio. 
The Corycian saffron was produced in the vicinity of Corycus, a town on 
the coast of Cilicia Campestris, southeast of Seleucia Trachea. It was 
considered of the best quality. — 69. Pressa Venaf ranee quod bacca, &c. 
The oil of Venafrum was celebrated for its excellence. Venafrum was 
the last city of Campania to the north. It was situate near the River Vul- 
turnus, and on the Latin Way. — Rcmisit. "Yields." The aorist, in the 
sense of what is accustomed to take place. 

70-77. 70. Picenis pomis. Consult note on Sat. ii., 3, 272. Catius now 
passes to the second course, consisting of fruits, &c. — Tiburtia. The ap- 
ples of Tibur are meant. — 71. Venucula convenit ollis. "The Venucula 
is proper for preserving in jars." The allusion here is to a particular spe- 
cies of grape, of which nothing definite is known at the present day. It 
was kept in jars, much in the manner of the grapes that come from Spain 
at the present day. The Alban grape, on the other hand, was kept by 
being hung up where the smoke would have access to it. Orelli observes 
that the Italians still fumigate chestnuts.— 72. Duraveris. In the sense 
of servaveris. The Alban grape would not seem to have been any of the 
best. — 73. Hanc ego cum malis, &c. " I am found to have been the first 
that placed here and there on table, in clean little dishes, this kind of 
grape along "with apples : I am found to have been the first that served 
up in this way a sauce composed of burned tartar and fish-pickle ; I, too, 
am found to have been the first that presented thus to my guests white 
pepper sprinkled over with black salt." The phrase puris circumposuisse 
catiUis h$s been necessarily i-endered with some freedom in the two lafc- 



516 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE IV. 

ter clauses of this sentence, in order to suit better tbe idiom of our own 
tongue. The poet happily expresses, by the repetition of the personal 
pronoun and of the adjective primus, the earnest air with which the merit 
of these several important discoveries is claimed. — Fcecem. The "ge- 
brannter Weinstein" of the German commentators. Faex is here equiva- 
lent to faex usta. It was added as a condiment to the allec. Tartar is 
an acid concrete salt, formed from wines completely fermented, and ad- 
hering to the side of the casks in the form of a hard crust. -It is white or 
red, the white being most esteemed, as containing less dross or earthy 
parts. The best comes from Germany, and is the tartar of the Rhenish 
wine. — Allec. This was a kind of caviare, being the imperfect garum of 
the scombri. — 74. Piper album. This was said to be milder than the piper 
nigrum. — Sale nigro. It was considered the strongest kind. — 75. Incre- 
tum. This term properly denotes " sprinkled over through a sieve." — 
Circum,posuisse. We must not imagine, with some commentators, that 
the catilli were served up, one to each guest, but that they were placed 
here and there (circum-) on the table, after the manner of the modern as- 
siettes. — 76. Immane est vitium, dare millia terna macello, Sec. Catius 
calls it a monstrous folly not to know how to make an entertainment, 
after having gone to an immense expense at the shambles in the pur- 
chase of provisions. To purchase, for example, fish of the most costly 
kind, and then serve them up in small and narrow dishes where they have 
to lie piled one upon another. With millia terna supply sestertium. — 
77. Vago. Applying to the fish as accustomed to move freely about in 
their native element. The epithet is contrasted in a very pleasing man- 
ner with angusto. 

78-81. 78. Magna movet stomacho fastidia, &c. Some general pre- 
cepts are now given respecting cleanliness and elegance at entertain- 
ments. — Unclis manibus, dum furta ligurrit. "With fingers made 
greasy while he hastily devours the stolen fragments of the feast." — 
80. Sive gravis veteri craterce limits adhcesit. " Or if a thick scurf ha3 
adhered to the old mixer." — Crater®. The cratera (upaTrjp), or mixer, 
was the vessel in which the wine and water were mixed. — 81. Scopis. 
For cleansing the pavement of the banqueting-room. — Scobe. "Saw- 
dust." Used, as sand with us, when the pavements were swept in the 
banqueting-rooms, and serving to dry up any moisture that might be upon 
them. Scobs is, in fact, a very extensive term, and denotes, in general, 
any powder or dust produced by filing, sawing, or boring, though in the 
present passage its meaning is limited. — Quantus. Equivalent here to 
quam parvus, or quantulus. 

83-85. 83. Ten lapides varios lutulenta radere palma ? " Does it be- 
come thee to sweep a tesselated pavement with a dirty palm-broom ?" 
Nothing is more common, especially in Terence, than this elliptical use 
of the infinitive, to express earnestness, strong censure, indignation, &c. 
The full form of expression would be tene decet radere, Sec— Lapides varios. 
The Romans adorned the pavements of their dwellings with rich mosaic 
work, made of small pieces of marble of different kinds and colors curious- 
ly joined together, most commonly in the form of checker- work.— Palma. 
A broom made of palm leaves. — 84. Et Tyrias dare circum, &c. The 
construction is : et dare illota toralia circum Tyrias vestes. " And to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE V. 517 

thi'ow unwashed coverings over the purple furniture of thy couches." 
Toral, or torale, denotes the covering which was thrown over the couch 
to prevent its being soiled or otherwise injured. If the toral be illotum, 
it occasions the very evil it was intended to prevent. — 85. Oblitum, quanta 
curam sumtumque minorem, &c. " Not recollecting that by how much less 
care and expense these things require, by so much the more justly may 
their absence be blamed, than that of those which can only belong to the 
tables of the rich," or, more literally, " which can have nothing to do with 
any but the tables of the rich." 

88-92. 88. Docte Cati, Sec. The conclusion is in a happy strain of 
irony. The poet expresses his gratitude in the liveliest terms, and begs 
to be introduced to an audience with the distinguished author of these 
precepts, that he may hear them from his own lips, and drink in at the 
fountain-head the rules and maxims of a happy life. — 89. Ducere me 
auditum. "To take me to hear the man himself." — Pergcs quocmique. 
" Whithersoever thou shalt go to find him," i. e., wherever he may dwell. 
This refers back to verse 11, where Catius declares that he will not men- 
tion the name of the individual. — 91. Interpret. "As a relator mere- 
ly."— 92. Vultum habitumque hominis. "The look and manner of the 
man." Habitum has an ironical reference to the grave and dignified de- 
portment of this sage instructor. — 93. Quia contigit. "Because such has 
been thy lot." 



Satire V. To this satire also, like the last, a dramatic form is given. 
In a discourse, supposed to be held between Ulysses and the soothsayer 
Tiresias, Horace satirizes the sordid attempts frequently made by Roman 
citizens to enrich themselves by paying assiduous court to old and wealthy 
bachelors and widowers. There is considerable pleasantry in the satire 
itself, but its subject is introduced in a forced and improbable manner. 
Homer, in the eleventh book of the Odyssey, had represented Ulysses as 
consulting Tiresias on the means of being restored to his native country; 
and Horace, commencing his dialogue at the point where it was left off 
by the Greek poet, introduces Ulysses, ruined in fortune, and destitute of 
all things, seeking advice of Tiresias as to the mode of repairing his shat- 
tered affairs. The answer of the prophet forms the subject of the satire, 
and is so directly levelled at the manners of the Romans, that we can not 
forget the incongruity of these being described in a dialogue between a 
Grecian chief and a Grecian soothsayer, both of whom existed, if we fol- 
low the common account, before the foundation of Rome. The whole, 
however, may perhaps be regarded as a sort of parody, in which Greek 
names and characters are accommodated to the circumstances of Roman 
life. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. 257.) 

1-17. 1. Pr&ter narraia, "In addition to what thou hast already told 
me." — Amissas res. "My ruined fortunes." This ruin had been effected 
partly by shipwreck and partly by the squandering of the suitors. — 3. Do- 
loso. Understand tibi. — 6. Tevate. " As thou predictest." — 7. Apotheca. 
"My wine-room." Apotheca means a store-room in general ; in particu- 
lar, that in the upper part of the house, in which the wines were kept. — 
Atqui et germs et virtus, &c. " While now, as well birth as merit, unless 



518 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE V. 

accompanied by substance, are beld in lower estimation than sea-weed." 
Nothing could have been of less value in the eyes of the ancients, who 
did not make the modern uses of it, thau sea-weed. — 9. Quando. "Since." 
Equivalent to quandoquidem. — Missis ambagibus. " Circumlocutions be- 
ing laid aside," i. e., to come to the point at once. — 10. Accipe. In the 
sense of audi. — Turdus sive aliiid privum, &c. " If a tbrush, or any other 
(delicacy), shall be given thee for thy own private use, let it fly thither," 
&c. Observe that turdus is here equivalent to si turdus' the si being in- 
cluded in the following sive. — 11. Privum. "For thy own pi'ivate use." 
This must not be joined with aliud: (Heindorf, ad loc.) — 13. Quoscunque 
lionores. " Whatever productions." The allusion is to the primitics, or 
first-fruits of the year. These were wont to be offered to the Lares, but, 
on the present occasion, they must goto the rich man, for he is " venerabil- 
ior Lare." — 15. Sine gente. " Of no family." — 16. Fugitivus. " A run- 
away slave." — 17. Exterior. " On the left." The phrase ire comes exte- 
rior is analogous to latus tegere or claudere, and both, according to the best 
commentators, signify "to accompany one on the left." The term exte- 
rior here refers to the position of the sycophant or legacy-hunter, as pro- 
tecting the rich individual, who in this sense is interior ; and the left side 
was the one protected or guarded on such occasions, because it was consid- 
ered the weaker of the two, and was also more exposed to injury or attack. 

18-30. 18. Utne tegam spurco Damas latus. "Dost thou bid me pro- 
tect the side of the vile Danias ?" i. e., of one like Damas, who has been 
in his time a worthless slave. Understand jubes. Damas is Arjfj.dc, con- 
tracted from Ay/xrjrptog, like Mnvag from Mnvodopoc. — 19. Melioribus. 
Equivalent to me prcestantioribus, and refening to Achilles, Ajax, &c. — 
22. Ruam. "I may quickly draw together." Put for eruam, i. e., effo- 
diam, a figurative allusion to riches concealed, as it were, beneath the 
surface of the earth, and a much more forcible term than either parem or 
colligam would have been, since it denotes the resolution of Ulysses to 
triumph over every obstacle. — 23. Captes. " Try to catch," or, more free- 
ly, though more in accordance with what follows, " go a fishing for." 
Capto is precisely the verb to be here employed, as characterizing the 
efforts of legacy-hunters, and persons of that stamp. — 24. Vafer unus et 
alter. " One or two cunning fellows," i. e., rich and cunning old men. — 
25. Insidiatorem. Supply te. — Prceroso hamo. "After having nibbled 
the bait from off the hook," i. e., after having received the presents sent 
them, without making the expected return. — 27. Si olim. " If at any 
time." — 28. Vivet. Supply si from the preceding werse—Ultro. " Un- 
provoked," or " without any grounds of action." — 29. Illius defensor. "His 
advocate." — 30. Fama civem causaque priorem sperne. "Pay no regard 
to the citizen who is superior in reputation, and in the justice of his cause." 
Sperne is here equivalent to " def elisor ei adesse noli." 

31-38. 31. Quinte, puta, out Publi, &c. The connection is as follows : 
Address the rich man whom thou art desirous of securing in such words 
as these : " Ouintus," for instance, or "Publius," &c. Observe thatgru-td 
has the final vowel short, as here, only when taken adverbially. When 
it stands as an imperative, which it really is, the final vowel is long. 
(Anthon's Lat. Pros., p. 67, n. 2.) — Gaudent prcenomine molles auricula. 
"Delicate ears delight in hearing the prsenomen used." In addressing 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE V. 519 

Roman citizens, the prcenomen, or first part of the name, was generally 
used, as being peculiar to freemen ; for slaves had no prccnomen. — 33. Vir- 
tus tua. "Thy great merit." — 34. Jus anceps. "All the knotty points 
of the law," i. e., susceptible of a double interpretation, and which a crafty 
advocate, after starting, may easily convert to his client's advantage. — 
35. Quam te contemtum Cassa nuce pauperet. "Than treat thee with 
contempt, and defraud thee to the value of a nut-shell." Pauperare liter- 
ally means " to impoverish ;" here, however, it is taken in a stronger 
sense. — 37. Ire domum atque pelliculam curare jube. The connection is 
as follows : "When, by dint of language such as this, thou hast succeeded 
in conciliating his good will, " bid him go home, and make much of him- 
self." The phrase pelliculam curare is analogous to " genio iudulgere.'" — 
38. Fi cognitor ipse. "Do thou become his advocate," i. e., do thou take 
care of his cause for him. Cognitor is a term of the Roman law, and the 
cognitores were those to whom the management of a suit was intrusted 
by either of the parties, in the presence of the court, after which the lat- 
ter might retire if they felt inclined. 

39-44. 39. Persia atque obdura, &c. The idea intended to be convey- 
ed is simply this : "Persevere and hold out," through either extreme of 
heat or cold. In expressing it, however, Horace, as usual, seizes the op- 
portunity of indulging more freely his satirical humor, and throws well- 
merited ridicule on two silly specimens of contemporary versification. In 
the first of these, statues recently made were termed infantes ("infant," 
" young") ; a ludicrous image, which the poet here parodies in a very 
amusing manner, by applying the same epithet to wooden statues just 
finished, and made of quite fresh materials, so as to split, in consequence, 
under the intense heat of the dog-days. Who the author of this curious 
metaphor was, which is thus so deservedly laughed at, we have no cer- 
tain means of ascertaining. He is generally supposed, however, to have 
been none other than Furius Bibaculus, to whom, as the text informs us, 
the second of these strange poetic thoughts unquestionably belongs. In 
this last-mentioned one, Jupiter was described as spitting forth snow upon 
the Alps, an idea low, harsh, and extravagant. To render his parody of 
this the more severe, Horace substitutes Furius himself for the monarch 
of the skies, and, to prevent all mistake, applies to the former a laughable 
species of designation, drawn directly from his personal appearance (pin- 
gui tentus omaso, "distended with his fat paunch"). According to the 
scholiast, the line of Bibaculus, which we have just been considering, oc- 
curred in the beginning of a poem which he had composed on the Gallic 
war, and ran as follows i "Jupiter hibernas cana nive conspuit Alpes." — 
40. Omaso. The term omasum properly denotes a bullock's paunch : it 
is here humorously applied to the abdominal rotundity of Furius himself. 
— 43. Ut pattens! ul amicis aptus ! ut acer ! "How indefatigable he 
is! how serviceable to his friends! how warm in their cause!" — 44. Plures 
annabunt thunni et cetaria crescent. "More tunnies will swim in, and 
thy fish-ponds will increase." The ihunnus of the ancients is the scomber 
ihunnus of modern ichthyologists. These fish always swim in great num- 
bers, and from this circumstance the present image is drawn, rich old men 
being here compared to so many tunnies swimming in shoals into the net 
of the legacy -hunter. — Cetaria. The cetaria were fish-ponds of salt-water, 
near the sea-side, intended for the larger kind offish. 



520 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE V. 

45-54. 45. Validus male. "In feeble health." — 46. Sublatus aletur. 
" Shall be reared." Literally, "having been taken up, shall be nurtured." 
The term sublatus has reference here to the Roman custom of lifting a 
new-born infant from the ground. This was done either by the father, or, 
in his absence, by some friend authorized to act for him, and was equiva- 
lent to an acknowledgment of the child's legitimacy. Hence the phrases 
" tollere filium," to raise or educate a son, and " non tollere,'" to expose. — 
JVe manifestum ccelibis obsequium, &c. " Lest too open courting of a sin- 
gle man may expose thee," i. e., may lay open the real motive that act- 
uates thee. Ccplebs does not merely denote a bachelor, bat a single man 
generally, and hence is sometimes, as in the present instance, used to sig- 
nify a widower. — 47. Leniter in spent arrepe officiosus, &c. " Creep gen- 
tly, by thy assiduities, into the hope of both being written in his will as 
second heir, and, if any chance shall have driven the boy to the shades, 
of coming into possession of the vacant inheritance. This game very rare- 
ly fails." — 48. Secundus heres. A second heir was sometimes named in 
wills, who was to succeed to the property if the heir or heirs first appoint- 
ed did not choose to accept, or died under age. — 49. Si quis casus puerum 
egerit Oreo. Equivalent to " si forte accidat utfilius prius patre moria- 
tur." — 53. Ut limis rapias. "As to ascertain by a hasty side-glance." 
Understand oculis. — Quid prima secundo cera velit versu. By prima cera 
is here meant "the first part of the will," i.e., prima pars tabula cerates, 
testaments being usually written on tablets covered with wax, because in 
them a person could most easily erase what he wished to alter. If a 
phraseology be adopted here more in accordance with the custom of our 
own day, the whole passage may be rendered as follows : "What the 
second line of the first page intimates." In this part of the will would be 
contained the names of the heirs. — 54. Solus multisne coheres. Under- 
stand sis. 

55-57. 55. Plerumque recoctus Scriba ex Quiiiqueviro, &c. " Often- 
times will a cunning notary, who has risen from the station of Gtuinquevir, 
disappoint the gaping raven." Recoquere appears to be a term borrowed 
from dyers, who say of any thing that it is recoctum, when it has been dip- 
ped several times, and has taken the color well. Hence those were call- 
ed recocti whom long use and practice had rendered expert. — 56. Qvin- 
queviro. The Quinqueviri were individuals chosen from the people to 
execute certain minor duties, such as distributing public lands, repairing 
walls and towers, &c. It was a station of no great importance or respect- 
ability, as may be inferred from the text. — Corvum hiantem. An allu- 
sion to the well-known fable of the fox and the raven. The epithet hiantem 
represents the bird as in the act of opening its mouth, and allowing the 
meat to fall to the ground. — 57. Captator. " The fortune-hunter," or 
"will-catcher." — Corano. Coranus is the name of the notary to whom 
allusion has just been made, and the story is told by Tiresias in the 62d 
and subsequent verses. 

58-69. 58. Num furls, &c. "Art thou really inspired, or dost thou pur- 
posely mock me, in thus uttering obscurities 1" Furis here refers to the 
supposed influence of prophetic inspiration on the mind of the seer. — 
59. Avt erit aut non. "Will either come to pass or will not," as I shall 
have predicted. — 60. Dirinare. Equivalent to divinandi facultatem .— 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE V. 521 

61. Istafabula. "That story," to which thou wast alluding. — 62. Juvenis. 
The prophet, with mock gravity, fixes the time of this important event, 
the poet taking occasion to compliment Augustus. The reference, in the 
term juvenis, is to Octavianus (Augustus). As the present satire was 
written between A.IJ.C. 719 and 721, Octavianus, at this time, must have 
been about thirty years of age, and might therefore, without any impro- 
priety, be still called juvenis, according to the .Roman acceptation of the 
term. — Parthis horrendus. Consult notes on Ode i., 26, 3, and iii., 5, 3. — 
Ab alto demissum genus u&nece. Alluding to the origin of the Julian line, 
into which Octavianus had come by adoption. — 64. Forti. " Stout." — 
Procera filia. "The tall, gawky daughter." — 65. Metucntis reddere sol- 
dum. "Disquieted about the repayment of the principal that he owes." 
Soldum (contracted from solidum) here denotes the principal, or the main 
debt itself, as distinguished from the interest. The disquiet of Nasica in 
the premises may have arisen from avaricious feelings, or else, and what 
is far more probable, from a consciousness of his inability to refund what 
he had borrowed. His creditor is Coranus, to whom he, therefore, marries 
his daughter, in the hope that his new son-in-law will either forgive him 
the debt at once, or else leave him a legacy to that amount in his will, 
which would of course be a virtual release. He is disappointed in both 
these expectations. Coranus makes his will, and hands it to his father-in- 
law, with a request that he will read it ; the latter, after repeatedly de- 
clining so to do, at last consents, and finds, to his surprise and mortifica- 
tion, no mention made in the instrument of any bequest to him or his. — 
67. Multum Nasica negatus, &c. The etiquette of the day required that, 
in a case like this, there should be merely an interchange of compliments, 
but no actual examination of the will. Poor Nasica, however, could not re- 
sist the tempting offer, and was paid for his curiosity. — 69. Prater plorare. 
"Except to go and mourn," i. e., except the bitter feelings attendant upon 
disappointed hopes. 

70-90. 70. Illud ad hcec jubeo. "Unto these methods I bid thee add 
the following." Supply te addere. — Mulier dolosa. A freed woman is 
meant. — 71. Senem delirum temperet. "Shall have got the management 
of some old dotard." — 72. Laudes, lauderis ut absens. " Praise them (to 
him), that thou mayest be praised (by them unto him) when absent." — 
73. Sed vihcit longe prius, &c. "But to storm the capital itself is far su- 
perior to the former method," i. e., the best and surest way is to gain the 
old fellow himself. Prius is here in the accusative, governed by vincit. — 
Anus improba. " A wicked old jade." The epithet improba is here used, 
not with any reference to the moral character of the person spoken of, but 
in jocose allusion to the mischievous and sportive humor which dictated 
80 strange a will. — 74. Est elata. Supply ad funus. — 76. Scilicet elabi 
si posset morlua. " No doubt to try if she could slip through his fingers 
when dead." Supply tentans. — 77. Institerat. "Had annoyed her." 
More literally, "had pressed upon her." Supply ex. — Cauius adito. "Be 
cautious in thy approaches." Compare verse 48: " Leniter arrepe." — 
78. Neu desis opcrac, &c. " Neither on the one hand be wanting in thy 
efforts, nor on the other be immoderately abundant in them," i. e., nor, on 
the other hand, overdo the matter. "With abundes supply opera. — 79. Dif- 
ficilem. " One that is of afastidious turn." — Ullro non etiam sileas. "And 
again, thou must not be more silent than is proper." 



522 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VI. 

80-99. 80. Davus sis comicus. " Copy Davus in the play." The allu- 
sion is to a cunning slave in the Andria of Terence. — 81. Gapite obstipo. 
"With head bent stiffly forward." The attitude of a person showing 
great deference to another, and having his head stiffly fixed like a stipes 
or stake. The leading idea, however, in the phrase is merely that of rigid 
stiffness, without reference to inclination in any particular direction, and 
hence while it here denotes deference, and in Persius, Sat. iii., 80, indi- 
cates an appearance of deep thought, it is applied in Suetonius (Vit. Tib., c. 
68) to one who walks with head stiffly erect. — Multum similis metuenti. 
"Much like one who stands in awe of another." — 82. Obsequio grassare. 
"Ply him with assiduities." — Increbuit. "Has begun to freshen." — 
88. Velet caput. The Romans were accustomed, in the city, as a screen 
from the heat or wind, to throw over their head the lappet of their gown. 
— 84. Aurem substrings loquaci. "Lend an attentive ear to him if he is 
fond of talking." Substringere literally means " to bind close," " to tie 
tight," &c. Hence its figurative signification in the present case. — 85. Im- 
portunus amat laudari 1 " Is he extravagantly fond of being praised?" 
— Ohe jam ! Supply satis est. — 86. Urge. " Press him hard," i. e., ply 
him well. — 89. Cerium vigilans. " Wide awake," i. e., far from dream- 
ing. — Quartce esto partis Ulixes, &c. The language of the will. — 90. Ergo 
nunc Dama sodalis, &c. The construction is as follows : Sparge subinde, 
Est sodalis Dama ergo nusquam ? Sec. " Throw out, from time to time, 
some such expressions as these: 'Is my friend Dama then no more?'" 
&c. — 91. Unde milii tamfortem tamque Jidelem ? Supply parabo. — 92. Et 
si paulum potes illacrymare. " And if thou canst shed a few tears, do so." 
Understand illacryma. — Est gaudia prodentem vultum celare. " One is 
able, in this way, to disguise a countenance indicative otherwise only of 
joy." Est is here equivalent to licet, and the passage may be para- 
phrased as follows: "licet lacrymando animi Icetitiam de hereditate, in 
vultu expressam, occultare." — 94. Permissum arbitrio. " Left to thy dis- 
cretion." — Sine sordibus. "Without any meanness." — 95. Egregie fac- 
tum. "Celebrated in a handsome manner." — 96. Forte senior male tus- 
siet. " Happens to be advanced in years, and to have a bad cough." — 
Huic tu die, ex parte tua, &c " If he wishes to become the purchaser, 
either of a farni or a house, out of thy share, do thou tell him that thou 
wilt make it over to him with pleasure for a nominal sum," i. e., % for nothing 
at all. Addicere nummo is to make a thing over to another for any small 
piece of money, just to answer the law, which required that, in the trans- 
fer of property, money should be given as an equivalent, in order to render 
the sale a valid one. This species of sale, therefore, was in reality a gift 
or present. — 99. Imperiosa trahit Proserpina. " The inexorable Proser- 
pina drags me hence." — Vive valeque. . A common form of bidding farewell. 



Satire VI. A panegyric on the felicity of rural existence, in which the 
poet contrasts the calm and tranquil amusements of the country with the 
tumultuous and irregular pleasures of the capital, and delightfully ex- 
presses his longing after rural ease and retirement. In order to give force 
to his eulogy on a country life, he introduces the well-known and apposite 
fable of the town and country mouse. 

1-12. 1. In volis. "Among my wishes," i. e., one of my wishes. — 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VI. 523 

Modus agri non ita magnus. " A piece of ground, not so very large." 
Literally, " not so large." In cases like the present, ita is commonly said 
to have the force of valde, or admodum. The expression, however, is in 
fact an elliptical one, and ita retains its natural meaning; i. e., "not so 
large (as people commonly wish for)." Compare Hand, ad Tursellin., 
iii., p. 489. — 2. Jugis aqua fons. "A spring of never-failing water." — 
3. Et paulum silvae super his. "And a little woodland in addition to 
these." Compare the Greek eiri tovtoic. — Auctius atque Di melius fe- 
cere. "The gods have done more bountifully, and better, for me than 
this." — 5. Maia nate. He addresses his prayer to Mercury, not only be- 
cause this god was a patron of poets in general, and Horace, as we find in 
his odes, had been particularly favored and protected by him, but also be- 
cause he presided over all sudden acquisitions of wealth, or increase of 
worldly prosperity. — Propria. "Lasting," i. e., permanently mine. — 
Ratione mala. "By evil means." — 7. Vitio cidpave. " By vicious pro- 
fusion or culpable neglect." — 8. Veneror. In the sense of precor. — 9. Ac- 
ccdat. " May be added unto me." — Denormat. " Spoils the shape of," i. 
e., prevents from being square and even. Equivalent to denormem red- 
dit. — 10. Fors quae. "Some chance." Quce is here put for aliqua. — 
11. Thesauro invento qui mercenarius, &c. The construction is, Qui 
thesauro invento mercatus est ilium ipsum agrum quern uti mercenarius 
aravit. — 12. Dives amico Hercule. " Enriched by the favor of Hercules." 
Sudden acquisitions of gain were ascribed to both Hercules and Mercury 
(compare note on verse 5), with this distinction, however, accoi'ding to 
Casaubon (ad Pers., ii., 11), that when any thing was found in the forum, 
or in the streets of the city, it was attributed to Mercury, as being fiebe 
ayopaloc, and if elsewhere, to Hercules, as tv?^ovto56ttjc. 

13-19. 13. Si quod adest gratum juvat. "If what I at present have 
pleases and makes me grateful." Quod adest is equivalent here to the 
Greek to Ttapov- — 14. Et cetera prater ingenium. The poet prays to have 
every thing fat except his understanding. We have here a play on the 
double meaning of pingue, which, when applied to ingenium, denotes an 
understanding that is heavy and dull. — 16. In arcem. The poet regards 
his country house as a mountain citadel inaccessible to the cares and an- 
noyances that besieged him at Rome. — 17. Quid prius illustrem Satiris 
Musaque pedestri ? The effect of this parenthesis is extremely pleasing: 
no sooner is allusion made to his escape from the noise and crowd of the 
capital, than the poet, struck with the idea of the pure enjoyment that 
awaits him amid the peaceful scenery of his Sabine vale, breaks forth 
into the exclamation : " What can I rather celebrate in my Satires and 
with my prosaic Muse 1" i. e., what rather than the pleasures of this re- 
tirement can I celebrate in the prosaic verse of my satiric productions 1 
— Musaque pedestri. Compare the Greek form of expression, Tte^bc Xoyoc, 
to indicate "prose," and note on Ode ii., 12, 9. — 18. Plumbeus. The epi- 
thet well expresses the influence produced on the human frame by the 
wind alluded to, in rendering it heavy and inert. The poet's retreat was 
covered by mountains, in such a manner that he had nothing to fear from 
its bad effects. — 19. Auctumnusque gravis. "And the sickly autumn." 
The season when the wind just mentioned prevails. — Libitinoe qucestus 
acerbce. "The gain of the baleful Libitina." The allusion is to the nu- 
merous deaths in the sickly period of autumn, and the gain accruing there- 



524 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VI. 

from to the Temple of Libitina, the goddess of funerals, where all things 
requisite for interments were either sold or hired out. 

20-27. 20. Matutine pater. "Father of the morning." The poet, in- 
tending to describe the employments and bustle of the capital, imitates 
the custom of the epic writers, and, as they commence their labors with 
the invocation of some muse, so here he begins with an address to Janus, 
the god to whom not only the opening of the year was consecrated, but 
also that of the day. — Seu Jane libentins audis. " Or if with more pleas- 
sure thou hearest the appellation of Janus." Jane is here taken mate- 
rially, as occurring in the language of invocations. Many commentatoi's, 
however, prefer giving avdis at once, like the Greek ukoveic, the mean- 
ing of diceris or appellaris. — 21. Unde. " From whom," i. e., under whose 
favoring influence. — 23. Romee sponsorem me rapis. "When at Rome, 
thou hurriest me away to become bail for another." The address is still 
to Janus, who is here supposed to be assigning to each individual his em- 
ployments for the day, and among the rest giving his also to the poet. — > 
Eia, ne prior officio, &c. " Come, make haste ! lest any one answer to 
the call of duty before thee," i. e., lest any one anticipate thee in this office 
of friendship. This is uttered by the god. — 25. Radit. " Sweeps." — Seu 
bruma nivalem, &c. " Or whether winter contracts the snowy day with- 
in a narrower circle." Bruma (quasi brevima, i. e., brevissima dies) is prop- 
erly the winter solstice, the shortest day in the year : here, however, it is 
taken to denote the season of winter generally. The inequality in the 
length of the solar day is very beautifully illustrated by a figure drawn 
from chariot-races, in which the driver, who was nearest the metce, or 
goal (around which the chariots had to run), marked a narrower circuit, 
and was therefore called interior, while those further off were obliged to 
take a larger compass, and were hence styled exteriores. — 26. Ire necesse 
est. " Go I must." — 27. Postmodo, quod mi obsit, &c. "After this, when 
I have uttered, with a clear voice and in express words, what may prove 
an injury to me at some future day, I must struggle with the crowd, and 
rough measures must be used toward those who move slowly along," i. e., 
who move at a slow pace before me and block up the way. The expres- 
sion dare certumque locuto refers to the formality of becoming bail for an- 
other. After this is done, the poet leaves the court, and endeavors to 
make his way through the crowd. In order to accomplish this, he has to 
push aside, without much ceremony, all who oppose his progress by their 
slow and dilatory movements. 

29-35. 29. Quid tibi vis, insane? &c. " 'What dost thou want, mad- 
man? and what meanest thou by this rude behavior V exclaims one of the 
crowd, pursuing me with imprecations." — 30. Tu pulses omne quod ob- 
stat, &c. "Must thou push aside whatever comes in thy way, if, with a 
head full of nothing else, thou art running as usual to Maecenas 1" — 31. Re- 
curras. The peculiar force of this compound, in the present instance, as 
indicating the habitual repetition of an act, is deserving of notice. — 32. 
Hoc juvut et melli est. His visits to Maecenas are here meant. — Atras 
Esquilias. Alluding to the circumstance of this quarter having been a 
common burial-place for the poor, before the splendid residence of Maece- 
nas was erected there. Compare Sat. i., 8, 14. — 33. Aliena negotia cen- 
tum, &c. "A hundred affairs of other people leap through my head and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VI. 525 

around my side," i. e., beset me on every side. Compare the form which 
the same idea would assume in our vulgar idiom : " I am over head and 
ears in the affairs of others." Wiistemann thinks that Horace at the time 
was acting as a scriba, or secretary, to Maecenas. — 34. Ante secundam. 
" Before eight." Literally, " before the second hour." "We must suppose 
that, when Horace reaches the abode of his patron on the Esquiline, a 
slave meets him, and mentions who had been there for him, and what 
they wished. — 35. Ad puteal. " At the puteal." The term puteal prop- 
erly means the inclosure surrounding the opening of a well, to protect per- 
sons from falling into it. It was either round or square, and seems usu- 
ally to have been of the height of three or four feet from the ground. It is 
then taken to denote any cavity or hole in the earth, surmounted by a 
cover; and, last of all, signifies a place surrounded by a wall, in the form 
of a circle or square, and roofed over, resembling somewhat a kind of altar. 
These little structures were commonly erected on spots which had been 
struck by lightning, though not always. The puteal of Libo is supposed 
by C. F. Hermann to have been the same with the old puteal erected in 
the Forum, either on account of the whetstone of the Augur Navius, or 
because the spot had been struck by lightning. This was repaired and 
rededicated by Scribonius Libo, who had been commanded to examine 
the state of the sacred places. Libo erected in its neighborhood a tribunal 
for the praetor, in consequence of which the place was, of course, frequent- 
ed by persons who bad law-suits, such as money-lenders and the like. 

36-44. 36. De re communi scribes, &c. "The notaries, duintus, re- 
quested that thou wouldst bear in mind to return to them to-day, in order 
to consult about an important and novel matter, which concerns their 
whole number." The scriba. were notaries or clerks, who wrote out the 
public accounts, the laws, and all the proceedings of the magistrates. — 
38. Imprimat. his cura Mcecenas, ice. "Be so good as to get Maecenas to 
seal these tablets," i. e., to put the imperial seal to these writings. Mae- 
cenas would seal them in the name of the emperor, from whom he had 
received the imperial signet; a duty which appertained to him as prce- 
fecLus urbis and the minister of Augustus. The address in the text 
comes, not like the two previous ones, through the medium of the slave, 
but from the applicant himself. — 39. Dixeris. For si dixeris, and that for 
si dixerim. — Si vis, poles. "Thou canst if thou wilt." — 40. Septimus oc- 
tavo propior, &c. " The seventh year, approaching to the eighth, is now, 
if I mistake not, elapsed," i. e., 'tis now, if I mistake not, nearly eight 
years. The elegant use of the subjunctive mood in fugerit, which we 
have endeavored to preserve in our version, must be carefully noted. — 
42. Duntaxat ad hoc, &c. " Only thus far, however, as one whom he 
might wish to take along with him in his chariot, when going on a jour- 
ney." — 44. Hoc genus. " Of this kind," i. e., such as these that follow. — 
Threx est Gallina Syro par? "Is Gallina, the Thracian, a match for 
Syrus?" The allusion is to two gladiators of the day, and the term 
"Thracian" has reference, not to the native country of the individual in 
question, but to the kind of arms in which he was arrayed, imitating those 
of the Thracians. The Mirmillo, to whom the Threx was usually opposed, 
was armed in the Gallic fashion, with the figure of a fish {[xopfxvWov or 
ixop/bivpov) on his helmet. Syrus is here the Mirmillo, and as the fight 
was to take place probably in a few days, Maecenas asks Horace what 
his opinion was with respect to it. (Keightley, ad loc.) 



526 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VI. 

45-50. 45. Matutina parum cantos, &c. " The cold morning air be- 
gins now to pinch those who neglect to provide against it," i. e., who do 
not put on attire suited to the change of the season. — 46. Et quae. " And 
other things which." For et alia qua. — Bene. "Safely." The refer- 
ence is to things of no importance, which may be safely confided to any 
one, even if he be of the most loquacious and communicative habits, since 
it is a matter of indifference whether he divulges them or not. The ex- 
pression auris rimosa (" a leaky ear," " an ear full of chinks") is opposed 
to auris tuta, and imitated from Terence [Eun., i., 2, 25). — 48. Noster. 
" Our friend." The reference is to Horace, and the term itself is quoted, 
as it were, from the sneering language of others in relation to him. — Ludos 
spectaverit una, &c. " If he has witnessed the public spectacles in com- 
pany with Maecenas, if he has played ball along with him in the Campus 
Martius ; Lucky fellow! all exclaim." With spectaverit and hcserit re- 
spectively, understand si. — 50. Frigidvs a Rostris manat, &c. " If any 
disheartening rumor spreads from the Rostra through the crowded streets." 
With manat understand si. — Rostris. The Rostra are here named as be- 
ing the most conspicuous object in the forum, and the place where the 
greatest crowds were accustomed to assemble. By the term Rostra is 
meant the elevated seat from which the Roman orators, and men in office, 
addressed the assembled people. The appellation was derived from the 
circumstance of its having been adorned with the beaks of some galleys 
taken from the city of Antium. (Liv., viii., 12.) 

52-63. 52. Deos. Alluding to Augustus and Mascenas, and analogous 
to our term "the Great." — 54. Ut tu semper eris derisor ! "How fond 
thou always art of playing the fool with other people," or, more literally, 
" what a roguish dissembler thou wilt ever be." — 55. Si quidquam. " If I 
have heard any thing at all about the matter." Understand audivi. — 
Militibus promissa Triquetra pradia, &c. "Is Csesar going to give the 
lands he promised the soldiers in Sicily or Italy?" According to Bent- 
ley, the reference here is to the division of lands which took place after 
Augustus had overthrown Sextus Pompeius, and brought Lepidus to sub- 
jection. — Triquetra. An appellation given to Sicily from its triangular 
shape. — 57. Unum. Equivalent to prm omnibus aliis. — 58. Scilicet. "To 
be sure." — 59. Perditur hcec inter, &c. "Amid such things as these the 
whole day is lost for poor me, not without many a secret aspiration," i. e., 
not without aspirations like the following. — 61. Somno. The allusion is 
to the mid-day slumber, or siesta, so customary in warm climates. The 
poet sighs the more deeply for this, as it will not be broken in upon by the 
annoying duties of a city life. — Inertibus horis. The dolce far niente of 
the modern Italians. — 62. Ducere sollicitcc jucunda oblivia vitce. " To 
drink a sweet oblivion of the cares of life." A beautiful allusion to the 
fabled waters of Lethe, which all who entered Elysium pi-eviously drank, 
and lost, in consequence, every recollection of the cares and troubles of 
life. — 63. Faba Pylhagora cognata. "The bean related to Pythagoras." 
A playful allusion to the famous precept of Pythagoras, to abstain from 
beans, kvu/iuv UTrex^oOai.. This precept is one of the mysteries which the 
ancient Pythagoreans never disclosed. Horace, however, evidently re- 
fers here to that solution which makes the philosopher to have regarded 
beans as among the receptacles of souls, and hence he jocosely styles the 
bean cognata, on the supposition of its containing the soul of some rela- 
tion of the sage's. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK. II., SATIRE VI. 527 

65-87. 65. O nodes camceque deum ! " All ! nights and refections of 
the gods !" Equivalent to nodes camceque dels dig-nce. They went late to 
dinner and sat late. — Meique. Understand famili ares or amid. — 66. Ante 
larem proprium. "Before rny own hearth." Analogous, in one sense, to 
our modem phrase, "by rny own fireside." It would appear that people 
in the country used to dine and sit, especially in cold, weather, in the 
atrium, by the hearth of which was placed the family lar. — Vernas pro- 
caces. "My saucy house-slaves." Those slaves who were born in their 
master's house were called verncB, and were more forward and pert than 
others, because they were commonly more indulged. — 67. Libatis dapi- 
bus. "From the dishes off which we have supped." Libatis is here 
used in the sense of degustatis or adesis. — Prout. To be pronounced as 
a dissyllable. — €8. Incequales. " Of different sizes," i. e., either large or 
small, as might suit the guest. — 69. Legibus insanis. Alluding to the laws 
which the master of the feast, or symposiarch, at the ancient entertain- 
ments, was accustomed to impose on the guests, and in conformity with 
which, they were compelled to drink equal quantities of liquor, and out 
of cups of an equal size. — Seu quis capit acria fortis pocula. "Whether 
one of a strong head chooses brimming bumpers." The expression acria 
pocula is intended to denote such cups as best suit hard drinkers, acres 
potores. — 70. Uvescit. "Grows mellow." — 72. Lepos. The name of a 
celebrated dancer of the day, and in high favor with Augustus. He de- 
rived his name, according to the scholiast, from his graceful dancing, a 
lepide saltando. — 73. Agitamus. "We discuss." — 75. Usus rectum ne. 
"Utility or virtue." The former of these indicates the Epicurean doc- 
trine, the latter the Stoic. — 76. Quce sit natura boni, &c. "What is the 
nature of good, and what its perfection." — 77. Garrit aniles ex refabellas. 
" Prates away old wives' tales adapted to the subject in hand." The ex- 
pression aniles fabellas must be here taken without the least intermixture 
of irony. — 78. Arelli. Arellius would seem to have been some wealthy 
individual in the neighborhood, full of anxious care (the curse that gener- 
ally accompanies wealth) respecting the safe possession of his treasures. 
The whole moral of the story which is here introduced turns upon the dis- 
quiet and solicitude that are so often the companions of riches. — 79. Olim. 
" Once upon a time." — 80. Rustiacs urbanum murem mus, &c. The beau- 
tiful effect produced by the antithetical collocation of the words in this line 
is deserving of all praise. It is repeated in the succeeding one. — Paupere 
cavo. "In his poor hole." — 82. Asper. "Frugal." — XJt tamen arctu?n, 
&c. "Yet so as to open, at times, in acts of hospitality, his bosom, close- 
ly attentive otherwise to his narrow circumstances." Ut tamen is equiv- 
alent to ita tamen ut, and arctum animum, as Doriug well explains it, to 
animum ardis rebus intentum. — 83. Quid multa ? " To cut short a long 
story." — Neque ille invidit. "He neither grudged him," i. e., he spread 
plentifully before him. — Sepositi. "Hoai'ded." — 86. Fastidia. "The 
daintiness." — 87. Tangentis male. "Who scarcely deigned to touch." 

88-109. 88. Pater ipse domus. "The good man of the house himself." 
The country mouse is thus pleasantly styled, as the entei'tainer of the city 
mouse. — Palea in horna. " On fresh straw," i. e., just collected in this 
year's harvest. — 89. Esset ador loliumque. " Kept eating wheat and 
darnel." By ador, strictly speaking, is here meant a species of grain, of 
the genus Triticum, called by the Germans " Dinkel," " Spelz," and by 



528 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VII. 

us " Spelt." — Relinquens. Understand hospiti. — 91. Nemoris. The term 
nemus is here taken to denote " a woody height." — Patientem vivere. "In 
leading a life of privations." — 93. Miki crede. " Take my advice." — Ter- 
restrict quando mortales animas, &c. " Since all terrestrial things live, 
having obtained as their lot mortal souls," i. e., since mortal souls have 
been allotted to all things that exist upon the earth. The city mouse, 
having seen more of the world than his country acquaintance, appears to 
great advantage by the side of the latter, and deals out the doctrines of 
Epicurus respecting the non-existence of a future state with all the gravi- 
ty of a philosopher. A mouse turned skeptic is, indeed, an odd sight ! — 
95. Quo bone circa. A tmesis for quocirca bone. — 98. Pepulere. "Had 
wrought upon." Equivalent to impulere. — 100. Jamque tenebat nox, &c. 
An amusing imitation of the gravity and dignity of epic verse. Accord- 
ing to the poets, Night ascends from the east in her chariot, as the sun is 
sinking in the ocean, and pursues her course toward the west. — 102. Coc- 
co. The ancients regarded the coccus as a kind of grain. It is, in reality, 
however, an excrescence on the bark of the Quercus coccifera, contain- 
ing little worms, which yield a juice that gives a beautiful scarlet dye. — 
Canderet. "Glowed." — 105. Qua procul exstructis, Sec. " Which were 
from yesterday in baskets piled up at a little distance." These were 
probably like our plate-baskets, used for removing the dishes. Since pro- 
cul implies distance without limitation, it may signify "hard by" as 
well as " afar off." — 107. Veluti succinctus cursitat hospes. " He runs up 
and down like an active host." — 108. Coniinuatque dapes. " And keeps 
serving up one dish after another." — Verniliter ipsis fungitur officiis. 
"Performs all the duties of an attentive servant." Literally, "performs 
the duties themselves of the entertainment like a slave." — 109. Prceli- 
bans. "Tasting previously." The city mouse here performs the office 
of prtzgustator. The prcegustatores were slaves, whose business it was 
to ascertain, by previously tasting them, whether the dishes to be set on 
table were properly seasoned or not. 

110-117. 110. Bonisque rebus agit, Sec. "And plays the part of a de- 
lighted guest amid the good cheer which surrounds him." — 112. Valva- 
rum. " Of the folding doors." — Lectis excussit utrumque. " Drove them 
each in terror from their couches." — Currere per totum, (See. Being both 
strangers in the house, they did not know where to find a hole. — 114. Mo 
lossis canibus. Consult note on Epode vi, 5. — 151. Turn. When they had 
got into a place of safety. — 116. Valeas. "Eare thee well." — 117. Tenui 
ervo. " With the humble vetch." 



Satire VII. The dialogue which here takes place between Horace 
and one of his slaves must be supposed to have been held during the 
Saturnalia. Availing himself of the freedom allowed to his class during 
that season of festive enjoyment, the slave upbraids his master with his 
defects and vices, and maintains, in conformity with one of those para- 
doxes borrowed from the Grecian schools, that the wise man alone is free. 
His sarcasms have so much truth and bitterness, that his master at length 
loses temper, and, being unable to answer him, silences him with men- 
aces. The fifth satire of Persius hinges on the same philosophical para- 
dox ; but that poet has taken twice the number of verses to express the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VII. 529 

same ideas as Horace, and, after all, has expressed them more obscurely. 
(Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. iii., p. 259.) 

1-8. 1. Jamdudum ausculto, &c. "I have for a long' while been listen- 
ing: to thy remarks, and, being- desirous of speaking a few words with thee, 
I dread to do so because I am a slave." — 2. Davusne ? "Is this Davus?" 
The poet expresses his angry surprise at the familiarity of his slave, bat 
a moment after recollects himself, and grants him the usual licence of the 
Saturnalia. — Ita. " 'Tis even so." — 3. Etfrugi quod sit satis, &c. " And 
an honest one, too, as far as is needful, that is, so that thou mayest think 
him likely to live long." Prugi is generally regarded as a dative case of 
the old noun frux, used adjectively. It is more probably, however, an 
actual adjective, shortened from a form frugis by dropping the final let- 
ter. — 3. Hoc est, ut vitale, &c. The Romans had the same popular preju- 
dice among them that exists even at the present day. When any one 
was distinguished in an eminent degree for virtue or merit, they imagined 
he would not live long. Davus therefore explains, in accordance with 
this belief, what he means by quod sit satis . He is honest enough, but not 
to such a degree as may tempt the gods to withdraw him from the earth. 
— 4. Age, libertate Decembri, &c. The reference is to the festival of the 
Saturnalia. — 6. Constanter. " Without any intermission," i. e., they pur- 
sue one constant course of vice. Davus here enters upon his subject with 
the voice and manner of his master. The character of Priscus is of the 
same kind with that of Tigellius in the third satire of the first book. — 
7. Propositum. "Whatever they have once proposed unto themselves," 
how dishonorable soever it may be. — Natat. "Fluctuate." — 8. Pravis 
obnoxia. "Exposed to the contamination of evil." — Scspe notatus cum 
tribus anellis, &c. "Priscus was frequently observed with three rings, 
at other times with his left hand completely bare of them," i. e., Priscus 
sometimes wore three rings on his left hand, at other times none. With 
inanis supply anellis. 

10-14. 10. Vixit ineequalis. "He led an inconsistent life." "Nil 
cequale hominifuit illi." — Clavum ut mutaret in horas. "So as to change 
his clavus every hour," i. e., so as to appear one moment in the latus clavus 
of a senator, and at another in the angustus clavus of axieques. From this 
it would follow that Priscus, if he had, indeed, any real existence, was a 
member of the equestrian order, and of senatorian rank. — 11. yEdibus ex 
moguls subito se conderet, &c. " From a splendid mansion he would on 
a sudden hide himself in a place from which one of the more decent class 
of freedmen could hardly with propriety come out." Mundior literally 
means one a little more attentive than ordinary to the decencies and pro- 
prieties of life, and hence mundior libertinus denotes one of the more de- 
cent class of freedmen, and who is raised above the ordinary level. — 
13. Doctus. "As a man of letters." The early editions exhibit doctus, 
which is the reading also of many MSS., and is given by Bentley, Hein- 
dorf, Orelli, and Jahn. A greater number of MSS. give doctor, but, as 
Keiqhtley remarks, it seems absm'd to suppose a Roman senator giving 
lectures at Athens. — 14. Vertumnis, quotquot sunt, natus iniquis. " Born 
beneath the anger of the Vertumni, as many as there are." Verlumnus 
was an ancient deity of the Etrurians, whose worship was brought to 
Rome. He possessed, like the Grecian Proteus, the power of transform- 

Z 



530 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VII. 

ing himself into any shape or form at pleasure, an attribute which the 
plural name is here purposely used to express, as if each new shape were 
a separate Vertumnus. Hence the meaning here intended to be convey- 
ed is as follows : that whenPriscus was born, Vertumnus, in anger, gave 
him a changing, fickle, and inconstant disposition. 

15-26. 15. Justa. "Well-merited," i. e., the just punishment of his in- 
temperance and high living. — 16. Contudit. " Had crippled." — 17. Phi- 
mum. " The box" in which the tali and tesserce were shaken, and from 
which they were thrown out upon the gaming board. It is the same, 
therefore, with our modern dice-box. Other names for it were fritillus 
and pyrgus. It was formed with parallel indentations on the inside, so 
as to make a rattling noise when the dice were shaken out. Phimus is 
the Greek <pc t u6e Latinized. — Talos. The tali here meant are those de- 
scribed in the note on Ode ii., 7, 25. For the other kind, consult note on 
Sat. ii., 3, 171. — 18. Pavit. "Maintained" or "kept." — 19. Tanto levius 
miser ac prior illo, &c. " By so much less wretched and better off than 
the other, who one while struggles with a tight, another with a loosen- 
ed cord," i. e., who one moment struggles with his passions, and the next 
instant yields to their violence. Orelli regards this as a metaphor, bor- 
rowed from the movements of seamen, who sometimes pull the sheets of 
the sails too taut, sometimes leave them loose. — 21. Hodie. Equivalent 
here to st&tim. — Hcec tarn putida. " Such stupid stuff as this." — 22. Fur- 
cifer. " Rascal." The term furcifer literally denotes a slave who has 
been subjected to the punishment of the J 'urea. It was a piece of wood 
that went round their necks, and to which their hands were tied. In this 
state they were driven about the neighborhood under the lash, more, how- 
ever, for the sake of ignominy than that of actual bodily punishment. — 
23. Plebis. In the sense oipopuli. — 24. Ad ilia. Supply quce laudas. — 
Te agat. "Transfer thee." — 25. Aut quia non sentis, &c. "Either be- 
cause thou dost not really think that to be more correct, which thou criest 
up as such." — 26. Firmus. "With any kind of firmness." — Et hceres ne- 
quidquam camo, &c. "And stickest fast, vainly desiring to pluck thy 
foot out of the mire." 

28-36. 28. Romce. "When at Rome." — 29. Levis. "Ever fickle." — 
30. Securum olus. " Thy quiet dish of herbs." — Ac, velut usquam vinctus 
eas, &c. " And, as if thou always goest out any where to sup on compul- 
sion, so, if not invited abroad, thou callest thyself a lucky fellow, and art 
delighted, because thou art obliged to drink nowhere." — 32. Jusserit ad 
se Maecenas, &c. The train of ideas is as follows : But see how inconsis- 
tent thy conduct is in this also. Should Maecenas invite thee to sup with 
him, immediately with a loud tone of voice thou callest on thy slaves to 
bring thee whatever may be needed for the visit, and hastenest away with 
rapid footsteps. The buffoons, who expected to sup with thee, depart, 
after heartily cursing and abusing thee aside. — 33. Sei-um, sub lumina 
prima. " Late in the evening, at the first lighting of the lamps." The 
usual time for the Roman coena was the ninth hour, or three o'clock after- 
noon in summer, and the tenth hour in winter. Maecenas, however, be- 
ing intrusted, as minister, with the administration of a wide empire, 
could not observe so seasonable an hour as others. — 34. Oleum. The oil 
is here wanted for the lamp which is to guide bis footsteps as he proceeds 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VII. 531 

r l 

to the residence of his patron, and also when returning from the same. — 
36. Mulvius et scurra. Supply ccteri. Horace would seem from this to 
have had parasites of his own as well as the great. In a city like Rome, 
which might be called a world in itself, this could not be well otherwise. 
— Tibi non referenda precati. " After having uttered secret imprecations 
against thee." The expression tibi non referenda is equivalent here to 
tibi non audienda. 

37-45. 37. Etenim, fateor, me, dixerit ille, &c. Mulvius here utters a 
part of the abuse which has just been alluded to. It must be supposed, 
however, to be spoken aside. — Dixerit ille. " Mulvius may say." — 38. Duci 
ventre levem. " That I am easily led away by my stomach," to play the 
part of a parasite and buffoon. — Nasum nidore supinor. " I raise my nose 
at a savory smell." A Graecism for nasus mihi supinatur. — 39. Si quid 
vis. " If thou pleasest." — 40. Vitro. "Unprovoked by me." — 41. Verbis- 
que decoris obvolvas vitium ? "And wilt thou cloak thy vices beneath 
specious names V — 42. Quid si me stultior ipso, Sec. Davus now speaks 
in his own person. "What if thou art found to be a greater fool even 
than myself, who was purchased for five hundred drachmas 1" i. e., even 
than myself, a poor cheap slave. Five hundred drachmas was a low price 
for a slave. It would amount in our currency to about $88. — 43. Avfer 
me vultu terrere, &c. Horace, unable to bear patiently the sarcasms of 
Davus, especially the one last uttered, assumes an angry look, and raises 
his hand in a threatening manner, and hence the slave observes, " Away 
with trying to terrify me by that look ; restrain thy hand and thy anger." 

45-51. 45. Tune mihi dominus, &c. "Art thou, my master, thyself 
subjected to the dominion of so many and powerful passions and men, 
whom the praetor's rod, though thrice and four times laid upon thy head, 
can never free from wretched fears ?" — 46. Vindicta. The rod with which 
the praetor touched the head of those who received their freedom, accord- 
ing to the form of manumission styled "per Vindictam." The meaning 
of the passage is, that the praetor might make the body indeed free, but 
not the mind. This last was only to be accomplished by wisdom. — 
48. Adde super, dictis quod non levius valeat. " Add, besides, what is of 
no less weight than the things already mentioned by me." — 49. Vicarius. 
" An underling." Slaves were sometimes allowed by their masters to lay 
out what little money they had saved with their consent (called their pecu- 
Hum) in the purchase of a slave for themselves, who was styled vicarius, 
and from whose labors they might make profit. — Uti mos vester ait. " As 
your custom expresses it," i. e., as it is customary with your masters to 
call him. — 50. Tibi quid sum ego ? " What am I in respect of thee ?" — 
51. Aliis servis miser, atque duceris, Sac. " Art thyself a wretched slave to 
others, and art managed, as a puppet is by means of sinews not his own." 

53-61. 53. Sapiens. Davus here quotes the well-known maxim of the 
Stoic sect. Consult note on Sat. i., 3, 123. — Sibi qui imperiosus. " Who 
exercises dominion over himself." — 55. Responsare cupidinibus, &c. 
"Firm in resisting his appetites, in contemning the honors of the world." 
Fortis responsare is a Graecism i'orfortis in responsando, and so, also,/<?r- 
tis contemnere for fortis in contemnendo. — 56. In se ipso totus. " Relying 
solely on himself." According to the Stoics, since those things only are 



532 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VII. 

truly good which are becoming- and virtuous, and since virtue, which is seat- 
ed in the mind, is alone sufficient for happiness, external things contribute 
nothing toward happiness. The wise man, in every condition, is happy 
in the possession of a mind accommodated to nature, and all external 
things are consequently indifferent. — Teres atque rotundus. "Smooth 
and round." The metaphor is taken from a globe, which the ancients re- 
garded as the most perfeet of forms. Our defects are so many inequali- 
ties and roughnesses, which wisdom polishes and rubs off. The image, 
too, suits extremely well with the other part of the description, in se ipso 
totus. — Externi ne quid valeat, &c. " So that no external substance can 
adhere to the surface, by reason of the polish which it possesses," i.e., so 
that no moral defilement can attach itself where there is nothing congenial 
to receive it. — 58. Manca. " With feeble power." — Potesne ex his ut pro- 
prium quid noscere ? " Canst thou, out of all these qualities, recognize 
any one that belongs peculiarly to thee ?" — 59. Non quis. " Thou canst 
not." Quis from queo. — 60. Dominus non lenis. " An unrelenting mas- 
ter," i. e., the tyrant sway of thy passions. — 61. Versatque negantem. 
"And urges thee on, though striving to resist." Equivalent to repug- 
nantem incitat. 

62-67. 62. Pausiaca torpas talella. " Art lost in stupid admiration of 
a picture by Pausias." Pausias was a Greek painter, a native of Sicyon, 
and flourished about 360 B.C. As his works were mostly what we call 
cabinet pictures, there might be many of them at Rome. [Keightley, ad 
loc.) — 63. Qui peccas minus atque ego, &c. "How art thou less deserv- 
ing of blame than I 1" — Fulvi, Rutubceque, aut Placideiani, &c. Fulvius, 
Rutuba, and Placideianus were three famous gladiators of the day, and 
the allusion in the text is to the delineations of gladiatorial combats, which 
were put up in public, and were intended to announce the coming sports, 
being analogous in this respect to our modem show-bills. These repre- 
sentations were in general rudely drawn ; sometimes, however, much 
skill was displayed in their execution. — 64. Contento poplite. "With 
the sinews of the ham strongly stretched." This is intended to represent 
the posture of a gladiator, when facing his antagonist, resting firmly on 
oue leg, and having the other thrown out in advance, "contento poplite." 
— 67. Nequam et cessator Davus, &c. The connection is as follows : 
" Davus, if he spends any time in gazing upon such sights, is called a 
knave and a loiterer, while thou art styled a nice and experienced judge 
of ancients works of art." Audis, literally, " thou hearest thyself styled," 
in imitation of the Greek usage with respect to the verb ukovu. Consult 
note on Sat. ii., 6, 20. 

69-85. 69. Nil ego. "I am called a good-for-nothing rascal." — Tibi 
ingens virtus atque animus, &c. " Do thy mighty virtue and courage re- 
sist the temptation of a good supper?" Compare, as regards responsat, 
verse 85. — 71. Obsequium ventris miJii perniciosius est, &c. The train 
of ideas is as follows: if I, in order to satisfy the cravings of a hungry 
stomach, lay my hands on a smoking cake, it is more fatal to me ; and 
why, pray? Because my back must pay for it. And dost thou imagine 
that thou obtainest with any more impunity those rare and exquisite 
dishes ? Thou wilt pay in truth but too dearly for them. Those endless 
repasts create only palling and distaste, and thy enfeebled and tottering 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 583 

feet can not sustain the weight of thy pampered and sickly frame. — 
73. Qace parvo sumi nequeunt. " Which can not be obtained at a trifling 
expense." Equivalent to quae parvo pretio parari non possunt. — 74. In- 
amarescunt. "Begin to pall." Compare Sat. ii., 2, 43. — 75. Illusique 
pedes. "And thy tottering feet." — 76. Qui uvam furtiva mutat strigili. 
"Who exchanges a stolen scraper for a bunch of grapes." Uva is here 
taken collectively. By the strigilis of the Romans was meant a kind of 
scraper, used in the baths, to rub off the sweat and filth from the body. It 
was made of horn or brass, sometimes of silver or gold. Consult Diet. 
Antiq., s. v. — 77. Qui pradia vendit, nil servile, &c. " And has he noth- 
ing servile about him, who, the slave of his appetite, sells his estates," i. 
e., in order to obtain means for its gratification. — 79. Tecum esse. " Hold 
converse with thyself." — Non otia recte ponere. " Nor employ thy leisure 
moments as they should be employed." — 80. Teque ipsum vitas fugitivus 
et erro. "And shuunest self-examination like a fugitive and a vagrant 
slave." — 83. Unde mihi lapidem? "Where shall I get a stone?" In 
this angry exclamation the verb is omitted by a very natural ellipsis. 
Supply sumam or petam. — 85. Accedes opera agro nona Sabino. "Thou 
shalt go as the ninth slave to labor on my Sabine farm." Literally, " thou 
shalt be added to my Sabine farm as a ninth laborer." Opera is put for 
operarius. Horace had eight slaves thus employed already, and threatens 
that Davus shall make the ninth. 



Satire VIII. This satire contains an account, by one of the guests who 
was present, of a banquet given by a person of the name of Nasidienus to 
Maecenas. The host had invited three persons, of first-rate distinction at 
the court of Augustus, along with the minister. Maecenas brought with 
him besides these invited guests a couple of buffoons to amuse the 
party. The description of the entertainment exhibits a picture, probably 
as true as it is lively, of a Roman feast, given by a person of bad taste af- 
fecting the manners that prevailed in a superior rank. An ill-judged ex- 
pense and profusion had loaded the table ; every elegance of the season 
was procured, but was either tainted from being too long kept, or spoiled 
in dressing by a cook who had forgotten his art in a miser's kitchen. Yet 
the host commends every dish with such an impertinent and ridiculous 
affectation, that he at last talks his guests out of his mansion. 

1-3. 1. Nasidieni. To be pronounced Nasid-yeni in metrical reading. 
Who Nasidienus himself was can not be ascertained, nor is it of the least 
importance. From the 58th verse it would appear that the name of the 
individual in question was Nasidienus Rufus. — Beati. Equivalent to di- 
vitis, a usage of frequent occurrence in Horace. — 2. Nam nilii convivam 
qucerenti, &c. The construction is, Nam dictus es heri mihi qucerenti te 
convivam, potare illic de medio die. " For I was told yesterday, when seek- 
ing to make thee my guest, that thou wast drinking there since noon." 
— 3. De medio die. Equivalent, in strictness, to a medio statim die. The 
usual time for the Roman ccena was the ninth hour, or three o'clock after- 
noon in summer, and the tenth hour in winter. It was esteemed luxuri- 
ous to sup earlier than this, and an entertainment, therefore, begun before 
the usual time, and prolonged till late at night, was called, by way of re- 
proach, convivium tempestivum, under which class the present one would 



534 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 

fall. "What is here stated respecting the hours of the Roman coena, ap- 
plies, of course, only to times of luxury and wealth. The primitive Ro- 
mans supped at evening-, and made the prandium, or dinner, a hearty- 
meal, whereas with their descendants the prandium became a very slight 
repast, and the coena the principal meal. — Sic ut mihi nunquam in vita 
fuerit melius. " Why, it pleased me so much, that nothing in the whole 
course of my life ever delighted me more." 

4-11. 4. Da, si grave non est. " Tell me, if it is not too much trouble/' 
— 5. Placaverit. "Appeased." — 6. Lucanus aper. Consult note on Sat. 
ii., 3, 234. — Lenifuit Austro captus. " It was taken while the south wind 
blew gently." The flesh of the boar, if the animal was taken when the 
south wind blew violently, soon became rancid, but if taken when the 
same wind blew gently, would be tender and high. Either by buying it 
cheap, or by keeping it too long, the boar in question was probably taint- 
ed ; but the host would insinuate that it had a particular flavor by being 
taken when the south wind blew gently, and was delicate and tender. — 
7. Acria circum rapula, Sec. The articles here mentioned were such as 
might best, by their sharp and pungent taste, overcome the tainted flavor 
of the boar, as well as excite the guests to eat. — 8. Rapula. Consult 
note on Sat. ii., 2, 43. — LactucoR. Consult note on Sat. ii., 4, 59. — 9. Per- 
vellunt. "Arouse." Literally, "pinch," "pluck," &c. — Allec. Consult 
note on Sat. ii., 4, 73. — Fcecula Coa. "Burned tartar of Coan wine." 
Consult note on Sat. ii., 4, 73. — 10. Puer alte cinctus. "A young slave 
tucked high." Among the Romans, the young slaves, employed in the 
interior of the dwellings, were generally clad in a short tunic, descending 
no fui'ther than the knees. This was done, not so much with a view to 
activity and expedition, as from a refinement of luxury. The custom is 
here carried by Nasidienus to a ridiculous extreme, in order that every 
part of this strange entertainment may be in unison. — Acernam. Accord- 
ing to Pliny (H. N., xvi., 15), the maple was next in value to the citron 
wood. The scholiast remarks that the circumstance of his having a maple- 
wood table is another proof of the sordid habits of Nasidienus, since a man 
of his riches should have had a table of citron wood, with which, too, the 
gausape purpureum, mentioned immediately after, would have much bet- 
ter comported. — 11. Gausape pur pur eo. The gausape [gausapa or gausa- 
pum) was a kind of towel or cloth, having on one side a long nap ; those 
used by the rich were made of wool, and dyed of some bright color. — Et 
alter sublesrit quodcunque jaceret inutile, &c. The allusion is to the frag- 
ments of the feast, the crumbs, bones, &c. The slave, whose duty it was 
to collect these, was styled analecta. 

13-20. 13. Ut Attica virgo cum sacris Cereris. The allusion is to the 
Canephori, or young Athenian females, who bore, at the mystic festival 
of Ceres and Proserpina, certain sacred symbols belonging to the secret 
worship of these deities, covei'ed over in baskets. Their pace was al- 
ways slow and solemn. Horace, in expressing the comparison between 
the gait of Hydaspes and that of the females just alluded to, means, of 
course, to turn into ridicule the stately march of the slave. — 14. Hydaspes. 
A slave, as his name proves, from India. The wealthy Romans wei-e 
fond of having in their household establishments slaves of various nations. 
— 15. Chium maris expers. Horace is generally supposed to mean that 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 535 

this wine, served up by Nasidienus, was of an inferior quality, from the 
want of salt water ; it is more probable, however, that by expers maris he 
intends to insinuate that the wine in question was a factitious or home- 
made kind, "which had never crossed the sea." — 18. Divitias miseras. 
Not uttered by Nasidienus, as some commentators pretend, but by Horace. 
The poet makes use of this expression as a kind of apposition with utrum- 
que in the preceding line. Fundanius states that he lias both Alban and 
Falernian wine, and yet he is prevented by his avarice from offering them 
to his guests. Horace justly calls these " divitias miseras." — Una. Un- 
derstand tecum. — 19. Nosse laboro. "I am impatient to know." — 20. Sum- 
mits ego. " I was first on the highest couch." Consult note on Sat. i., 4, 
87. Each of the three couches held three persons, and the post of honor 
on each was the central place, the guests who occupied thejniddle of each 
of the three couches being styled respectively primus summi lecti, primus 
medii lecti, primus imi lecti. The most honorable of these three places, 
and, consequently, of the whole entertainment, was the primus medii lecti, 
and here, on the present occasion, was the post of Maecenas. The ar- 
rangement of the whole party, then, will be as follows : On the summits 
lectus will be placed Viscus Thurinus, Fundanius, and Varius, the first 
of these occupying the bottom of the couch nearest the bottom of the table, 
the second the centre, which makes him primus summi lecti, or, as it is 
expressed in the text, summus, and the third the part nearest the top of 
the table. On the medius lectus, the individual nearest the lower extrem- 
ity of the summus lectus will be Sei-vilius Balatro, in the middle will re- 
eline Maecenas, and below him will be Vibidius. On the imus lectus the 
arrangement will be Nomentanus, Nasidienus, and Porcius ; the first of 
these reclining on the upper part of the couch, Nasidienus occupying the 
middle, and Porcius being the lowest guest of all. It must be borne in 
mind, that those who recline on the summus lectus have their bodies ex- 
tended upward along the couch in a diagonal direction, and those on the 
imus lectus downward, while the guests on the medius lectus recline with 
their heads toward the summus lectus. — Viscus Thurinus. Called Thu- 
rinus, as being probably a native of Thurii in Calabria, and distinguished 
by this cognomen from the brothers Visci, the friends of Horace, mentioned 
in Sat. I, 10, 83. 

22-30. 22. Umbras. " As uninvited guests." Among the Romans, 
persons of distinction, when invited to an entertainment, had liberty to 
bring with them unbidden guests, who were styled umbras. The umbras 
brought on this occasion by Maecenas were two buffoons [scurrce). — 24. 
Ridiculus tolas simul, &c. "Who made himself ridiculous by swallow- 
ing whole cakes at once." Porcius was a parasite of their entertainer. — 
Placentas. The placenta {irhaKOVc) was a thin cake made of flour, cheese, 
and honey. It was large, and was usually cut into pieces. The art of 
Porcius seems to have lain in rolling up a placenta so that he might 
gradually swallow it without breaking- it, just as a Neapolitan does mac- 
aroni. [Keightley, ad loc.) — 25. Nomentanus ad hoc, &c. " Nomentanus 
was present for this purpose, in order that if any thing should chance to 
escape the observation of the guests, he might point it out with his fore- 
finger." An individual who performed such a duty as this at an enter- 
tainment was styled an indicator. — Cetera turba. "The rest of the 
company." — 28. Longe dissimilem noto, Sec. "Which concealed in them 



536 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 

a juice far different from the known one." Hence the office of Nomen- 
tanus in pointing oat these hidden excellences of the viands. There is 
much malice, as Dacier well observes, in the ambiguous wording of the 
text. The food not being over-excellent in its kind, was disguised by- 
sauces and seasoning. Nomentauus declares its taste to be veiy peculiar 
and delicate, while ITundauius ironically confesses he had never eaten 
any thing like it before. — 29. Passeris. " Of a flounder." Understand 
marini. The fish here meant is the Pleuronectes Flesus of ichthyologists. 
— 30. Ingustata. " Such as I had never before tasted." 

31-38. 31. Melimela. "Honey- apples." These properly belonged to 
the second course, or dessert, and their presence in this part of the enter- 
tainment serves only to show how unaccustomed their host was to the 
rules and proprieties of an entertainment. — Minorem ad lunam. " At the 
waning moon." — 32. Quid hoc intersiL ""What difference this makes," 
i. e., whether they are gathered when the moon is in her wane, or at any 
other time. — 34. Nos nisi damnose bibimus, &c. " If we do not drink to 
his cost, we shall die unrevenged," i. e., let us di'ink hard, and punish by 
so doing the foolish vanity, and sordid and ridiculous avarice of our host. 
— 35. Vertere. Understand ccepit. — 36. Parochi. " Of our entertainer." 
The term is employed here humorously. Consult, as regards its ordi- 
nary meaning, Sat. i., 5, 46. — 38. Subtile exsurdant palatum. "Blunt 
the nice perception of the palate." Literally, "quite deafen." A trans- 
ference from one sense to another. The true reason, the fear which N a- 
sidienus entertained for his wine, is ironically withheld. 

39-46. 39. Invertunt Allifanis vinaria tota. "Empty whole wine- 
jars into Allifanian cups," i. e., drain, by means of Allifanian cups, the 
contents of entire wine-jars. With vinaria understand vasa, and poculis 
with Allifanis. The Allifanian cups, made at Allifae, a city of Samnium, 
were of a larger size thau usual. Hence the figurative language of the 
text. — 40. Imi convives lecti. The allusion is to Nomentauus and Porcius. 
These, together with Nasidienus, occupied the imus lectus, and being de- 
sirous, as parasites, of pleasing the avaricious entertainer, "did no harm 
to the flagons," i.e., drank sparingly of his wine. — 42. Squillas. Consult 
note on Sat. ii., 4, 58. — Murazna. "A lamprey." A kind of sea-eel, of 
which the Romans were very fond. The best were caught in the Sicilian 
Straits. The wealthy kept them in their sea-water piscina, or fishponds. 
— Natantes. "That were swimming in the sauce." Supply jure. — 43. 
Porrecta. Alluding to the length of the fish. — Sub hoc. " Upon this," 
i. e., upon the lamprey's being brought in. — 44. Deterior post partum came 
futura. The ablative came is here equivalent to quod attinet ad ejus 
camera, and the passage may be rendered, " since, after having spawned, 
it would have been less delicate in its flesh." This is a well-known fact. 
— 45. His mixtumjns est. " The sauce was mixed for it with the follow- 
ing ingredients." Supply rebus with his. Dacier less correctly refers his 
to squillis understood : " For these a sauce was mixed as follows." — 
Prima. "The best." — Venafri. Consult note on Sat. ii., 4, 69. — 46. 
Garo de succis piscis Iberi. " With sauce from the juices of the Spanish 
fish." Garvm was a species of pickle, made originally from a fish of small 
size, called by the Greeks yapoc, and afterward from the scomber, a fish 
said to resemble the mackerel. It appears to have been like the modern 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 537 

anchovy sauce in nature and use. The intestines of the scomber were 
principally used. The best garum, and which is meant in this place, 
was the garum sociorum, made at New Carthage, in Spain. — Piscis Iberi. 
The scomber was so called because found in abundance on the coast of 
Spain. 

47-53. 47. Citramarenato. Alluding to Italian wine. Compare Sat. 
i., 10, 31. — 48. Dum coquitur, &c. The Italian wine is to be put in at 
once, and boiled with the other ingredients. When it has cooled, Chian 
wine is to be added. — 50. Quod Methymnceam vitio mutaverit uvam. 
"Which, by its sharpness, has soured the Methymnasan grape." By the 
Metbymnsean grape is meant Lesbian wine, of which the vinegar in ques- 
tion was made. Methymnawas a city in the island of Lesbos. — 51. Eru- 
cas. "Rockets." — 52. Illotos. "Unwashed," i. e., without having the 
pickle in which they had been lying washed off. — Curtillus. An epicure 
of the day. — 53. Ut melius muria, &c. "As being better than the pickle 
which the sea shell-fish yield," i- e., the brine adhering to the illoti echini 
superseded the necessity of employing the pickle in question, and an- 
swered, in fact, a better purpose. 

54-66. 54. Aulcea. The aulcea were "hangings" suspended in ban- 
queting-rooms for the purpose of intercepting the dust. As regards the 
accident itself, most commentators suppose that the hangings of which 
mention is made in the text fell on the very table and dishes. Pea, how- 
ever, maintains, and we think correctly, that they merely fell from the 
side-walls, bringing with them in their descent a large quantity of dust, 
and covering, of course, the dishes and table with it. Had the hangings 
themselves fallen on the table and the guests, there would have been an 
end of the entertainment. Hence the expression nihil pericli which 
follows. — 55. Pulveris atri. Supply tantum. — 57. Majus. " Something 
worse." — 58. Erigimur. " Resume courage." — Rvfus. The surname of 
Nasidienus. — 59. Immaturus. "By an untimely death." Equivalent to 
non maturus morti. — Esset. For fuisset, and so tolleret, a little after, for 
sustulisset. — 60. Sapiens Nomentanus. Ironical. — 63. Mappa. "With 
his napkin." The guests used to bring their own mappce with them, as 
we do our pocket handkerchiefs. — 64. Suspendens omnia naso. "Making 
a joke of every thing that passed." — 65. Hmc est conditio vivendi. " This 
is the condition of human life," i. e., such is the lot of life. — Eoque. "And 
therefore." — 66. Tuo labori. This is addressed to Nasidienus. 

67-78. 67. Tene. Understand csquum est, or some equivalent expres- 
sion. — 70. Prcecincti. Compai'e note on verse 10. — 71. Hos casus. "Such 
accidents as the following." — 72. Pede lapsus agaso. All this comforta- 
ble speech, observes Francis, is mere irony. The bread was burned, the 
sauce ill made, the servants awkwardly dressed, and some of them brought 
from the stable to wait at supper [agaso denoting, in fact, a groom, or per- 
son to take care of horses, &c). Poor Nasidienus, however, takes it all 
in good part, and thanks his guest for his goodnature. — 74. Nudare. "To 
disclose." — 77. Et soleas poscit. That he might rise from table. The 
guests laid their slippers on the floor, at the end of the couch, when they 
took their places for their supper. This was done in order not to soil the 
rich covering or furniture of the couches on which they reclined. — Videres. 



538 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., SATIRE VIII. 

" Might one see." — 78. Stridere secreta divisos aure susurros. " Divided 
whispers buzzing in each secret ear." An elegant verse. The expres- 
sion secreta aure has reference to the ear's being the confidential deposi- 
tory of secrets, while by divisos susurros are meant whispers on the part 
of each to his companion. 

82-94. 82. Non dantur pocula. Alluding to the slowness of the at- 
tendants in furnishing the wine. — Dumque ridetur Jictis rerum. " And 
while we give vent to our laughter under various pretenees." Ridetur 
is used impersonally. Fictis rerum is a Graecisin for Jictis rebus. The 
guests laugh in reality at the avarice and folly of Nasidienus, but pretend 
to have their mirth excited by other causes. — 83. Balatrone secundo. 
"Balatro seconding us." — 84. Nasidiene redis mutates frontis. A bur- 
lesque imitation of the epic style. — 86. Mazonomo. The mazonomus 
(ju.a£6vo/j,oc, fj,a£6(j)opoc) was a kind of large dish or " charger." The name 
was first applied to a large dish used for the purpose of holding the spe- 
cies of food termed maza [p,dC,a), but was afterward extended so as to 
become a general term. — 87. Gruis. As regards the estimation in which 
cranes were held by the Roman epicures, compare the remarks of Pliny, 
H. N., x., 30 : " Cornelius Nepos, qui Divi Augusti principatu obiit, cum 
scriberet turdos paulo ante cceptos saginari, addidit, ciconias magis pla- 
cere quam grues : cum hsec nunc ales inter primas expetatur, Mam nemo 
velit attigisse." — Non sine farre. "Together with grated bread." — 88. 
Pingmbus. "Fattening." — Ficis pastum. The livers of geese were es- 
teemed by the Roman, as they still are by modem epicures, a great deli- 
cacy, and these birds were purposely fattened on various kinds of food, 
among the rest on figs, with the view of increasing the size of their livers. 
— Auseris albce. The liver of the goose was preferred to that of the gan- 
der, and the white geese were esteemed the best of their kind. — 89. Le- 
porum armos. Nasidienus should have kept these away from his guests, 
and have served up the other parts that are ironically condemned in the 
text. — 90. Edit. The old form of the subjunctive, from edim. Compare 
Epode hi., 3. — Adusto. "Burned." — 91. Merulas. "Blackbirds." — Sine 
clune palumbes. Our host, observes Francis, had probably bought these 
birds at a cheap price, since the rumps, which are the most delicious part, 
were so tainted as not to be brought on table. — 92. Suaves res. Ironical. 
— Causas et naturas. " Their causes and natures," i. e., the causes, by 
reason of which a particular part was sometimes to be preferred to all the 
rest of the body, and one part to another, as well as the peculiar natures 
of these several parts. In other words, their talkative host became more 
insupportable than the entertainment itself, and they were glad to escape 
from him. — 94. Velut Mis Canidia qffiasset, &c. "As if Canidia, more 
venomous than African serpents, had poisoned them with her breath." 
With ajflasset supply venenum. 



EPISTLES. 



It has been frequently discussed whether the Epistles of Horace should 
be considered as a continuation of his satires, or, if they be not a sequel 
to them, what forms the difference between these two sorts of composi- 
tion? Casaubon has maintained that the satires and epistles were orig- 
inally comprised under the general name of Sermones ; but that, in the 
poems to which critics subsequently gave the name of satires, Horace has 
attempted to extirpate prejudices, and in the epistles, to inculcate lessons 
of virtue, so that the two works, united, form a complete course of morals. 
This opinion has been adopted by Dacier, Wieland, and many other crit- 
ics. Some commentators, however, have found that the satires and epis- 
tles have so many other distinctive characteristics that they can not be 
classed together. An epistle, they maintain, is necessarily addressed to 
an individual, not merely in the form of a dedication, but in such a man- 
ner that his character, and the circumstances under which it is inscribed 
to him, essentially affect the subject of the poem. The legitimate object 
of satire is to brand vice or chastise folly ; but the epistle has no fixed or 
determinate scope. It may be satirical, but it may, with equal propriety, 
be complimentary or critical. Add to this that the satire may, and in the 
hands of Horace frequently does, assume a dramatic shape ; but the epis- 
tle can not receive it, the epistolary form being essential to its existence. 

The epistles of Horace were written by him at a more advanced pe- 
riod of life than his satires, and were the last fruits of his long experience. 
Accordingly, we find in them more matured wisdom, more sound judgment, 
mildness, and philosophy, more of his own internal feelings, and greater 
skill and perfection in the versification. The chief merit, however, of the 
epistles depends on the variety in the characters of the persons to whom 
they are addressed ; and, in conformity with which, the poet changes his 
tone and diversifies his coloring. They have not the generality of some 
modern epistles, which are merely inscribed with the name of a friend, 
and may have been composed for the whole human race ; nor of some an- 
cient idyls, where we are solely reminded of an individual by superfluous 
invocations of his name. Each epistle is written expressly for the enter- 
tainment, instruction, or reformation of him to whom it is addressed. The 
poet enters into his situation with wonderful facility, and every word has 
a reference, more or less remote, to his circumstances, feelings, or preju- 
dices. In his satires, the object of Horace was to expose vice and folly ; 
but in his epistles he has also an eye to the amendment of a friend, on 
whose failings he gently touches, and hints, perhaps, at their correction. 

That infinite variety of Roman character, which was of so much serv- 
ice to Horace in the composition of his satires, was also of advantage to 
the epistles, by affording opportunities of light and agreeable compliment, 
or of gentle rebuke, to those friends to whom they were addressed. "The 
knowledge of these characters," says Blackwall, "enables us to judge with 



540 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLES. 

certainty of the capital productions of the Roman genius, and the conduct 
of their most admired writers, and thus observe the address of Horace in 
adjusting his compliments to the various tempers of his friends. One was 
proud of his high descent, but ashamed to own that he was so; another 
valued himself on the honors and offices he had borne ; and- a third, de- 
spising these honors, hugged himself in the elegance of his table, and the 
pleasures of his private life. A hint to the first of these, of the nobleness 
of his blood, would make it flush in his face. Consulships, and triumphs, 
and provinces would be the welcome subject to the ears of the second ; 
and the vanity of these pageants, a smile at a lictor, or a jest on the fas- 
ces, would steal a smile from the last." 

The first book contains twenty epistles of a very miscellaneous nature. 
Our poet asks news from Julius Elorus, inquires concerning the health 
and occupations of Tibullus, invites Manlius Torquatus to supper, recom- 
mends a friend to Tiberius, and explains himself to Maecenas with regard 
to some want of deference or attention, of which his patron had complain- 
ed. On such ordinary and even trivial topics, he bestows novelty, variety, 
and interest, by the charm of language and expression. Other epistles 
treat of his favorite subject, the happiness and tranquillity of a country 
life ; and we know that these were actually penned while enjoying, dur- 
ing the autumn heats, the shady groves and the cool streams of his Sa- 
bine retreat. In a few, he rises to the higher tone of moral instruction, 
explaining his own philosophy, and inveighing, as in the satires, against 
the inconsistency of men, and their false desires for wealth and honors. 
Prom his early youth, Horace had collected maxims from all the sects of 
Greece, searching for truth with an eclectic spirit, alike in the shades of 
the Academy and the Gardens of Epicurus. In these philosophic epis- 
tles, he sometimes rises to the moral grandeur and majesty of Juvenal, 
while other lines possess all the shrewdness, good sense, and brevity of 
the maxims of Publius Syrus. 

The great principle of his moral philosophy is, that happiness depends 
on the frame of the mind, and not on the adventitious circumstances of 
wealth or power. This is the precept which he endeavors to instill into 
Aristius, this is his warning to Bullatius, who sought, by roaming to other 
lands, to heal his distempered spirit. What disposition of mind is most 
conducive to tranquillity and happiness, and how these are best to be ob- 
tained, form the constant subject of his moral inquiries. 

The epistles of the first book are chiefly ethical or familiar. Those of 
the second are almost wholly critical. The critical works of Horace have 
generally been considered, especially by critics themselves, as the most 
valuable part of his productions. Hurd has pronounced them " the best 
and most exquisite of all his writings," and of the Epistle to the Pisos, in 
particular, he says, "that the learned have long since considered it as a 
kind of summary of the rules of good writing, to be gotten by heart by ev- 
ery student, and to whose decisive authority the greatest masters in taste 
and composition must finally submit." Mr. Gifford, in the introduction to 
his translation of Juvenal, remarks, that, " as an ethical writer, Horace 
has not many claims to the esteem of posterity ; but as a critic, he is en- 
titled to all our veneration. Such is the soundness of his judgment, the 



EXPLANATORY NOTE3. EPISTLES. 541 

correctness of his taste, and the extent and variety of his knowledge, that 
a body of criticism might be selected from his works more perfect in its 
kind than any thing which antiquity has bequeathed us." Of course, no 
person can dispute the con-ectness or soundness of Horace's judgment ; 
but he was somewhat of a cold critic, and from his habits as a satirist had 
acquired the Parnassian sneer. He evidently attached more importance 
to regularity of plan, to correctness and terseness of style, than to original- 
ity of genius or fertility of invention. He admitted no deviation from the 
strictest propriety. He held in abhoiTence every thing incongruous or 
misplaced, he allowed no pageantry on the stage, and tolerated nothing 
approaching the horrible in tragedy or the farcical in comedy. I am sat- 
isfied that he would not have admired Shakspeare ; he would have con- 
sidered Addison and Pope as much finer poets, and would have included 
Falstaff, Autolycus, Sir Toby Belch, and all the clowns and boasters of the 
great dramatist, in the same censure which he bestows on the PlavMnos 
sales, and the Mimes of Laberius. Of poetry he talks with no great en- 
thusiasm, at least in his critical works ; of poets in general he speaks at 
best with compassion and indulgence ; of his illustrious predecessoi's in 
particular, with disparagement and contumely. In his ethical verses, on 
the other hand, connected as they are with his love of a rural life of tran- 
quillity, freedom, and retirement, there is always something heartfelt and 
glowing. A few of his speculative notions in morals may be erroneous, 
but his practical results are full of truth and wisdom. His philosophy, it 
has been said, gives too much dignity and grace to indolence ; places too 
much happiness in a passive existence, and is altogether destructive of 
lofty views. But in the age of Horace, the Roman world had got enough 
of lofty views, and his sentiments must be estimated, not abstractly, but 
in reference to what was expedient or salutary at the time. After the 
experience which mankind had suffered, it was not the duty of a moralist 
to sharpen the dagger of a second Brutus ; and maxims which might have 
flourished in the age of Scipio or Epaminondas, would have been mis- 
placed and injurious now. Such virtues, however, as it was yet permit- 
ted to exercise, and such as could be practiced without danger to the state, 
are warmly and assiduously inculcated. 

" Horace," says Dryden, "instructs us how to combat our vices, to reg- 
ulate our passions, to follow nature, to give bounds to our desires, to dis- 
tinguish between truth and falsehood, and between our conceptions of 
things and things themselves ; to come back from our prejudicate opin- 
ions, to understand exactly the principles and motives of all our actions, 
and to avoid the ridicule into which all men necessarily fall, who are in- 
toxicated with those notions which they have received from their masters, 
and which they obstinately retain, without examining whether or not 
they be founded on right reason. In a woi'd, he labors to render us hap- 
py in relation to ourselves, agreeable and faithful to our friends, and dis- 
creet, serviceable, and well bred in relation to those with whom we are 
obliged to live and to converse." And though, pei-haps, we may not very 
highly estimate the moral character of the poet himself, yet it can not be 
doubted, that, when many of his epistles were penned, his moral sense 
and feelings must have been of a highly elevated description ; for where 
shall we find remonstrances more just and beautiful against luxury, envy, 
and ambition ; against all the pampered pleasures of the body, and all the 



542 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 

turbulent passions of the mind ? In his satires and epistles to his friends, 
he successively inculcates cheerfulness in pi-ospei'ity, and contentment in 
adversity, independence at court, indifference to wealth, moderation iD 
pleasure, constant preparation for death, and dignity and resignation in 
life's closing scene. (Dunlop's Rom. Lit., vol. iii., p. 261 sqq.) 



Epistle I. This epistle, addressed to Maecenas, contains the poet's 
excuse for the inactivity into which he had fallen since the publication of 
his third book of odes. Three years had elapsed without any new work 
of the bard's having made its appearance, an interval which had been 
spent by him in the calm enjoyment of existence. The contrast that pre- 
sents itself between his own mode of thinking, and the folly of those who 
run on in the pursuit of the gifts of fortune and the favors of the great, con- 
stitutes the principal charm of the piece. 

1-3. 1. Prima dicle mihi, &c. " Maecenas, subject of my earliest, that 
hast a right to be the subject of my latest Muse, dost thou seek to shut 
me up once more in the old place of exercise, after having been tried suf- 
ficiently, and when now gifted with the rod I" The name of his patron 
stands at the head of the Odes, Epodes, and Satires, as it does here at 
the commencement of the Epistles. — 2. Spectatum satis. The poet com- 
pares himself to a gladiator, who has been sufficiently tried in exhibitions 
of skill, and has at last received his dismissal by the favor of the people. 
The word spectatum is the proper term here, and was usually applied to 
gladiators who had been often victorious. Hence the letters S P. were 
marked on the tessera of dischai'ge given to them. (Orelli, ad loc.) — Do- 
natum rude. Gladiators, when discharged from fighting, received a rod, 
or wooden sword, as a mark of their exemption. This was either obtain- 
ed at the expiration of the years of service for which they had engaged, 
or was granted by the person who exhibited them (editor), at the desire 
of the people, to an old gladiator, or even to a novice, for some uncommon 
act of courage. Those who received it (rude donati) were called Rudiarii, 
and suspended their arms, as an offering, at the entrance of the temple of 
Hercules. They could not again be compelled to fight, but were some- 
times induced by great hire once more to appear in public and engage. — 
3. Antiquo ludo. The reference is to the school, or place where the glad- 
iators were exercised and trained (ludus gladiatorius), and hence those 
who were dismissed on account of age or any other cause were said de- 
lusisse. Horace began to write about twenty-six years of age, and he is 
now forty-six, so that the expression antiquo ludo is used with great pro- 
priety, as also non eadem est cetas in the succeeding line. 

4-6. 4. Non eadem est atas, non mens. "My age is not the same, my 
habits of thinking are changed." — Veianius. A celebrated gladiator of 
the day, who, having obtained his dismissal, retired into the country, in 
order to avoid all risk of again engaging in the combats of the arena. — 5. 
Herculis ad postern. " At the gate of the temple of Hercules." Literally, 
" at the door-post," &c. It was customary with the ancients, when they 
discontinued any art or calling, to offer up the instruments connected with 
it to the deity under whose auspices that art or calling had been pursued. 
Gladiators, therefore, when they ceased from the profession of arms, of- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 543 

fered up their instruments of combat to Hercules, who was regarded as 
the tutelary deity of this class of men. — 6. Ne populum extrema toties ex- 
oret arena. " That he may not so often entreat the favor of the people 
from the extremity of the arena." The Rudiarii, as has already been re- 
marked in a previous note, were not again compelled to fight, but were 
sometimes, however, induced by great hire to appear once more in public 
and engage in combats. When they resumed their profession in this way, 
and wished, after having served a second time, to be again dismissed, the 
same formality of receiving the rudis had to be observed. When a glad- 
iator requested the favor of dismissal from the people, he came to the 
edge or extremity of the arena to prefer his supplication. By the arena 
is meant the place in the amphitheatre where the gladiators fought. It 
received its name from being covered with sand, in order to prevent the 
combatants from slipping, and to absorb the blood. Saw-dust was some- 
times employed in place of sand. Keightley mistakes entirely the mean- 
ing of the passage, in rendering ne populum, &c, " so that he has not," &c. 

7-12. 7. Est mihi purgatam, &c. "I have a monitor that keeps con- 
tinually ringing in my cleansed ear," i. e., in my ear that hears distinctly 
what is said. Observe that pttrgatam is here equivalent to ratione pur- 
gatam ; but the allusion, as Obbarius remarks, is evidently to the cleans- 
ing of the ear, and the removal of obstructions by the fumes of vinegar, or 
by injecting that liquid. Compare Celsus, vi., 7, 7. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : In order that I may do what Veianius did, a 
monitor is not wanting unto me, who fills my ear with these words, &c. 
The poet's monitor on this occasion is his own better judgment. — 8. Solve 
senescentem mature, Sec. "Wisely, in time, release from the chariot the 
steed now advancing in years, lest he fail at last, only to be exposed to 
the laughter of the spectators, and become broken-winded." Ilia ducat, 
literally, "draw his flanks together." — 10. Nunc itaque, &c. "Where- 
fore, now," yielding obedience to this monitor. — Et cetera ludicra. " And 
other things of a sportive nature." — 11. Curo et rogo. " My cares and in- 
quiries are directed toward." Literally, "I care and ask about." Rogo 
refers to his inquiring of the philosophers in their writings. — Et omnis in 
hoc sum. " And am wholly engaged in this." — 12. Condo et compono, 
quce mox depromere possim. " I treasure up and digest what I may at 
some future period draw forth into action." The reference here is to the 
precepts of philosophy. 

13-15. 13. Quo me duce, quo lare tuter. "Under what guide, under 
what sect I take shelter." Lar is here equivalent to familia, a term fre- 
quently applied by the Roman writers to denote a philosophical sect. Tu- 
ter, as Orelli remarks, contains a reference to the protecting lar. — 14. Nul- 
lius addictus jurare in verba magistri. " Bound to swear to the tenets of 
no particular master," i. e., blindly addicted to the tenets of no particular 
sect. The addicti were properly those debtors whom the praetor adjudged 
to their creditors, to be committed to prison, or otherwise secured, until 
satisfaction was made. Soldiers, however, were also called addicti, in al- 
lusion to the military oath which they took when enrolled. It is in this 
last sense that Horace here uses the word, an idea arising probably from 
duce in the preceding verse. The expression addictus jurare is a Gras- 
cism for addictus ut juretn. — 15. Quo me cvvque rapit tempestas, defe/or 



544 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE 



A pleasing image borrowed from the sea. " Whithersoever the 
tempest hurries me, thither am I borne a guest," i. e., to the writings of 
whatsoever philosopher, the inclination of the moment, or the course of 
events, shall drive me, with them do I take jap my abode, but only as a 
guest, and as one who intends, when circumstances shall demand it, to re- 
tire to some other quarter. The poet here describes himself as a species 
of Eclectic philosopher, culling from the doctrines of different sects what- 
ever appears to approach nearest to the truth, but blindly following the 
general authority of none. 

16-18. 16. Nunc agilis fio, &c. "Now I become an active man, and 
plunge amid the waves of public life," i. e., now I follow the precepts of 
the Stoic sect, and lead an active life amid the bustle of public affairs. 
Observe that mersor has here the force of the middle voice. The Stoics di- 
rectly inculcated the propriety of their wise man's exerting his best en- 
deavors for the general welfare of those around him, and the common good 
of mankind. Attention to civil or public affairs would be a necessary con- 
sequence of this rule. — 17. Virtutis verts. The allusion, as Orelli remarks, 
is to the ideal virtue of the Stoics. — Rigidus. Alluding to the rigor of the 
Stoic discipline. — 18. Nunc in Aristippi furtim, &c. "Now I glide back 
insensibly into the precepts of Aristippus." Horace says relabor, because 
this was the system to which he was originally inclined. (Keightley, ad 
loc.) Aristippus, the founder of the Cyrenaic sect, made the summum bo- 
num consist in pleasure. Consult note on Sat. ii., 2, 99. 

20-23. 20. Lenta dies, &c. " As the day passes tardily unto those who 
owe to another the performance of any task." Supply est in both this and 
the succeeding clause. The allusion is a general one to all who owe the 
performance of any daily task or labor, either for actual hire, or from sit- 
uation and circumstances. — Ut piger annus pupillis, Sec. "As the year 
moves slowly to minors, whom the strict watchfulness of mothers re- 
strains." Since minors were not under the guardianship of the mothers, 
the reference here must of course be to that watchful care which a parent 
exercises over her young offspring, in restraining them from the paths of 
dissipation, and teaching them the lessons of frugality and virtue. — 22. 
Sic mihi tarda jiuunt ingrataque tempora, &c. The poet, ardently desir- 
ous of making a rapid advance in the pursuit of true wisdom, and perceiv- 
ing, at the same time, how little the actual progress he had made accord- 
ed with his own wishes, well describes, by the comparisons here em- 
ployed, the impatience under which he labors, at being withheld from a 
speedy consummation of what he so earnestly covets. — 23. Quod tsque 
pauperibus prodest, locupletibus ceque, &c. These lines contain a true 
and well-merited eulogiuui on wisdom. For, as it is what equally con- 
cerns rich and poor, and what, when neglected, proves equally injurious 
to young and old, it naturally follows that the study of it ought to be our 
first care, as being essential to our happiness. 

26-33. 26. Restat, ut his ego me, &c. The connection in the train of 
ideas is as follows : Since I can not then embrace in its full extent that 
wisdom which I so earnestly desire, " it remains for me to govern and 
console myself by these first principles of philosophy." The maxim 
which the poet proceeds to inculcate is this : Never aim at any thing be- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 545 

yond the powers which nature has bestowed on thee, but use care and dil- 
igence in their preservation and impi'ovement. This position is illustrat- 
ed by two examples : Who is so wanting in judgment as, because he has 
not the keenness of sight which Lynceus is fabled to have possessed, to 
neglect the care of his eyes ? or who, because he can not boast of a frame 
like that of Glycon, will take no pains to remove or avert diseases from 
the one that he has. — 29. Glyconis. Glycon was a famous gladiator in the 
time of Horace. 31. Est qnadam prodire tenus, &c. " It is always in 
our power to advance to a certain point, if it is not permitted us to go 
further." Est is here equivalent to licet, as, in Greek, eari for escort. 
— 32. Miseroque cupidine. "And with a wretched desire for more." The 
difference between avarice and a desire of increasing our wealth is here 
strougly marked. The former dares not enjoy what it possesses, the lat- 
ter ardently wishes for whatever seems to gratify its desires. 33. Sunt 
verba el voces. "There are words and charms." The precepts of philos- 
ophy, by which we are commanded to drive from our breasts every avari- 
cious and covetous feeling, are here beautifully compared to the incanta- 
tions and charms by which, according to the popular belief, diseases were 
thought to be expelled from the human frame. 

35-39. 35. Laudis amore iumes ? "Dost thou swell with the love of 
praise 1" i. e., art thou influenced by an eager desire for praise 1 Tumeo 
is frequently thus applied to denote any strong affection or desire, undei 
the influence of which the mind, as it were, swells forth. — Sunt certa piac 
via, qua te, &c. " There are sure and cleansing remedies which will re- 
store thee to moral health, if some treatise of philosophy be thrice l'ead 
over with purity of mind." — Piacula. " The people of the olden time," 
says Celsus, " ascribed diseases to the anger of the gods, and hence had re- 
course to expiatory rites for their removal." This is the primitive mean- 
ing of piacula. Here, however, it has a more general force, as will ap- 
pear from the following remark of Cruquius : "Piacula: Medicamenta pur- 
gantia, Kadapctec, i- e., prcecepta philosophica." — 36. Ter pure lecto. The 
number three, as here employed, appeai-s to contain some allusion to the 
religious customs of antiquity, in accordance with which, they who puri- 
fied themselves were compelled to sprinkle their persons thrice with lus- 
tral water, or thrice to plunge the head in some running stream. — 37.. 
Amator. " Libidinous." — 39. Cultures. " To the lessons of wisdom." 
Compare the explanation of Doring : " Culturae : prceceptis, quibus ani- 
mus excolatur." Philosophy, says Cicero, is the culture of the mind (cul- 
tura animi philosophia est) ; it tears up our vices by the roots ; it prepares 
the soul to receive the seeds of virtue, and sows whatever will produce 
the most plentiful hai'vest. 

40-46. 40. Sapientia prima. "The beginning of wisdom." Compare 
the explanation of Keightley : ""Well now, suppose all that done, and the 
passions and appetites brought under control ; we have only attained to 
the first steps of virtue and wisdom, and we must go on vigorously." — 41. 
Vides, &c. The train of ideas is as follows: "Thou seest how thou wilt 
shun no toil or danger to escape what thou regardest as evils ; but would 
it not be better to learn to disregard them V (Keightley, ad loc) — 42. 
Exiguum censum. "A small fortune." — 43. Capitisque labore. "And 
risk of life." — 44. Curris mercator ad Indos. Before the reduction of 



546 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 

Egypt, as Sanadon remarks, the passage to India was unknown to the 
Romans. Strabo tells us, that while .ZElius Gallus governed Egypt, 
A.U.C. 727, a fleet of twenty-six merchantmen set sail from Myoshor- 
mus, on the Sinus Arabicus, for India. It was then that the Roman nav- 
igation between Egypt and India began to be regulated. As regards the 
term mercator, consult note on Ode i., 1, 16. — 45. Per ignes. A proverb- 
ial form of expression, equivalent in effect to per summa quceque pericula. 
—46. jVe cures ea, qua stulte miraris, &c. " Art thou unwilling to learn, 
and to hear, and to trust thyself to the guidance of some wiser friend, that 
thou may est no longer care for those things which thou foolishly admirest 
and wishest for?" i. e., would it not be better for thee to learn not to care 
for these things 1 Discere here applies to instruction obtained by perus- 
ing the works of philosophers, and audire to that which is received by list- 
ening to their oral teaching. 

48-50. 48. Quispugnax. "What petty champion." The idea intend- 
ed to be conveyed is as follows : "Who would not rather be crowned at the 
Olympic games, especially if he could obtain the palm there without the 
necessity of exertion, than roam about, a village champion, and spend his 
days in ignoble conflicts ? Or, in more general language : Who is there 
that would prefer things of a low and humble nature, such as riches and 
the world's honors, to the pursuit of true wisdom, which no danger ac- 
companies, and which carries with it no cares or anxieties to embitter 
our existence? — 49. Magna coronari contemnat Olympia. "Will scorn 
being crowned at the great Olympic games." Magna coronari Olympia 
is in imitation of the Greek idiom, are^avovcQat 'OXv/nua, in place of the 
regular Latin form, coronari in magnis Olympiis. — 50. Cui sit condicio 
dulcis sine pulvere palmce. " Who shall have the condition proposed to 
him, of gaining without toil the glorious palm." As regards the rewards 
bestowed at the Olympic and other games, as well as respecting the na- 
ture of these games themselves, consult note on Ode i., 1, 3, and i., 1, 5. — 
Sine pulvere. As to the possibility of a victor's obtaining the prize at the 
Olympic, or any other games, without toil or exertion, it may be remarked, 
that this could easily happen, if no antagonist came forward to meet the 
champion. 

51-59. 51. Vilius argentum est auro, &c. The poet now enters on a 
general train of reasoning, in order to show the superiority of virtue over 
all that the world pi-izes, and makes the object of its pursuit. If what is 
more valuable, argues he, is to be preferred to what is less so, then is vir- 
tue to be preferred to gold, as gold is to silver. The maxims of the day, 
it is true, teach that money is first to be acquired, and virtue after money; 
but be it thine to obtain that before all other things, which brings with it 
a conscience unstained by guilt, and a countenance that never changes 
from a sense of crime. — 53. Hcec Janus summus ab imo prodocet. "These 
precepts the highest Janus from the lowest openly inculcates," i. e., this 
is the language openly held by the money-dealers of the day. Consult 
note on Sat. ii., 3, 18. — 54. Prodocet. Pro has here the same force in 
composition as in producere, proferre, prodire, &c. — Hcec dictata. " These 
maxims." — 55. Lcevo suspensi loculos, Sec. Compare Sat. i., 6, 74. — 57. 
Sed qnadringentis sex septem millia desint. "But to complete the four 
hundred thousand sesterces, six or seven thousand may be wanting." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 547 

Four hundred thousand sesterces was the fortune which a person must 
possess before he could be enrolled among the equestrian order. It is on 
this rule that the remark of the poet turns. Thou hast spirit, good morals, 
eloquence, and unshaken fidelity, but it may so happen that thy fortune 
is not exactly equal to the equestrian standard : well, then, a plebeian 
wilt thou remain, and all thy good qualities will be as dust in the balance. 
— 58. At pueri ludentes, Rex eris, aiunt, &c. The play to which the poet 
here alludes is supposed to have been a kind of game at ball, in which 
the one who made the fewest failures received the appellation of king. — 
59. Hie murus aeneus esio, &c. This noble passage is introduced by the 
poet as a species of parenthesis, and springs naturally, as it were, from the 
cry of the boys in their game. After having given it utterance, he re- 
turns, in the 62d verse, to the regular course of his subject. Compare the 
explanation of Keightley: "And this is right, adds the poet; there is a 
deeper sense in this than the boys think. To act right is the main point ; 
this is what will defend one like a wall of brass." 

61-68. 61. Roscia lex. Alluding to the law of L. Roscius Otho, which 
assigned to the equites, at the public spectacles, fourteen rows of seats, 
separate from the rest, and next the orchestra, or place where the sena- 
tors sat. — 62. Ncenia. "The song." The common import of the term in 
question is, a funeral song or dirge. — 63. Et maribus Curiis et decantata 
Camillis. "Sung even in manhood both by the Curii and the Camilli." 
Literally, " sung both by the manly Curii and Camilli." The idea intend- 
ed to be conveyed is this, that the song of the boys, offering the kingdom 
to those that do right, was not merely sung by Curius and Camillus in the 
days of their boyhood, but the principle which it inculcated was acted 
upon by them even in maturer years, and their applause was given, not to 
the rich, but to the virtuous and the good. — 64. Qui, rem facias, Sec. " Who 
advises thee to make money ; money, if thou canst, by fair means ; if not, 
money in anyway." With qui understand suadet. — 66. Ut propius spec- 
ies lacrymosa poemata Pupi. "That thou mayest view from a nearer 
bench the moving tragedies of Pupius," i. e., mayest veiw the representa- 
tion as an eques, seated on one of the fourteen rows assigned to that or- 
der by the laws of Otho; in other words, that thou mayest attain to 
equestrian rank. Compare note on verse 62. — 67. Pupi. Pupius, a 
dramatic writer, famed for the effect produced by his tragedies in moving 
an audience to tears. — 68. Responsare. " To resist." Compare Sat. ii., 
7, 85. — 68. Prassens. " Standing by," i. e., adding weight to his precepts 
by his presence. 

68-79. 68. Cur non ut porticibus, &c. "Why I do not hold to the 
same sentiments with them, as I enjoy the same porticoes, and do not 
pursue or shun whatever they themselves admire or dislike." Consult 
note on Sat. i., 4, 134. As in verse 13 he had supposed Maecenas to ask 
him a question, so here he supposes the Roman people to inquire why, as 
he lived among them, he did not think as they did ; and to this he replies, 
that it is not safe to do so, and, moreover, that they do not think all alike. 
(Keightley, ad loc.) — 73. Quia me vestigia terrent, &c. The fox dreaded 
the treachery of the lion, the poet shrinks from the corrupt sentiments and 
morals of the populace. — 75. Bellua multorum est capitum. "It is a 
many-headed monster." The people, ever prone to error, and constantly 



548 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 

changing from one species of vice to another, are here not unaptly com- 
pared to the Lernean hydra {d-npiov TzoTiVKstpaTiOv). — 76. Conducere pub- 
lico,. " In farming the public revenues." Understand vecligalia. Hence 
the farmers of the revenue, who were principally of equestrian rank, were 
styled Publicani. The office was much more honorable at Rome than in 
the provinces, where the inferior agents practiced every kind of extortion. 
— 78. Excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant. " And catch old men, 
whom they may send to their ponds." Old men are here compared to fish, 
as in Sat. ii., 5, 44 : " Plures annabunt thunni, et cetaria crescent." Ex- 
cipere is the proper term to be used here. Compare the Greek kudixeoOcLU 
Both are here used to denote the securing of any prey or game. — Vivaria. 
A general term to express places where living animals are kept for fu- 
ture use. We have rendered it by the word " ponds," as the reference 
here appears to be to the same idea which has already been expressed in 
Sat. ii., 5, 44. — 79. Fenore. The legal rate of interest at this time was 12 
per cent. A much lai'ger amount, however, was usuriously exacted of 
young heirs on their coming of age, for sums lent them in their minority 
on secret terms. 

79-85. 79. Verum esto, aliis alios rebus studAisque teneri, &c. " But 
grant that different men are engaged in different employments and pur- 
suits : can the same persons continue for a single hour praising the same 
things 1" It were of little consequence that mankind differed from each 
other if they could agree with themselves. We might believe they had 
found the way to happiness if they would always continue in it. But 
how can they direct us with certainty, who are not determined them- 
selves ? — 82. Nullus in orbe sinus Baiis prcelucet amosnis. "No bay in 
the world surpasses in beauty the delightful Baias." With orbe supply 
terrarum. — 83. Lacus et mare sentit amorem, &c. " The lake and the sea 
experience the eagerness of the impatient master," i. e., buildings imme- 
diately rise along the margin of the Lucrine lake and the shores of the 
sea. Consult note on Ode ii., 15, 3. — 84. Cui si vitiosa libido fecerit aus- 
picium, &c. " To whom, if sickly caprice shall give the omen, he will 
cry, to-morrow, workmen, you will convey your tools to Teanum," i. e., 
if the sickly fancy once come across his brain, receiving it as an auspi- 
cious omen, he will immediately abandon his plans at Baiae, and will leave 
the vicinity of the sea for the interior of the country. The force and spirit 
of the passage consist in the opposition between Baiae, situate on the 
coast, and Teanum, an inland town. — 85. Teanum. There were two 
towns of this name in Italy, one in Apulia, on the right bank of the River 
Frento (now Fortore), and called, for distinction' sake, Appulum ; and the 
other in Campania, about fifteen miles northwest of Capua. This last is 
the one here alluded to. It was famed for the beauty of the surrounding 
country, and became one of the favorite places of resort for the Roman no- 
bility and men of wealth, who erected splendid villas in its neighborhood 
Some cold acidulous springs are noticed in its vicinity by the ancient writ 
ers ; they are now called Acqua delle Caldarel/e. The Teanum of which 
we are here speaking received the epithet of Sidicinum from its being 
situate among the Sidicini, and as contradistinguished from the first ona 
mentioned. 

86-91. 86. Lectus genialis in aula est. "The nuptial couch stands in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE I. 549 

his hall," i. e., is he a married man? The nuptial couch was placed in 
the hall, opposite the door, and covered with flowers. — 88. Si non est. "If 
it does not stand there," i. e., if he is not married. — 89. Protea. Alluding 
to the rich man, full of capricious fancies, and whose opinions undergo as 
many chariges as Proteus was capable of assuming forms. — 90. Quid pau- 
per ? ride, ut mutat, &c. It might well seem that this inconsistency, this 
wandering of spirit, was peculiar to the rich alone, but it is the folly of 
human nature, to which the poor are equally liable, although they are 
guilty of it only in miniature. — Ccenacula, lectos, balnea, tonsores. "His 
lodgings, couches, baths, barbers." By ccenacula are meant the highest 
chambers or apartments in a house, those immediately under the roof, 
which at Rome, in consequence of the great population of the city, and 
the want of other accommodations, were filled by the poorer sort of peo- 
ple. (Compare Vitruvius, ii., 8, ad fin) The term lectos is meant to re- 
fer to the place of supping, some eating-house or tavern, which the poor 
man changes with as much fastidious caprice as the rich do the scenes of 
their splendid entertainments. As to the balnea or baths, it may be re- 
marked, that these were the public ones, which the poor were accustomed 
to use ; for the rich had private baths of their own : while, as the number 
of tonstrince, or barber's shops, was far from small, a person might easily 
consult variety in changing from one to another at pleasure. — 91. Con- 
ducto navigio ceque nauseat, &c. "He gets as sea-sick in a hired boat 
as the rich man whom his own galley conveys." 

93-103. 93. Curatus incequali tonsore capillos. " With my hair cut 
by an uneven barber," i. e., in an uneven manner. By the expression 
incequalis tonsor is meant, in fact, a barber who cuts in an uneven man- 
ner. Horace, as he is drawing to a conclusion, makes a transition to 
Maecenas. In a light kind of humor he touches on his own inconsistency, 
as he had done at the end of the seventh satire of the second book, and 
also on Maecenas's own fastidiousness. [Keighlley, ad loc.) — 94. Si forte 
subucula pexce, &c. " If I chance to have a threadbare shirt under a new 
tunic." The subucula was a woolen garment, worn next the skin, like 
the modern shirt. It was also called indusium, and by later writers, in- 
terula and camisia. It would seem, however, that the term subucula 
was chiefly used to designate the under tunic or shirt of men, and that in- 
terula was applied equally to the under tunic of both sexes. Linen cloths 
were not used by the ancient Romans, and are seldom mentioned in the 
classics. — Pexce. Literally, " with the nap on," i. e., new. — 95. Impar. 
"Too much on one side." — 96. Pugnat secum. " Contradicts itself." — 
98. yEstuat. "Fluctuates." — Disconvenit. "Is at variance with." — 

100. Insanire putas solennia me? "Dost thou think me affected with 
the current madness 1" i. e., with a madness common to all the world. — 

101. Nee curatores egere a pr&tore dati. Consult note on Sat. ii., 3, 217. 
— 103. Et prave sectum stomackeris ob unguem. " And art angry at a 
badly-pared nail," i. e., and art so careful of me as even to get angry if 
thou seest my nails ill pared. A humorous allusion to Maecenas's fastid- 
iousness. [Keightley, ad loc.) 



105-107. 105. Ad summarn. "To conclude." — Sapiens uno minor est 
Jove, &c. The idea with which the poet intends to conclude his epistle is 
this, that he alone is happy who regulates his life by the maxims of wis- 



550 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE II. 

dom. In order to express this, he adopts the language which the Stoics 
of the day were fond of using in reference to the superior privileges of 
their wise man. As the Stoics, however, carried their notions of their 
wise man to a ridiculous length, it is easy to perceive that Horace, though 
he embraced what was good in the philosophical tenets of this sect, could 
not give in to their ridiculous paradoxes. Hence the piece of raillery with 
which the epistle terminates. — 107. Prcecipue sanus, &c. The Stoics re- 
garded a sound and healthy frame as among the many advantages which 
their discipline conferred. But after alluding to this, the poet sarcastic- 
ally adds, nisi quum pituita moiesta est, meaning to imply that there 
were occasions when the wise man of the Stoics was brought down to the 
level of the common herd. In order to comprehend the full force of the 
raillery here employed, we must bear in mind that they who labor under 
any defluxion of phlegm experience at the same time a dullness in the 
senses of smell and taste, and that this, applied in a figurative sense to 
the intellect, conveys the idea of an unfitness for any subtle examination 
of things, or any nice exei'cise of judgment. Hence it will be perceived 
that sanus in the text is purposely used in an ambiguous sense, as refer- 
ring not merely to the body, but also to the mind. — Pituita. To be pro- 
nounced, in metrical reading, as a trisyllable, pitwita. 



Epistle II. Horace, having retired for some time into the country, 
had taken the opportunity of that solitude to read over Homer again with 
particular attention, and, ■writing to his friend Lollius at Rome, sends him 
his remai'ks upon that poet, and an explanation of what he takes to be the 
main design of his two poems. He finds that the works of this admira- 
ble poet are one continued lesson of wisdom and virtue, and that he gives 
the strongest picture of the miseries of vice, and the fatal consequences 
of ungoverned passion. From this he takes occasion to launch forth in 
praise of wisdom and moderation, and shows that, to be really happy, 
we must learn to have the command of ourselves. The passions are head- 
strong, unwilling to listen to advice, and always push us on to extremi- 
ties. To yield to them is to engage in a series of rash and inconsiderate 
steps, and create matter of deep regret to ourselves in time to come. A 
present gratification, thus obtained, is a dear purchase, and what no wise 
man will covet. 

1-3. 1. Maxime Lolli. " Eldest Lollius." Understand natu. The in- 
dividual here addressed would appear to have been the son of M. Lollius 
Palicanus, who was consul with &. iEmilius Lepidus. — 2. Dum tu decla- 
mas Romas. " While thou art exercising thyself at Rome in the art of 
public speaking." Young persons of distinction at Rome, whose views 
were directed toward a public life, were accustomed to exercise them- 
selves in oratoi'y by declamations in private on feigned subjects, and it is 
to this practice that the text alludes. — Praineste relegi. "I have read 
over again at Praeneste." Consult note on Ode iii., 4, 23. — 3. Pulchrum. 
"Becoming." Analogous to the to naMv of the Greeks. — Quid non. 
" What injurious." The poet does not merely mean what is simply use- 
less, but what also brings injury along with it. 

4-8. 4. Planius. " More clearly." — Chrysippo. Consult note on Sat. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE II. 551 

i., 3> 127. — Crantorc. Crantor was a philosopher of the Old Academy, 
who studied under Xenocrates and Polemo. He adhered to the Platonic 
system, and was the first that wrote commentaries on the works of Plato. 
— 6. Fabula, qtca Paridis propter, &c. The poet now proceeds to sub- 
stantiate his position, that Homer, by various examples of folly, crime, un- 
lawful passion, and anger, on the one hand, and wisdom, piety, virtue, and 
moderation, on the other, accurately delineated, and forcibly placed before 
the eyes of his readers, conveys the lessons of philosophy with greater 
clearness and better success than either Chrysippus or Crantor. Fabula 
must here be rendered "the story." — 7. Barbarice lento collisa duello. 
" To have been engaged in conflict, during a long-protracted war, with a 
barbarian land." Literally, " to have been dashed against." This line is 
thought, both from the use of collisa and the presence of duellum, an old 
form for bellum, to have been either taken or imitated from Ennius. — 
8. Stultorum regum et populorum continet cestus. " Contains a narra- 
tive of the effects produced by the excited passions of foolish princes and 
their people." ^Estus is here equivalent to affectus concitatos. Com- 
pare verse 15. 

9-15. 9. Anterior censet, &c. Antenor, one of the most prudent of the 
Trojans, and adding the authority of age to the weight of his advice, rec- 
ommends that Helen be given up, and " that they cut off," in this way, 
" the whole cause of the war." Prcecidere is properly a nautical term, 
and means " to cut the cable." (Orelli, ad loc.) — 10. Quod Paris, ut sal- 
vus regnet, &c. "Paris declares that he can not be induced to take this 
step, even though it be in order that he may reign in safety, and enjoy a 
happy life." We have adopted Bentley's emendation and pointing, name 
ly, Quod Paris, the pronoun quod referring back to belli prmcidere causam 
The common text has Quid Paris ? where we must supply facit. — Reg- 
net. By this is meant, in fact, not that he should reign himself, but that 
he should continue to enjoy his rank and state as one of the king's sons 
{Keightley, ad loc.) — 12. Festinat. "Is anxious." — 13. Hunc. Huncxe 
fers to Agamemnon. Horace, intending at first to assign love as the im 
pelling cause in the case of Agamemnon, and anger in that of Achilles 
corrects himself, as it were, and subjoins quidem, with the view of show 
ing that both the chieftains were equally under the influence of resent 
ment. Agamemnon, therefore, compelled to surrender Chryseis, whom he 
passionately loved, to her father, and inflamed with anger toward Achil 
les, the chief instigator to this step, deprived the latter of his prize Brise'is 
— 14. Quidquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi. "The Greeks suffer 
for whatever folly their princes commit." The intransitive verb deliro ob 
tains here a transitive force, because an action exerted upon an object is 
implied, though not described, in it. — 15. Seditione, dolis, Sec. The poet 
means that much that was morally wrong was done on both sides. 

17-27. 17. Rursum. The allusion is now to the Odyssey. — Virtus. 
" Courage." — 18. Proposuit. " He has set before us." — 19. Qui, domitor 
Troj(B. Almost a verbal rendering of the e7ret Tpoinc lepbv TZToXitdpov 
eirepae of the Odyssey. The address and artifice of Ulysses were more 
effectual in reducing Troy than the valor of an Achilles or Agamemnon. 
— 19. Providus. "Carefully." — 22. Immersabilis. "Not to be sunk." — 
24. Stultus cupidusque. " Like a fool, and a man enslaved by his paa- 



552 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE II. 

sions." Ulysses did not taste the contents of the cup until he had made 
use of the plant given him by Mercury, as of sovereign power against en- 
chantments. — 25. Turpis et excors. "A debased and senseless slave." 
— 26. Vixisset canis immundus. Supply sicuti before cants. — 27. Nos 
numerus sumus, &c. " We are a mere number." Numerus is here a 
word of contempt, and spoken of men as mere ciphers, who served no oth- 
er end but to fill up places. The connection in the train of ideas is as fol- 
lows : We, therefore, who do not follow the example of virtue and of wis- 
dom, which is set before us in the character of Ulysses, seem born only to 
consume the productions of the earth, and to add to the bulk of mankind. 
We are no better than the suitoi-s of Penelope; we are no better than the 
effeminate and luxurious Phaeacians, whose chief employment consisted 
in pampering their bodies, in prolonging their slumbers until midday, and 
in dispelling their cares with wine, dancing, and song. 

28-30. 28. Sponsi Penelopes, nebulones Alcinoique. " Mere suitors of 
Penelope, mere effeminate and luxurious subjects of Alcinous." The term 
nebulones is here used in a somewhat softened sense, though still full of 
reproach, and the allusion is to the Phaeacians, over whom Alcinous ruled, 
and who were famed for their soft and effeminate mode of life, as well as 
their luxurious indulgence. The Pha?acia of Homer was the Corcyra of 
later geography, now Corfu. — 29. In cute cur an da plus a^quo operataju- 
ventus. "A race occupied, more than was proper, in pampering their 
bodies," i. e., in feasting, and the pleasures of the table. The allusion is 
still to the subjects of Alcinous, and this is continued to the end of the 
31st verse. — 30. Et ad strepitum citharai cessatum- ducere curam. " And 
to lull care to rest by the tones of the lyre." Cessatum is the supine. 

32-37. 32. Utjugulent homines, &c. The poet now calls off the atten- 
tion of his young friend from the picture he has just drawn of indolence 
and effeminacy, to the importance of active and industrious exertion in 
promoting the great ends of moral and mental improvement. — 33. Ut te 
ipsum serves. "To save thyself." The idea is this : Even common rob- 
bers are alert, and rise by night to commit crime ; how much more, then, 
shouldst thou exert thyself to preserve thy moral health. — 33. Atqui si 
notes sanus, currcs hydropicus. "Well, then, if thou wilt not use exer- 
cise when in health, thou wilt have to run wheu di'opsical." People in 
the dropsy were ordered by their physicians to use active exercise. Hor- 
ace, it will be observed, intends the allusion to the dropsy in a metaphor- 
ical sense, and the idea which he means to convey is simply this : If thou 
•wilt not exert thy power ■when thou canst, thou shalt be made to do so 
when no alternative is left. — 34. Et ni posces ante diem librum cum lu- 
mine. According to the old Roman custom, every individual arose at the 
break of day to attend to his particular avocations. To prolong one's slum- 
bers into the day, as the luxurious Phaeacians did, would have been as 
dishonorable to a freeman as appearing abroad intoxicated in the public 
streets. To get up, therefore, before break of day, for the purposes of 
mental improvement, was not requiring too much of a young man of fam- 
ily like Lollius, who was desirous of acting a distinguished part on the 
theatre of life, and who would therefore feel the strongest inducement to 
put in operation this good old rule of former days. — 37. Vigil. "In thy 
waking moments," i. e., after thou shalt have extended thy slumbers into 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE II. 553 

the middle of the day. The allusion in the words invidia vel amove is not 
merely to these passions in particular, but to all the depraved desires and 
affections which mental culture, and the pursuits of philosophy, can alone 
drive away. 

39-43. 39. Est animum. "Preys upon the mind." — 40. Dimidium 
facti, qui caspit, habet. " He who makes a beginning has accomplished 
the one half of an undertaking." Compare the Greek proverb, upxv VI JL ^ V 
iravToq. — 42. Rusticus exspectat dum dejiuat amnis, &c. With rusticus 
supply ut or sicuti. The leading idea in the comparison here instituted 
is as follows : He who neglects the present season for self-improvement, 
and keeps waiting for some more favorable opportunity to arrive, waits 
in vain, like the rustic on the river's bank, who foolishly thought that the 
stream would flow by and become exhausted ; for time, like that stream, 
glides along in rapid course, and the hour which has once passed will 
never return. — 43. Volubilis. "Rolling on." 

44-54. 44. QucBriturargentum,puerisqne,&cc. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : The bulk of mankind, however, pay little, if 
any, attention to mental culture and the lessons of wisdom and virtue. 
Their chief object of pursuit is the accumulation of wealth. — Puerisque 
beata creandis uxor. "And a rich and fruitful spouse." It may be doubt- 
ed whether pueris creandis, as here employed, should be at all translated, 
and whether it is not rather a mere formal expression, borrowed from the 
language of the Roman nuptials. — 45. Pacantur. "Are subdued." The 
poet, by the use of this term, would seem to ridicule the excessive desire 
on the part of the Romans of extending their cultivated grounds, so as to 
strive to subject to the plough the most stubborn soils, and even to bend 
the forests to its sway. — 47. Non domus et fundus. "Not lordly city man- 
sion and country estate." By domus is meant a splendid mansion in the 
city; by fundus, the land and villa in the country. — 48. Deduxit. "Re- 
moves." Taken aoristically to denote what is accustomed to happen, and 
to be rendered, therefore, by the present.^-49. Valeat possessor oportet. 
"Their possessor must enjoy health both of body and of mind." That va- 
leat here refers not merely to bodily, but also to mental health, is evident 
from the 51st verse and what follows. — 51. Qui cupit aut metuit. "Who 
is a slave to desire or to fear," i. e., who is continually desiring more, or 
else fears to touch what he at present has, as if it were something sacred. 
The poet means that he who is mentally diseased derives no more pleas- 
ure from his wealth, than a man with weak eyes from pictures, &c. — 
52. Ut lippum pictce tabulae. That strength of coloring, which gives great- 
er pleasure to a good eye, affects a weak one with greater pain. — Fomen- 
ta podagrum. Fomentations are spoken of by the ancient physicians 
among the remedies for the gout, though but little real good was effected 
by them. The disorder in question proceeds from such an inward sharp- 
ness of humors as no outward remedies can correct. We must regulate 
our whole course of life in hopes of a cure. — 53. Auriculas citharce collecta 
sorde dolentes. " The tones of the lyre, ears that labor with collected 
filth." Dolentes is here equivalent to Male se habentes. — 54. Sincerum est 
nisi vas, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : unless the mind 
is pure, and free from the contamination of vice, whatever enters will be- 
come in like manner vitiated. 

A A 



554 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE III. 

55-70. 55. Emta dolore. " When purchased with pain," i. e., when so 
purchased that pain follows after it. The poet here adds some yvti/Liat., or 
moral sentences. The passions noticed by him are those which make the 
vas non esse sincerum. {Orelli, ad loc.) — 56. Cerium voto pete jinem. 
"Seek a certain limit for thy wishes," i. e., set a fixed limit to thy wishes. 
58. Sicull tyranni. Alluding to Phalaris, Agathocles, and the two Dio- 
nysiuses. The particular reference, however, is to the brazen bull of Phal- 
aris. — 60. Dolor quod suaserit amens. " Which mad resentment shall 
have prompted." The common reading is Dolor quod suaserit et mens, 
but mens appears entirely out of place here, and we have therefore adopt- 
ed aniens for et mens. The reading amens is given in one of the oldest 
Vatican MSS., and is advocated and adopted by several editors. Com- 
pare the remarks of Crombie, Gymnas., ii., p. 136. — 61. Dum pasnas odio, 
&c. "While by some act of violence he hastens satisfaction for his unap- 
peased vengeance," i. e., while he is impatient to satiate it. — 62. Animum 
rege. " Govern thy temp er (therefore) .' ' — 64. Fingit equum tenera docilem, 
&c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : As steeds and hounds are 
trained when young, so should our earlier years be given to the lessons of 
wisdom and virtue, for the mind, at that period of life, easily receives im- 
pressions, and what is then learned is seldom forgotten. — 66. Ccrvinam 
pellem latravit in aula. Alluding to the custom of training up young 
hounds by placing before them the skin of a stag, stuffed with straw or 
other materials, so as to resemble the living animal. Latravit for alia- 
travit. — In aula. " In the court-yard." Aula is here a court-yard, or area 
generally, inclosed on all sides, and in which young dogs were trained to 
the hunt. — 67. Mililat. " Performs service," i. e., hunts. — Nunc adbibc 
puro 2>ectore verba, &c. " Now, in the days of thy youth, drink deep into 
thy pure breast the language of instruction ; now give thyself up to those 
who are wiser." Verba may also be here rendered " these my words," 
but with less propriety and force. — 69. Quo semel est imbula recens, &c. 
"A jar will long retain the odor of the liquor, with which, when new, it 
was once impregnated." — 70. Quod si cessas, &c. The idea intended to 
be here conveyed is thus expressed by Francis, from Torrentius and Da- 
cier : If thou wilt run the race of wisdom with me, let us run together ; 
for if thou stoppest or endeavorest to get before me, I shall not wait for 
thee, nor strive to overtake thee. When we enter the lists of virtue, to 
wait for those behind us is indolence, too earnestly to pursue those before 
us is envy. 



Epistle III. In the year of the city 731, Tiberius was sent at the head 
of an army into Dalmatia. Julius Floras, to whom this epistle is address- 
ed, was in his train. He continued visiting and regulating the provinces 
until the year 734, when he received orders from Augustus to march to 
Armenia, and replace Tigranes on the throne. It is at this time that Hor- 
ace writes to Floras. Our poet here marks the route of Tiberius through 
Thrace, and across the Hellespont, into Asia Minor, thus making bis epis- 
tle a kind of public historical monument. Floras bad reproached the bard 
for never writing to him, and the latter, in a pleasant kind of revenge, 
reckons a large number of particulars of public and private news which 
he expected in answer to his letter. It would seem, however, that Hor- 
ace had also another object in view, and this was, to make his friend sens- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE III. 555 

ible how prejudicial to him his ambition and his love of riches were, which 
he does in the softest and most friendly manner. 

1-4. 1. Juli Flore. This is the same with the one to whom the sec- 
ond epistle of the second book is inscribed. He is there called the faithful 
friend of Nero, whence it has been conjectured that he was a person of 
consideration at court. — 2. Claudius Augusti privignus. The reference 
is to Tiberius Claudius Nero, son of Tiberius Nero and Livia. He is here 
styled " the step-son of Augustus," from his mother having married that 
emperor. The expedition on which the prince was sent has been al- 
ready alluded to in the introductory remarks. As the expedition to which 
we are referring was made with great dispatch, it was sometimes not ex- 
actly known at Rome where the army was. Hence the questions put by 
the poet. — Laboro. "I am anxious." — 3. Thracane. As regards the 
Greek form Thraca, here employed for Thracia, compare the remark of 
the scholiast : " Greece protulit Qpr/Krj pro Thracia." Tiberius directed 
his course through Macedonia into Thrace, and, as would appear from the 
present passage, either in the winter, or early in the spring before the 
frost was gone. — Hebrusque nivali compede vinctus. The expedition was 
made in the winter season. As regards the Hebrus itself, consult note on 
Ode iii., 25, 10. — 4. Anfreta vicinas inter currentia turres. A description 
of the Hellespont, which the Roman troops crossed on this occasion. — 
Asia. The Roman province of Asia is meant, comprehending nearly 
the whole of Asia Minor. — Morantur. Equivalent to detinent. 

6-14. 6. Studios a cohors. " The studious train." The young Romans 
who attended Tiberius in this expedition, at once to form his court and to 
guard his person, were men of letters and genius, whence they are here 
styled studiosa cohois. To the number of these belonged Titius, Celsus, 
and Munatius, mentioned in the course of the epistle. — Operum. Gov- 
erned by quid, and alluding to the literary labors of the individuals com- 
posing the studiosa cohors. — Curo. Supply scire. — 8. Bella quis et paces 
longum diffundit in cevum ? "Who transmits his wars and treaties of 
peace to distant ages V i. e., the martial and peaceful glories of his reign. 
— 9. Titius. The same with the Titius Septimius to whom the sixth ode 
of the second book is inscribed. This individual appears to have been a 
young man, devoted to poetical studies, and who intended in a short time 
to publish his works. (Romana brevi venturus in ora.) — 10. Pindarici 
fontis qui non expalluit haustus, &c. "Who, having dared to contemn 
the lakes and streams open to the use of all, has not feared to drink of the 
Pindaric spring," i. e., who has separated himself from the herd of com- 
mon poets, and, aiming at higher efforts, has boldly taken the Grecian Pin- 
dar for his model. — 12. Ut valet ? " How is he ?" — Fidibusne Lalinis 
Thebanos, <5cc. Alluding to his imitation of Pindar, a native of Thebes, in 
Latin verse. — 13. Auspice Musa. "Under the favoring auspices of the 
Muse." — 14. An tragica descsvit et ampullatur in arte? "Or does he 
rage and swell in tragic strains?" Horace, while he praises his friend 
Titius, appears at the same time, from the language of the text, especially 
from the irony implied in ampullatur, to designate him as a turgid poet. 

15-20. 15. Quid mihi Gelsus agitl "What is my Celsus doing?" 
The pronouns mihi, tibi, sibi, nobis, vobis, are often used in this way, with 



556 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE III. 

the force of possessives, and in imitation of the Greek idiom. This is often 
done for the purpose of gentle sarcasm, as in the present instance. The 
individual here alluded to is generally supposed to have been the same 
with Celsus Albinovanus, to whom the eighth epistle of this book is in- 
scribed. He appears to have been addicted to habits of plagiarism. — 
16. Privatas opes. " Treasures of his own." Opes here applies to the 
literary resources of individuals. — 17. Palatinus Apollo. An allusion to 
the Palatine library, where the writings of the day, if useful or valuable, 
were treasured up along with the productions of other nations and times. 
The Palatine library was founded by Augustus A.U.C. 726. It was con- 
nected with the temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill, and was filled with 
the works of the best Greek and Latin authors. — 18. Olim. "At any 
time." — 19. Cornicula. Supply sicuti. The allusion is to the well-known 
fable of iEsop, excepting that, for the more common term graculus, we 
have here cornicula, a uTrat; ?^eydjuevov. — 20. Furtivis nudata coloribus. 
" Stripped of its stolen colors," i. e., stripped of the feathers of the peacock, 
which it had assumed for its own. — Ipse quid audes 1 " What dost thou 
thyself venture upon V i. e., what literary enterprise hast thou thyself in 



21-28. 21. Agilis. " Like the industrious bee." Horace, on a former 
occasion, has compared himself to the same little creature. (Ode iv., 2, 
27.) — 22. Non incultum est et turpitcr hirtum. " It is not uncultivated and 
shamefully rough." The mental powers, in their neglected state, are aptly 
compared to a field left without culture, and rough with briers and thorns. 
— 23. Sew linguam causis acuis. " "Whether thou art sharpening thy 
tongue for causes," i. e., training thyself for public speaking. — 23. Civica 
jura respondere. "To give answers on points of civil law." — 24. Amabile 
carmen. "The pleasing strain." — 25. Prima feres ederce victricis praemia. 
Compare Ode i., 1, 29. — 26. Frigida curarum, /omenta. "The cold fo- 
mentors of care." A beautiful expression. The poet is alluding to am- 
bition, and to a love of riches: these increase our cares, and at the same 
time render the breast cold and dead to the lessons of virtue and the in- 
spirations of poetry. — 28. Hoc opus, hoc studium. Alluding to the prac- 
tice of virtue and wisdom. 

30-36. 30. Si tibi curce, quanta conveniat, Munatius. "Whether thou 
hast still that regard for Munatius which becomes thee," i. e., whether thou 
art still on the same terms of friendship with one, between whom and thee 
there never ought to have been the least variance. The individual here 
styled Munatius is thought to have been the son of that Munatius Plan- 
cus who was consul A.U.C. 712, and to whom the 7th Ode of the first 
book is addressed. The son himself obtained the consulship A.U.C. 766. 
There would seem to have been a difference between the latter and Flo- 
rus, which their common friends had united themselves to heal. Such 
forced reconciliations, however, are generally as little durable as sincere, 
and the poet, therefore, is afraid lest this one may soon be interrupted. — 
31. An male sarta gratia nequidquam coit et rescinditur ? " Or does the 
ill-sewed reconciliation close to no purpose, and is it getting again rent 
asunder?" We have translated the expression male sarta literally, in 
order to preserve effectually the force of the allusion. The reference is to 
a wound badly sewed up, and which begins to bleed afresh. — 33. Calidus 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE IV. 557 

sanguis. "The hot blood of youth." — Inscitia rerum. " "Want of expe- 
rience." — 34. Indomita cervice. "With untamed neck." — 35. Indigni. 
"Too worthy." — Fraternum rumperefaedus. Dacier thinks that Eloi'us 
and Munatius were brothers by the mother's side, and sees no reason, 
from the difference of names, why they might not also be brothers by the 
father's side, as Murena and Proculeius. Sanadon, however, makes them 
entirely different families ; and says, that the expressions employed in 
the text mean no more than that Florus and Munatius had formerly loved 
one another as brothers. This is certainly the more correct opinion. — 
36. In vestrum reditum. "Against your return." The use of vestrum 
here implies that the poet wishes them to return not only in safety, but as 
friends. For this the votive sacrifice is to be offered, and the promised 
entertainment given. 



Epistle IV. Horace inquires of the poet Tibullus whether he is occu- 
pied at his villa with writing verses, or roams about in its vicinity and 
muses on the best way of spending existence. After passing some enco- 
miums on the mental and personal accomplishments of his friend, our poet 
invites him to his abode. 

1-3. 1. Nostrorum sermonum. " Of our satires." It needs hardly to 
be remarked that the term sermo, as applied to the satirical productions 
of Horace, has reference to their unambitious and almost prosaic style. 
Compare Sat.i., 1, 42. — 2. In regione Pedana. "In the country about 
Pedum." Pedum was a town of Latium, often named in the early wars 
of Rome, and which must be placed between Tusculum and Praeneste. 
Tibullus possessed a villa in the regio Pedana, which was all that re- 
mained of his property, the rest having been confiscated in the proscrip- 
tions of 711 and 712. — 3. Cassi Parmensis. " Cassius of Parma," here men- 
tioned, appears to have been a distinct person from the Etrurian Cassius, 
spoken of in Sat. i., 10, 61. He is described by one of the scholiasts as 
having tried his strength in various kinds of poetry, and having succeeded 
best in elegiac and epigrammatic writing. 

4-10. 4. An taciturn silvas inter, &c. " Or that thou art sauntering si- 
lently amid the healthful woods." — 5. Quidquid dignum sapiente bonoque 
est. The subject of meditation here indicated is the best means of attain- 
ing to happiness, and enjoying, in a proper manner, the favors of the gods. 
— 6. Non tu corpus eras sine pectore. " Thou wast not a mere body with- 
out a mind." The reference is to the hour of his birth, and the passage 
may therefore be paraphrased as follows : " Nature did not form thee a 
mere body," &c. — 7. Divitias. Tibullus himself informs us that he was 
not rich, and his property is said to have been greatly reduced in the civil 
wars. Still he may have had enough remaining to make him rich in the 
eyes of our moderate bard. (Keightley, ad loc.) — Artemque fruendi. 
"And the true art of enjoying them." — 8. Voveat. In the sense of optet. 
— Nutricula. "An affectionate nurse." — Alumno, qui sapere etfari pos- 
sit, &c. The connecting link in the chain of construction is as follows: 
Alumno, tali qualis tu es, Qui, &c. We have here the subject of the 
nurse's prayers, that he may be all this. — 9. Sapere. " To possess intel- 
ligence." — Fari qucc sentiat. "To expi - ess his thoughts" with propriety 



558 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE V. 

and elegance. The allusion is to ability in public speaking. — 10. Gratia, 
"The favor of the great." The allusion is particularly to the terms of 
friendship on which Tibullus stood with the celebrated Messala Corvinus. 

12-16. 12. Inter spent curamque, &c. The advice hei"e given is that 
by which Horace regulated his own course of conduct. An Epicurean, 
observes Sanadon, who considers every day as his last, will enjoy the 
pleasure that day brings. He bounds all his hopes, fears, cares, and proj- 
ects by this little compass, without disquieting himself about what may 
happen on the morrow, which neither depends upon him nor he upon it. 
Such is the doctrine to which Horace attributes his own joyous plight of 
body, his good humor, and easy carelessness of life. — 15. Pinguem et niti- 
dum bene curata cute. "Fat and sleek with good keeping."— 16. Epicuri 
de grege porcum. This serves to keep up and render more definite the 
allusion contained in the preceding lines. The Epicureans, in conse- 
quence of the corrupt and degenerate maxims of some of their number 
relative to pleasure, were stigmatized, in the popular language of the day, 
as mere sensualists, though many of them were most undeserving of this 
obloquy. Horace, therefore, playfully applies to himself one of the well- 
known phrases that were wont to be used by their enemies, as a sweep- 
ing denunciation of all the followers of Epicurus. 



Epistle V. The poet invites Torquatus to come and sup with him on 
the eve of the birth-day of Augustus. He promises him a homely enter- 
tainment, but a welcome reception, and that what is wanting in magnifi- 
cence shall be made up in neatness and cleanliness. We have in this 
epistle some strokes of morality, for which Torquatus might possibly have 
occasion. They are enlivened by a panegyric on wine, short, but spirited, 
as if it were a declaration of the good humor with which he proposed to 
receive his guest. 

1-4. 1. Si potes Atchiacis conviva, &c. "If thou canst prevail on thy- 
self to recline as a guest upon short couches made by Archias." The 
short couches made by Archias, a mechanic of the day, were plain and 
common ones, used only by persons in moderate circumstances. — 2. Nee 
modica camare times, &c. " And art not afraid to sup on all kinds of herbs 
from a dish of moderate size." — 3. Supremo sole. "Toward sunset." 
This was later than the usual time for supping, but is purposely named 
by Horace in order that his friend may have full time before it to get 
through all the business of the day. (Orelli, ad loc.) — Torquate. The in- 
dividual here addressed is supposed to be the same with the Torquatus to 
whom the seventh ode of the fourth book is inscribed. — Manebo. "I shall 
expect thee." — 4. Iterum Tauro. Understand consule. The second con- 
sulship of T. Statilius Taurus was A.U.C. 728, whence Bentley, reckoning 
from the time when this epistle is supposed to have been written, namely, 
A.U.C. 734, makes the wine in question between six and seven years of 
age. — Diffusa. "Racked off." The term alludes to the pouring of the 
wine into the vessels intended to receive it, when it had stood some time 
in the large dolia. — Palustres inter Minturnas, Sec. "Between marshy 
Minturnae and Petrinum, in the territory of Sinuessa." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE V. 559 

6-11. 6. Melius. "Better than what I have mentioned." Referring 
not only to the wine, but also to the vegetables of which the poet has spok- 
en. — Arcesse, vel imperium fer. "Order it to be brought hither, or else 
obey the commands that I impose," i. e., or else submit to me. Arcesse, 
according to the best commentators, is equivalent here to " afferri jube." 
— Imperium fer. The master of the house exercised a kind of authority 
over his guests. — 7. Tibi. "In honor of thee." — 8. Leves spes* "Thy vain 
hopes." The reference here is unknown. Some suppose that Torquatus 
entertained at this time the hope of arriving at some public office. — Certa- 
mina divitiarum. An elegant expression, to denote the striving to be 
richer than others. — 9. EtMosclu causam. The scholiast informs us that 
Moschus was a rhetorician of Pergamus, whose defence Torquatus and 
Asinius Pollio undertook when he was accused of poisoning. — Cras nato 
Ccesare festus, &c. The festival here alluded to was the nativity of Au- 
gustus, namely, the 9th day before the calends of October, or September 
23d. — 10. Datveniam somnumque. "Allows of indulgence and repose." 
With veniam supply oiiandi, or else bibendi. The former part of the next 
day being nefastus, and the praetor therefore holding no court, Torquatus 
might lie abed in the morning. Compare Orelli, ad loc. — 11. Tendere. 
" To lengthen out." 

12-20. 12. Quo mihi fortunam, si non conceditur uti ? " Why shall I 
seek for myself the gifts of fortune, if it is not allowed to enjoy them?" 
Supply comparem or quceram after fortunam. This elliptical form of ex- 
pression is of frequent occurrence. Most of the early editions and many 
MSS. give quo mihifortuna, si non conceditur uti ? where the final sylla- 
ble mfortuna is lengthened by the arsis. Xylander altered the punctua- 
tion to quo mihi, fortuna si non conceditur uti, making fortund the abla- 
tive, and supplying prodest, or something equivalent, with mihi. This 
has been adopted by several later editors. — 13. Parens ob heredis curam, 
&c. "He that lives sparingly, and pinches himself too much out of regard 
to his heir, is next-door neighbor to a madman." Literally, "sits by the 
side of the madman." The use of assidet is here extremely elegant. 
Compare the opposite expression, " Dissidere ab insano." — -15. Patiarque 
vel inconsultus haberi. "And I will be content to be regarded even as in- 
considerate and foolish." We have no single epithet that appears to con- 
vey the full force of inconsultus in this passage. — 16. Quid non ebrietas 
designat. "What does not wine effect?" or, more freely, " to what lengths 
does not wine proceed?" — 18. Addocet artes. Many of the commentators 
strangely err in making this expression mean that wine has power to 
teach the arts ! The poet intends merely to convey the idea that wine 
warms and animates the breast for the accomplishment of its plans. 
Hence the clause may be rendered, "teaches new means for the accom- 
plishment of what we desire." The force of the preposition in addocet 
must be carefully marked. — 19. Fecundi calices quern nonfecere disertum ? 
" Whom have not the soul-inspiring cups made eloquent?" The epithet 
fecundi, as here employed, is made by some to signify "full" or "over- 
flowing," but with much less propriety. It is equivalent, rather, to ani- 
mumfecundum reddentes. — 20. Solutum. Understand curis. 

21-31. 21. Hoc ego procurare et idoneus imperor, &c. "I, who am 
both the proper person, and not unwilling, am charged to take care of the 



560 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VI. 

following particulars," i. e., the task that best suits me, and which I will- 
ingly undertake, is as follows. — 22. Ne turpe toral. " That no dirty cov- 
ering on the couch." — Ne sordida mappa. "No foul napkin." — 23. Cor- 
ruget nares. " May wrinkle the nose," i. e., may give offence to any of the 
guests. According to duintilian, Horace was the first that used the verb 
corrugo. — Ne non et cantharus et lanx, &c. "That both the bowl and the 
dish may show thee to thyself," i. e., may be so bright and clean that thou 
mayest see thyself in them. As regards the cantharus, consult note on 
Ode i., 20, 2. — 25. Eliminet. Elegantly used for evulget. — Ut coeat par 
jungaturque pari. " That equal may meet and be joined with equal." 
Pa?- is here taken in a very extensive sense, and denotes not only equality 
of age, but also congeniality of feeling and sentiment. — 26. Butram Sep- 
ticiumque. The names of two of the guests. — 27. Carna prior. "A prior 
engagement." — Potior. ""Whom he prefers to us." — 28. Umbris. "At- 
tendant friends." Compare Sat. ii., 8, 22. — 29. Sed nimis arcta premunt 
olidce, &c. " But a strong scent renders too crowded an entertainment 
disagreeable." An allusion to the strong scent from the arm-pits, which 
the Romans termed capra. — Premunt. Equivalent to molestia afficiunt. 
— 30. Tu, quotus esse velis, rescribe. " Do thou write me back word of 
what number thou mayest wish to be one," i. e., how large a party thou 
mayest wish to meet. — 31. Atria servantem. ""Who keeps guard in thy 
hall," i. e., who watches for thee there, either to prefer some suit, or else 
to show his respect by becoming one of thy retinue. — Postico. Under- 
stand ostio. 



Epistle VI. The poet, with philosophical gravity, teaches his friend 
Numicius that human happiness springs from the mind when the latter is 
accustomed to view every thing with a cool and dispassionate eye, and, 
neither in prosperity nor adversity, wonders at any thing, but goes on un- 
disturbed in the acquisition of wisdom and virtue. 

1-5. 1. Nil admirari. "To wonder at nothing," i. e., to he astonished 
at nothing that we see around us, or that occurs to us in the path of our 
existence, to look on every thing with a cool and undisturbed eye, to judge 
of every thing dispassionately, to value or estimate nothing above itself. 
Hence results the general idea of the phrase, to covet nothing immoder- 
ately, to be too intent on nothing, and, on the other hand, to think nothing 
more alarming or adverse than it really is. — Numici. The gens Numi- 
cia at Rome was one of the ancient houses. The individual here address- 
ed, however, is not known. He would seem to have been some person 
that was too intent on the acquisition of riches, and the attaining to public 
office. — 3. Et decedentia certis tempora momentis. " And the seasons re- 
tiring at fixed periods." — 5. Imbuti. "Agitated." The idea intended to 
be conveyed by this clause is well expressed by Gesner : " Snpientis est 
non metuere sibi quidquam ab echpsi solis, a Saturni et Martis conjunc- 
tione et similibus, qua, genethliaca superstitio timet." Thus, the wise 
man contemplates the heavens, and the bodies that move in them, as well 
as the several changes of the seasons, without any feeling of astonishment 
or alarm, for he knows them to be governed by regular and stated laws, 
under the direction of a wise and benevolent Providence. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VI. 561 

5-14. 5. Quid censes munera terra ? The connection in the train of 
ideas is as follows : If this be the case with the phenomena of the heav- 
ens, how much more should it be so with the pi'oducts of the earth and the 
acts of man. {Keightley, adloc.) — 6. Maris. Understand munera. The 
reference is to the pearls, &c, of the East.— 7. Ludicra. "The public 
shows," i. e., the sports of the circus, theatre, and amphitheatre. — Amid 
dona Quiritis. An allusion to the offices conferred by the people on the 
candidates to whom they are well disposed. — 8. Quo sensu et ore ? "With 
what sentiments and look?" — 9. Fere miratur eodem, quo cupiens pacto. 
"Rates them by the same high standard almost as he who actually de- 
sires them." Horace, after speaking of those who set a high value on 
riches, public shows, popular applause, and elevation to office, turns his 
discourse upon men of a less declared ambition, who do not so much de- 
sire these things as fear their contraries, poverty, solitude, disgrace. He 
states that both proceed on the same wrong principle, and that both rate 
things too highly, the former directly, the latter indirectly ; for he who 
dreads poverty, solitude, and disgrace, thinks as highly, in fact, of their 
opposites, although he does not positively seek after them, as he who 
makes them the objects of his pursuit. — 10. Pavor. "An unpleasant 
disturbance of mind," i. e., mental agitation. — 11. Improvisa simul species, 
&c. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that the moment any thing 
unexpectedly adverse happens, both are equally alarmed ; the one lest 
he may lose what he is seeking for, the other lest he may fall into what 
he is anxious to avoid. Neither of them gazes with calmness on misfoi-- 
tune. Simul for simul ac. — 12. Quid ad rem. "What matters it." — 
14. Defixis oculis, animoque, &c. " With fixed gaze, he becomes as one 
inanimate in mind and in body," i. e., he stands like a statue with fixed 
and stupid gaze. Defixi oculi here are not demissi et dejecti oculi, as Tor- 
rentius thinks, but immobiles, stupidi. 

16-23. 16. Ultra quam satis est. "Beyond proper bounds." To show 
that there is no exception to the rule which he has laid down, and that the 
feeling which produces fear or desire is equally vicious and hurtful, the 
poet observes, that, were even virtue its object, it would not cease to be 
blamable if it raises too violent desires even after virtue itself, for vir- 
tue can never consist in excess of any kind. — 17. I nunc, argenlum et 
marmor vetus, &c. Ironical. The connection in the train of ideas ap- 
pears to be as follows : If we ought to fix our minds too intently upon 
nothing, and if even virtue itself forms no exception to this rule, but may 
become blamable, like other things, when carried to excess, how little 
should our attention be turned to the acquisition of riches, of popular fa- 
vor, and of other objects equally fleeting and transitory. Go, now, and 
seek these riches, strive to become conspicuous before the eyes of all for 
the splendors of affluence, present thyself as a candidate for public honors, 
and fix upon thee the gaze of admiring thousands, while thou art harang- 
uing them from the rostra; and when all this is done, and the object of thy 
wishes is attained, then sink into the grave, that leveller of all distinctions, 
and be forgotten. — Argenlum. " Vases of silver." Understand factum. 
—Marmor vetus. Ancient Greek statues, &c. — ^Era. " Bronze ves- 
sels." — Artes. "Works of art." — 18. Suspice. " Gaze with admiration 
upon." — 19. Loquentem. "While haranguing in public." — 20. Gnavus 
mane forum, &c. The allusion here is either to the pleading of causes, 
A a 2 



562 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VI. 

and the gain as well as popularity resulting therefrom, or else, and what 
appears more probable, to the money matters transacted in the forum, the 
laying out money at interest, the collecting it in, &c. — 21. Dotalibns. 
" Gained by marriage," i. e., forming a pait or the whole of a wife's dowry. 
— 22. Mutus. Some individual is here meant of ignoble birth, but enriched 
by marriage. — Indignum, quod sit pejoribus ortus. " What would be 
shameful indeed, since he has sprung from meaner parents." — 23. Mira- 
bilis. Equivalent to invidendus, and referring back to nil admirari. 

24-27. 24. Quidquid sub terra est, &c. We have here the apodosis of 
the sentence which began at the 17th verse. It is continued on to the end 
of the 27th verse. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that as whatever 
is concealed in the bosom of the earth will one day or other see the light, 
so whatever now shines above the surface of the ground will one day or 
other descend into it. Though thou art now conspicuous for wealth and 
public honors, yet sooner or later shalt thou go to that abiding-place whith- 
er Numa and Ancus have gone before. — 25. Quum. E quivalent to quam- 
vis. — Bene notum. On account of the frequency of his appearance there. 
—26. Porticus Agrippce. The portico here alluded to was in the vicinity 
of the Pantheon, another of the splendid works for which the capital was 
indebted to the public spirit and munificence of Agrippa. It was called 
also Porticus Neptuni or Argonautarum, being adorned with paintings, 
the subjects of which were taken from the legend of the Argonautic expe- 
dition, and was built A.U.C. 729. In this the upper classes and the rich 
were accustomed to take exercise by walking. — Via Appi. The Appian 
Way was another general place of resort for the wealthy and the great, es- 
pecially in their chariots. Compare Epode iv., 14. — 27. Numa quo devenit 
et Ancus. Compare Ode iv., 7, 15, seqq. 

28-38. 28. Si latus aut renes, &c. The train of ideas is as follows : If 
thou art laboring under any acute disease, drive it off by using proper rem- 
edies ; if thou art desirous of living happily, come, despise the allurements 
of pleasure, and follow the footsteps of virtue, for she alone can teach thee 
the true course which thou art to pursue. If, however, thou art of opinion 
that virtue consists merely in words, not in actual practice, as a grove ap- 
pears to thee to be merely a parcel of trees, and to derive no part of its 
venerable character from the worship of the gods celebrated within its 
precincts ; well, then, prefer riches to virtue, use all thy speed in their 
acquisition, see that no one enter the harbor before thee, take care that no 
loss be incurred, let the round sum of a thousand talents be made up, and 
others at the back of that. In fine, take from sovereign money whatever 
she bestows, and shine with these before the eyes of men. — Tentantur. 
"Are attacked." — 29. Fngam morbi. "Some remedy that may put the 
disorder to flight." — 30. Fortis omissis hoc age deliciis. " Do thou, aban- 
doning pleasures, attend strenuously to this," i. e., the pursuit of virtue. 
— 32. Cave ne portus occupet alter. " Take care that no one gain the har- 
bor before thee." — 33. Ne Cibyratica,ne Bithyna negotia perdas. "That 
thou lose not the profits of thy trade with Cibyra, with Bithyuia," i. e., by 
the cargoes being brought too late into the harbor, and after the favorable 
moment for realizing a profit on them has gone by. — Cibyratica. Cibyra 
was a flourishing commercial city in the southwest angle of Phrygia, be- 
tween Lycia and Caria. — Bithyna. As regards the commerce earned on 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VI. 563 

between Bithynia and Italy, consult note on Ode i., 35, 7. — 34. Mille ta- 
lenta rotundentur. "Let the round sum of a thousand talents be made 
up." — Altera. Understand mille talenta. — 35. Et quce pars quadret acer- 
vum. "And the part that may render the heap fourfold," i. e., may com- 
plete the sum of four thousand talents. — 36. Scilicet. " For." — Fidem. 
"Credit." — Regina pecunia. "Sovereign money." — 38. Ac bene num- 
matum decorat, &c. " And Persuasion and Venus adorn the well-mon- 
eyed man," i. e., the rich man easily finds flatterers to style him an elo- 
quent and persuasive speaker, a pleasing and agreeable companion, &c. 

39-46. 39. Mancipiis locuples eget ceris, &c. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : Heap up riches ; not such, however, as the 
J£ing of the Cappadocians has, who possesses many slaves indeed, but is 
poor in money, but such as Lucullus is said to have had, who was so 
wealthy that he knew not the extent of his riches ; for, being asked on 
one occasion, &c. — Cappadocum rex. The greater part of the Cappado- 
cians were, from the despotic nature of their government, actual slaves, 
and the nation would seem to have been so completely wedded to servi- 
tude that, when the Romans offered them their liberty, they refused, and 
chose Ariobarzanes for their king. On the other hand, money was so 
scarce that they paid their tribute in mules and horses. — 40. Nefueris hie 
tit. "Be not thou like him," i. e., do not want money as he does, but get 
plenty of it ! The final syllable of fueris is lengthened by the arsis. — 
Chlamydes. The chlamys was a military cloak, generally of a purple 
color. — Lucullus. The famous Roman commander against Mithradates 
and Tigranes. The story here told is no doubt a little exaggerated, yet it 
is well known that Lucullus lived with a magnificence almost surpassing 
belief. His immense riches were acquired in his Eastern campaigns. — 
44. Tolleret. Referring to the person who made the request; either the 
individual who had charge of the scenic arrangements for the occasion, or 
else one of the aediles. — 45. Exilis domus est. "That house is but poorly 
furnished," i. e., in the estimation of the votaries of wealth. Iixmical. — 
46. Falluni. " Escape the notice of." — Furibus. Thievish slaves are par- 
ticularly meant. — Ergo si res sola potest facere, &c. The idea intended to 
be conveyed is as follows : If, then, thou thinkest virtue a mere name, 
and if riches alone {res sola) can make and keep a man happy, make the 
acquisition of them thy first and last work. 

49-50. 49. Si fortunatum species et gratia prcEStat. " If splendor and 
popularity make a man fortunate." Species has here a general reference 
to external splendor, official pomp, &c. — 50. Mercemur servum, qui dictet 
nornina, Sec. " Come, let us purchase a slave to tell us the names of the 
citizens, to jog us, every now and then, on the left side, and make us 
stretch out our hand over all intervening obstacles." What pondera ac- 
tually refers to here remains a matter of mere conjecture. The general 
allusion in this passage is to the office of nomenclator. The Romans, when 
they stood candidate for any office, and wanted to ingratiate themselves 
with the people, went always accompanied by a slave, whose sole busi- 
ness it was to learn the names and conditions of the citizens, and secretly 
inform his master, that the latter might know how to salute them by their 
proper names. 



564 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VI. 

52-55. 52. Hie multum in Fabia valet, Sec. The slave now whispers 
into his master's ear, " This man has great influence in the Fabian tribe, 
that one in the Veline." With Fabia and Velina respectively, under- 
stand tribu. — 53. Cui libet hie fasces dabit, &c. The allusion is now to a 
third person. By the term fasces is meant either the consulship or praetor- 
ship. — Curule ebur. "The curule chair." The allusion appears, from 
what precedes, to be to the eedileship, or office of curule sedile, although 
the sella curulis was common, in fact, to all the higher magistrates. — 54. 
Importunus. " Indefatigable in his efforts." — Frater, pater, adde. "Add 
the titles of brother, father." Frater and pater are here taken, as the 
grammarians term it, materially. They stand for accusatives, but, being 
supposed to be quoted, as it were, from the speech of another, where they 
are used as vocatives, they remain unaltered in form. — 55. Ut cuique est 
cetas, &c. The direction here given is as follows : If the individual ad- 
dressed be one of thy own age, or somewhat under, address him, in a fa- 
miliar and friendly way, with the title of "brother ;" if, however, he be an 
older man than thyself, approach him respectfully, and salute him with the 
name of "father." — Facetus. " Courteously." — Adopta. "Adopt him," i.e., 
adopt him into thy family by this salutation ; address him as a relation. 

56-67. 56. Lucet. " 'Tis light," i. e., the day is now breaking. — 57. 
Gula. " Our appetite." The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 
clause is as follows : As soon as the day breaks, let us attend to the calls 
of appetite. — Piscemur, venemur. Instead of merely saying, let us pro- 
cure the materials for the banquet, the poet employs the common expres- 
sions in the text, "let us go a fishing, let us go a hunting," that he may 
bring in with more effect the mention of Gargilius. — 58. Gargilius. Who 
the individual here alluded to was, is unknown. The picture, however, 
which the poet draws of him is a pleasing one, and might very easily be 
made to apply to more modern times. — 60. Unus ut e multis, Sec. "To 
the intent that one mule out of many might bring back, in the sight of the 
same populace, a boar purchased with money." — 61. Crudi tumidique la- 
vemur. " Let us bathe with our food undigested, and a full-swollen stom- 
ach." Bathing so soon after a meal was decidedly injurious, but the epi- 
cures of the day resorted to this expedient, that they might hasten the 
natural digestion, and prepare themselves for another entertainment. — 62. 
Ccerite cera digni. "Deserving of being enrolled among the Caerites." 
The term cera has reference to the Roman mode of writing on tablets cov- 
ered with wax, and hence the expression in the text, when more literally 
rendered, will mean, being enrolled in the same registers, or on the same 
tablets, that contain the names of the Caerites. According to the common 
account, the Caerites, or inhabitants of Caere, having received the vestal 
virgins and tutelary gods of Rome, when it was sacked by the Gauls, the 
Romans, out of gratitude, gave them the privileges of citizens, with the 
exception of the right of suffrage. What was to them, however, an honor, 
would prove to a Roman citizen an actual degradation ; and therefore, 
when any one of the latter was guilty of any disgraceful or infamous con- 
duct, and lost, in consequence, his right of suffrage by the decree of the 
censors, he was said to be enrolled among the Caerites (in tabulas Cceri- 
ium referri). — 63. Remigium vitiosum Ithacensis Ulixei. Supply sicuti. 
— 64. Interdicta voluptas. " Forbidden pleasure." Ulysses had warned 
his companions not to touch the cups of Circe if they wished to revisit 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 565 

their country. The advice proved fruitless. — 65. Mimnermus. A poet of 
Colophon, in Ionia, who nourished about 590 B.C. He composed elegiac 
strains, and is regarded as the first that applied the alternating hexame- 
ter and pentameter measures to such subjects. — 67. Istis. Referring to 
the maxims which the poet has here laid down respecting the felicity 
that virtue alone can bestow. 



Epistle VII. Horace, upon retiring into the country, had given his 
promise to Maecenas that he would return in five days ; but, after continu- 
ing there the whole month of August, he writes this epistle to excuse his 
absence. He tells him that the care of his health had obliged him to re- 
main in the country during the dog-days, and that, when winter comes on, 
the same care would render it necessary for him to go to Tarentum, but 
that he intended to be with him early in the spring. As Horace, how- 
ever, was under the strongest ties to Maecenas, and did not wish- to be 
thought unmindful of what he owed him, he takes pains to show that the 
present refusal did not proceed from want of gratitude, but from that sense 
of liberty which all mankind ought to have, and which no favor, however 
great, could countervail. He acknowledges his patron's liberality, and the 
agreeable manner he had of evincing it. He acknowledges, too, that he 
had been a close attendant upon him in his younger years, but assures 
him, at the same time, that if he was less assiduous now, it did not pro- 
ceed from want of affection and friendship, but from those infirmities of 
age, which, as they were sensibly growing upon him, rendered it incon- 
sistent with the care which his health demanded of him. 

1-9. 1. Quinque. A definite for an indefinite number. — 2. Sextilem 
totum mendax desideror. "False to my word, I am expected by thee 
during the whole month of August" The Romans, at first, began their 
year at March, whence the sixth month was called Sextilis, even after 
January and February were added by Numa to the calendar of Romulus. 
It afterward took from Augustus the name mensis Augtistus, as the month 
before it was called mensis Julius, from Julius Caesar. — Atqui. "And 
yet." — 3. Recteque videre valentem. "And to see me enjoying sound 
health." — 5. Veniam. " The indulgence." The poet alludes to the liberty 
of remaining in his villa, apart from his patron's presence. — Dumjicus 
prima, &c. An elegant and brief description of the season of autumn, 
when the fig first reaches its maturity, and the heat of the sun proves in- 
jurious to the human frame. The dog-days, and, in general, all the autum- 
nal season, were sickly at Rome. At this time the poet chose to retire 
to his Sabine farm, and breathe the pure mountain atmosphere. — 6. Desig- 
natorem decorat lictoribus atris. "Adorn the undertaker with all his 
gloomy train." By the designator is here meant the individual whose 
business it was to regulate the order of funerals, and assign to every per- 
son his rank and place. He was one of the principal officers of the god- 
dess Libitina, and resembled, in his general duties, the modern undertak- 
er. When called to take charge of a funeral solemnity, the designator 
\isually came attended by a troop of inferior officei's, called by Seneca lib't- 
tinarii, such as the pollinclores, vespillones, ustores, sandapilarii, Sec. 
These attendants were all arrayed in black, and, besides their other du- 
ties, served to keep off the crowd like the lictors of the magistrates, with 



566 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 

whom they are compared by the language of the text. — 7. Matercula. 
" Tender mother." — 8. Officiosa sedulitas. "An assiduous attendance on 
the great." — Opella forensis . " The petty operations of the bar." — 9. Tes- 
tamenta resignat. The autumnal season, when the greatest mortality 
prevailed, is here said, by the agency of assiduous attention on the great, 
and by the distracting business of the bar, to open wills, i. e., to kill, wills 
never being opened until the death of the testator. 

10-13. 10. Quod si. Referring here to time. "When, however." — 
Albanis. Equivalent to Latinis. — Illinet. " Shall spread."— 11. Ad mare. 
Lambinus thinks the reference is here to the Sinus Tarentinus, an opin- 
ion which derives support from verse 45, and also from Ode ii., 6, 10. — Sibi 
parcet. "Be careful of himself," i. e., will guard himself against what- 
ever might prove injurious to health. — 12. Contractus. " Gathered up," 
i. e., crouching from the cold ; for he was, as he tells us, solibus aptum, 
and, of course, of a chilly nature. [Keightley, ad loc.) There are other ex- 
planations, however, of this clause. — 13. Hirundine prima. "With the 
first swallow," i. e., in the very beginning of the spring. The wind Favo- 
nius began to blow on the 6th of February, and in a fortnight after the 
swallows appeared. 

14-28. 14. Non, quo more piris vesci, Sec. He now reminds Maecenas 
of his previous generosity toward him. The idea intended to be conveyed 
is this : Thou hast not gifted me with what thou thyself despised, as the 
Calabrian rustic gave away his pears, or as a foolish prodigal squanders 
upon others what he regards as contemptible and valueless, but thou hast 
bestowed such things upon thy poet as a good and wise man is always 
prepared to give to those whom he deems worthy of them. — 16. Benigne. 
" I thank thee kindly." Supply facis. Bene and benigne were terms of 
politeness among the Romans, as naAue and ETraivu among the Greeks, 
when they refused any thing offered to them. — 19. Hodie. Observe the 
force of the adverb here, implying that the pears will not keep longer than 
the present day. — 21. Hcec seges ingratos tulit, &c. "This soil has pro- 
duced, and always will produce, ungrateful men," i. e., this liberality has 
had, and in all ages will have, ingratitude for its certain crop. A foolish 
and unmeaning prodigality deserves no better return; for acknowledg- 
ment ought always to be in proportion to the benefit received, and what 
is given in this manner is not worthy the name of a benefit. — 22. Vir bo- 
nus et sapiens dignis ait esse paratus. " A good and wise man says that 
he is ready for the deserving," i. e., professes himself ready to confer favors 
on those who deserve them. The allusion in vir bonus et sapiens is to 
Maecenas, i. e., but the wise and truly generous man, such as thou art, on 
the contrary, &c. We have here an elegant imitation, in paratus, of the 
Greek construction, by which a nominative is joined with the infinitive 
whenever the reference is to the same person. Thus, the expression in 
the text, if converted into Greek, would be 6 KCiXbt; nayadbe role u^'lolc 
(j)7}olv elvai Tipbdvfiog. The common Latin structure requires se paratum 
esse. — 23. Nee tamen ignorat, quid distent csra lupinis. "And yet is not 
ignorant how true money differs from lupines." The players upon the 
stage were accustomed to make use of lupines instead of real coin (com- 
pare Muretus, ad Plaut., Poen., Hi., 2, 20), and so, also, boys at their games. 
Hence, when the poet states that the good and wise man can distinguish 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.—- BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 567 

well between true coin and that which players use upon the stage, or 
boys at their games, he means to convey the idea that such a man knows 
what he gives, that he can tell whether it be of value or otherwise, wheth- 
er it be suitable or unsuitable to him on whom it is conferred. — 24. Dig- 
num prcestabo me etiam pro laude merentis. "I, too, as the praise of my 
benefactor demands, will show myself worthy of the gifts that I have re- 
ceived," i.e., I will show myself worthy of what my generous patron has 
bestowed upon me, that he may enjoy the praise of having conferred his 
favors On a deserving object. — 25. Usquam discedere. " To go any where 
from thee," i. e., to leave thy society and Rome. — 26. Forte latus. " My 
former vigor." Keightley explains this by "strength of wind." Latus 
and latera are frequently used in the Latin writers to indicate strength of 
body, as both corporeal vigor and decay show themselves most clearly in 
that part of the human frame. — Nigros angusta fronte capillos. "The 
black locks that once shaded my narrow forehead." As regards the esti- 
mation in which low foreheads were held among the Greeks and Romans 
as a mark of beauty, consult note on Ode i., 33, 5. In the present case 
the reference would seem to be to the hair's being worn so low down as 
almost to cover the forehead. The Romans, says Keightley, used to cut 
the hair straight across the forehead, so as to let only a narrow strip of it 
appear, than which nothing is more unbecoming in our eyes. So the 
beauties in the early part of the seventeenth century used to arrange 
their hair in small curls all along the forehead. So capricious is fashion ! 
— 27. Dulce loqui. " My former powers of pleasing converse." — Ridere 
decorum. "The becoming laugh that once was mine." — 28. Fugam Ci- 
narce protervoe. Horace elsewhere {Ode iv., 1, 3) tells us that he was a 
young man when he surrendered his heart to the charms of Cinara. 

29-34. 29. Forte per angustam, &c. The connection in the train of 
ideas is as follows : I am not one, Maecenas, that wishes merely to feed 
and fatten in thy abode ; I have not crept into thy dwelling as the field- 
mouse did into the basket of corn : for if I am indeed like the field-mouse 
in the fable, and if my only object in coming nigh thee has had reference 
to self, then am I willing to surrender all the favors that thy kindness 
has bestowed upon me. — Tenuis vulpecula. " A lean fox." Vulpecula is 
the reading of all the MSS., and in iEsop and Babrius also it is a fox. 
Bentley, however, conjectured nitedula, " a field-mouse," and he has been 
followed by all the editors, till Jacobs vindicated the original reading [Led. 
Venus., p. 99), who shows that the writers of ancient apologues and fables 
were less solicitous about external or physical probability than the moral 
lesson which they were anxious to convey. Hence Bentley's objection 
that the fox eats no corn becomes one of little value. — 30. Cumeramfru- 
menti. "A basket of corn." — 31. Pleno corpore. "Being grown fat." — 
34. Hac ego si compellor imagine, &c. " If 1 be addressed by this simili- 
tude, I am ready to resign all that thy favor has bestowed," i. e., if this fa- 
ble of the field-mouse be applicable to me, if I have crept into thy friend- 
ship merely to enjoy thy munificent kindness and benefit myself, &c. — 
Resigno. Consult note on Ode iii., 29, 54. 

35-37. 35. Nee somnum plebis laudo, &c. " Neither do I, sated with 
delicacies, applaud the slumbers of the poor, nor am I willing to exchange 
my present repose, and the perfect freedom that accompanies it, for all the 



568 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 

riches of the Arabians." The poet means to convey the idea that he is 
not one of those who first surfeit themselves, and then extol the frugal ta- 
bles and the easy slumbers of the poor, but that he has always loved a 
life of repose and freedom, and will always prefer such a one to the splen- 
dors of the highest affluence. Hence the same idea is involved in this 
sentence, as in the passages which immediately precede, namely, that 
the poet has never sought the friendship of his patron merely for the sake 
of indulging in a life of luxury. — Altilium. The epithet altilis, in its gen- 
eral import, denotes any thing fattened for human food ; when taken in a 
special sense, however, as in the present instance, it refers to birds, par- 
ticularly those of the rarer kind, reared for this purpose in an aviary. — 
37. Scepe verecundum laudasti, Rexque Paterque, &c. "Thou hast often 
commended my moderation ; when present, thou hast heai'd thyself salut- 
ed by me as king and father; nor have I been more sparing in thy praise, 
when thou wert absent, by a single word." For a literal translation, un- 
derstand audisti with nee verbo parcius absens, and, as regards the pecu- 
liar meaning in which the verb is here employed ("thou hast heard thy- 
self called," i. e., thou hast been called or saluted], consult note on Sat. 
ii., 7, 101, and ii., 6, 20. Horace is not afraid to call Maecenas himself as 
a witness of his disinterestedness and gratitude. Thou hast often, says 
he, commended me for a moderation which could alone set bounds to thy 
liberality. Thou knowest that I ever spoke of thee in the language of ten- 
derness and respect, as my friend and benefactor. — Pater. Maecenas was 
a few years the elder. — Verecundum. It will be perceived from the fore- 
going note that we have, with Lambinus, referred this term to the mod- 
eration of the poet, amid the favors of his patron. Most commentators, 
however, make it allude merely to his modesty of deportment. — Rexque 
Paterque. The first of these appellations refers to the liberality, the sec- 
ond to the kind and friendly feelings, of Maecenas toward the bard. 

39-45. 39. Inspice, si possum donata reponere Icetus. " See whether I 
can cheerfully restore what thou hast given me." The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : I said just now, that if the apologue of the 
fox were applicable to my own case, I was perfectly willing to resign 
all the favors which thy kindness had conferred upon me. Try me then, 
my patron, and see whether I am sincere in what I have said. — 49. Haud 
male Telemachus, &c. "Well did Telemachus answer, the offspring of 
the patient Ulysses." This answer of Telemachus is taken from the 4th 
book of the Odyssey, and was made to Menelaus, who urged him to ac- 
cept a present of horses. The application is obvious : Tibur or Tarentum 
was our poet's Ithaca, where Maecenas's gifts could be of no more use to 
him than the present of Menelaus to Telemachus. — 41. Nonestaptus Ith- 
ace locus, &c. Horace has here expressed Horn., Od., iv., 601, seqq. — Ut 
neque planis porrectus spatiis, &c. "As it is neither extended in plains 
nor abounds with much grass." — 45. Vacuum Tibur. "The calm retreat 
of Tibur." The epithet vacuum is here equivalent in some respect to 
otiosum, and designates Tibur as a place of calm retreat for the poet, and 
of literaiy leisure. — Imbelle Tarentum. " The peaceful Tarentuin." 

46-48. 46. Strenuus et fortis. " Active and brave." The allusion in 
the text is to Lucius Marcius Philippus, of whom Cicero makes frequent 
mention. He was equally distinguished for eloquence and courage, which 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 569 

raised him to the censorship and consulship. The little tale here intro- 
duced is the longest, but not the least agreeable, of the three with which 
Horace has enlivened his letter. It is told with that natural ease andvi< 
vacity which can only make this kind of stories pleasing. The object 
of the poet is to show how foolishly those persons act who abandon a sit- 
uation in life which suits them, and to which they have been long accus- 
tomed, for one of a higher character and altogether foreign to their habits. 
— 47. Ab officiis. "From the duties of his profession." — Octavam circitcr 
horam. "About the eighth hour," i.e., about two o'clock. The first hour 
of the day, among the Romans, commenced at sis o'clock. The courts 
opened at nine o'clock. — 48. Carinas. It is disputed where that part of 
Rome which was called the " Carinae" lay. The old opinion, and which 
many still hold, was that it was the hollow extending at the foot of the Es- 
quiline from the Forum of Nerva to the Colosseum; but it is quite clear 
that it was on an eminence (compare Dion. Hal., iii., 22), and there seems 
to be no reason for dissenting from those who, like Bunsen and Beck- 
er, suppose it to be that part of the Esquiline where now stands the 
church of San Pietro in Vincoli, perhaps on the site of the temple of Tel- 
lus. As the edge of the hill makes a circuit from the Subura to the Colos- 
seum, this may have given origin to the name, as resembling the "keel" 
of a ship. The greater part of it was situate in the fourth region. From 
the epithet of lautce, which Virgil applies to it, we may infer that the 
houses which stood in this quarter of ancient Rome were distinguished by 
an air of superior elegance and grandeur. From the same passage of Vir- 
gil it appears that the Carinae did not stand very far from the Forum. The 
house of Philippus stood, perhaps, at the farther end of the Carinae, over 
the Subura, and hence he complains of the distance. [Keightlcy, ad loc.) 

50-58. 50. Adrasum. "Close shaved." — Vacua tonsoris in umbra. 
"In a barber's shop, that resort of idlers." Vacua is here equivalent to 
otiosa. With regard to the term umbra, it may be remarked, that though 
rendered by the word "shop," in order to suit modern ideas, it properly 
denotes a shed or awning open to the street, as is still customary with the 
shops in the south of Europe. — 51. Cultello proprios purgantem leniter 
ungues. " Leisurely paring his own nails." Proprios here denotes his 
doing for himself what was commonly done by the barber, especially for 
people of fashion. — 52. Non Icevejussa Philippi accipicbat. "Was very 
smart at taking Philip's commands." — 53. Qucsre et refer. Philip's object in 
sending his slave on this errand was as follows : Returning home from the 
fatiguing avocations of the bar, and complaining of the distance to his own 
abode, which, though short in itself, the growing infirmities of age caused 
to appear long to him, Philip espies, on a sudden, a person seated at his 
ease in a barber's shop, and paring his nails with an air of the utmost com- 
posure. Touched with a feeling somewhat like envy on beholding a man 
so much happier to all appearances than himself, he sends his slave to as- 
certain who the individual was, and to learn all about him. — 53. Unde domo. 
" Where he lives." — 55. Enarrat. He obtains the information from some 
of the neighbors probably. — Vulteium nomine Me nam. " That he was by 
name Vulteius Menas." Menas was a servile name abbreviated from Meno- 
dorus, as Lucas from Lucanus. The individual in question, therefore, was 
a liberties or freedman of one of the Vulteii. — 56. Pr&conem. " An auc- 
tioneer." Compare verse 65. — Tenui censu. "Of slender means." — Sine 



570 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VII. 

crimine, notum. Bentley reads sine crimine natum, i. e., "born without 
a stain ;" but this clashes with the idea of his being a libertus, and, conse- 
quently, of servile origin. — 57. Et properare loco et cessare, &c. "That he 
was wont, as occasion required, to ply his business with activity and take 
his ease, to gain a little and spend it." Loco is here equivalent to tem- 
pore opportuno. — 58. Gaudentem parvis sodalibus, et lare certo, Sec. 
"Delighting in a few companions of humble life, and in a house of his 
own, and also in the public shows, and, when the business of the day was 
over, in a walk through the Campus Martius." By lare certo is denoted 
that he had a fixed abode, and did not lodge in a ccenaculum. 

60-65. 60. Scitari libet ex ipso, &c. "I would know from the man 
himself all that thou reportest." — 62. Benigne. " I thank thy master kind- 
ly." Menas expresses his thanks for the honor of the invitation, but, at 
the same time, declines accepting it. — 63. Improbus. "The rascal." — Et 
te negligit aut horret. "And either slights, or is afraid of thee." Hor- 
rere and horror are properly meant of that awe and respect which we 
feel in approaching any thing sacred ; and as the vulgar are apt to look 
upon great men as somewhat above the ordinary rank of mortals, the 
same words have been used to express the respect they feel when ad- 
mitted to their presence, as well as the dread they have of coming into it. 
— 64. Vulteium mane Philippus, &c. " Next morning Philip comes upon 
Vulteius, as he was selling second-hand trumpery to the poorer sort of 
people, and salutes him first." The verb occupare, as here employed, 
means to surprise, to come upon another before he is aware of our ap- 
proach. — 65. Tunicato popello. This expression literally refers to the 
poorer part of the citizens as clad merely in tunics, their poverty prevent- 
ing them from purchasing a toga in which to appear abroad. Foreignei's 
at Rome seem also to have had the same dress, whence homo tunicatus 
is put for a Carthaginian, Plant., Posnul., v., 3, 2. — Scruta. By this term 
is meant any kind of old second-hand furniture, movables, clothes, &c, 
and they who vended them were called scrutarii. 

66-72. 66. Ille Philippo excusare laborem, Sec. " He began to plead 
to Philip his laborious vocation and the fetters of business as an excuse 
for not having waited upon him that morning ; in fine, for not having seen 
him first." The expression mercenaria vincla refers to his employment 
as auctioneer, and his being bound to give up his whole time to it, for 
which he received a fixed compensation [merces) from those who employ- 
ed him to sell. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 68. Quod non mane domum venisset. 
Clients and others waited upon distinguished men early in the morning 
for the purpose of paying their respects. Menas apologizes fornothaving 
called upon Philip at this time, both to salute him and excuse himself for 
not having accepted his invitation.— 69. Sic. " On this condition." — 70. 
Ut libet. A form of assenting. — 71. Post nonam. " After the ninth hour." 
Or, to adopt our own phraseology, " after three o'clock." — 72. Dicenda ta- 
cenda. " Whatever came into his head." Literally, " Things to be men- 
tioned, and things about which silence should have been kept." The 
poet evidently intends this as an allusion to the effects of Philip's good old 
wine upon his new guest. 

73-98. 73. Hie, ubi scepe occvltum, &c. " He, when he had often been 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VIII. 571 

seen to repair, like a fish to the concealed hook, in the morning a client, 
and now a constant guest, is desired, on the proclaiming of the Latin hol- 
idays, to accompany Philip to his country-seat near the city." — 75. Mane 
cliens. Compare note on verse 68. — 76. Indictis. Understand a consule. 
The Ferice Latinos, or Latin holidays, were first appointed by Tarquin for 
one day, but after the expulsion of the kings they were continued for two, 
then for three, and at last for four days. They were kept with great so- 
lemnity on the Alban Mountain. The epithet indictee marks them as 
movable, and appointed at the pleasure of the consul, a circumstance 
which places them in direct opposition to the Statce Ferice, or fixed festi- 
vals of the Romans. Philip could go into the country during these holi- 
days, as the courts were then shut. — 79. Et sibi dum requiem, &c. "And 
while he seeks recreation for himself, while he endeavors to draw amuse- 
ment from every thing." — 80. Mutua septem promittit. " Promises to lend 
him seven thousand more." — 83. Ex nitido. " From a spruce cit." — Atque 
sulcos et vincta crepat mera. " And talks of nothing but furrows and vine- 
yards." Mera is here literally, " solely," " only," being the neuter of the 
adjective used adverbially. — 84. Prceparat ulmos. "Prepares his elms," 
i. e., for the vines to grow around. — 85. Immoritur studiis, &c. " He al- 
most kills himself with eager application to his labors, and grows old be- 
fore his time through a desire of possessing more," i. e., of increasing his 
wealth. More literally, "He dies (as it were) with eager application," 
&c. — 87. Spem mentita seges. " His harvest deceived his hopes." — Eneo- 
tus. " Killed outright," i. e., not merely worn away and exhausted. — 89. 
Iratus. Angry with himself for having ever left his former peaceful and 
happy life. — 90. Scabrum. "Rough." After Menas had turned farmer, 
he ceased to be nitidus, and neglected his person. — 91. Dums nimis at- 
tentusque. "Too laborious and earnest." — 92. Pol. "Faith." — 93. Po- 
nere. Used for imponere, i. e., dare. — 96. Qui semel aspexit, &c. "Let 
him who has once perceived how much better the things he has discarded 
are than those for which he has sought, return in time," &c. — 98. Suo 
modulo ac pede. "By his own last and foot," i. e., by the measure of his 
own foot, by his own proper standard. The application of this story is 
given as follows by Keightley : People should try to return to their former 
condition when they find it better than the new one ; and they should 
measure themselves by their own rule, i. e., seek to be in that rank and 
situation of life for which nature or habit had adapted them. So Horace 
finds a retired life best suited to him ; and if Mtecenas will not consent to 
his enjoying it, he is willing to resign his Sabine farm and all his other 
gifts and favors. 



Epistle VIII. Horace gives us in this epistle a picture of himself, as 
made up of contradictions and chagrin, miserable without any apparent 
cause, and dissatisfied he could not tell why ; in fine, a complete hypo- 
chondriac. If the poet really intended this for his own portrait, it must be 
confessed to be very unlike the joyous carelessness of his life in general. 
In almost perfect health, possessed of an easy fortune, and supported by a 
good understanding, he makes himself wretched with causeless disqui- 
etudes, and an unaccountable waywardness of temper. May we not sup- 
pose that the Epicurean principles of Horace forbid any such application 
to himself, and that he merely assumes these infirmities, that he may 



572 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE VIII. 

with more politeness reproach Albinovanus, who was actually subject to 
them? Such, at least, is the opinion of Torrentius and others of the com- 
mentators. 

1-10. 1. Celso gaudere et bene rem gerere Albinovano, Sec. The order 
of construction is as follows : Musa, rogata, refer Celso Albinovano, comiti 
scribteque Neronis, gaudere et gerere rem bene. — Gaudere et bene rem ge- 
rere refer. "Bear joy and prosperity," i. e., give joy and wish success. 
In place of using the common Latin form of salutation, Salutem, Horace 
here imitates the Greek mode of expression, x a ip tlv Kai - & 7rpuTTEtv. — 
2. Comiti scribceque Neronis. Celsus Albinovanus has already been men- 
tioned as forming part of the retinue of Tiberius (Epist. i., 3, 15), who was 
at that time occupied with the affairs of Armenia. — 3. Die, multa et pul- 
chra minantem, &c. "Tell him that, though promising many fine things, 
1 live neither well nor agreeably." The distinction here made is one, 
observes Francis, of pure Epicurean morality. Recte vivere is to live ac- 
cording to the rules of virtue, and vivere suaviter to have no other guidance 
for our actions but pleasure and our passions. As regards the force of mi- 
nantem in this same passage, consult note on Sat. ii., 3, 9. — Hand quia 
grando, &c. " Not because the hail has bruised my vines, or the heat 
blasted the olive," &c, i. e., my disquiet arises not from the cares of 
wealth. It is not produced by the feelings that break the repose of the 
rich, when their vineyards have been lashed by the hail, or their olive- 
gi'ounds have suffered from the immoderate heats, &c. — 5. Momorderit. 
More literally, "Has nipped." The verb mordeo is applied by the Latin 
writers to denote the effects as well of cold as of heat. — 6. Longinqvis in 
agris. As, for example, those of Calabria or Cisalpine Gaul, where the 
wealthy had large flocks of sheep. Consult note on Epode i., 27. — 7. Mi- 
nus validus. " Less sound." The poet describes himself (if, indeed, he 
refers to his own case) as laboring under that peculiar malady which is 
now termed hypochondria, and which has its seat far more in the mind 
than in any part of the body. The picture that he draws admirably de- 
lineates the condition of one who is suffering under the morbid influence 
of hypochondriac feelings. — 8. JEgrum. Supply me. — 9. Fidis offendar 
rnedtcis. " Because I am displeased with my faithful physicians." With 
irascar, sequar, fugiam, and amem respectively, quia must be supplied 
in translating. — 10. Cur me funesto properent arcere veterno. " For being 
eager to rouse me from this fatal lethargy." Cur is here equivalent to 
ideo, quod. 

12-17. 12. Veniosus. "Driven about by every wind," i. e., inconstant, 
and changeable as the wind. Compare Epist. i., 9, 37 : " Plebs ventosa." 
— 13. Quo pacto rem gerat et se. " How he manages his official duties, 
and himself," i. e., how he is coming on in his office of secretary, and what 
he is doing with himself. — 14. Juveni. "The young prince." Alluding 
to Tiberius, who was then about twenty-two years of age. — Cohorli. 
Consult note on Epist. i., 3, 6. — 17. Ut tu fortunam, &c. "As thou, Cel- 
sus, bearest thy fortune, so will we bear ourselves unto thee," i. e., if, amid 
thy present good fortune, and the favor of thy prince, thou still continuest 
to remember and love thy former friend, so will he in turn love thee. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE IX. 573 

Epistle IX. A letter of introduction to Tibei-ius Claudius Nero, given 
T>y the poet to his friend Titius Septimius. Horace seems to have been 
very sensible of the care and nicety that were requisite on such occasions, 
especially in addressing the great, and he has left the epistle now before 
us as an undoubted proof of this. He stood high in favor with Tiberius, 
and the regard Augustas had for him gave him a further privilege. More- 
over, Septimius was one of his dearest friends, a man of birth and known 
merit; yet with what modesty, diffidence, and seeming reluctance doss 
the poet recommend him to the notice of the prince. The epistle appears 
to have been written a short time previous to the departure of Tiberius 
for the Eastern provinces. 

1-6. 1. Septimius, Claudi, nimirum intelligit unus, &c. "O Claudius, 
Septimius alone knows, forsooth, how highly thou esteemest me." The 
poet modestly seeks to excuse his own boldness in addressing an epistle 
like the present to the young Tiberius, on the ground that his friend Sep- 
timius would have that he stood high in favor with the prince, whereas 
he himself knew no such thing. — 3. Scilicet ut tibi se laudare, &c. " To 
undertake, namely, to recommend and introduce him to you." — 4. Dignum 
mente domoque, &c. " As one worthy the esteem and intimacy of Nero, 
who always selects deserving objects," i. e., one whose habits of thinking 
and acting are in unison with those of the individual addressed, and who 
is worthy of being numbered among his intimate friends, and becoming a 
member of his household. This verse does equal honor both to Tiberius 
and Septimius, since it shows the one a discerning prince, and the other 
a deserving man. We are not to consider these as words of mere com- 
pliment on the part of the poet. Tiberius, in his early days, was indeed 
the person he is here represented to be, a good judge of merit, and ready 
to reward it. — 5. Munere fungi propioris amici. "That I fill the station 
of an intimate friend." — 6. Quidpossim videt, &c. "He sees and knows 
what I can effect with thee better than I do myself," i. e., he sees and 
knows the extent of my influence with thee, &c. This explains the nimi- 
rum intelligit unus of the first line. Observe that valdius is here equiv- 
alent to melius. 

8-13. 8. Sed timui, mea ne, &c. "But I was afraid lest I might be 
thought to have pretended that my interest with thee was less than it re- 
ally is ; to be a dissembler of my own strength, inclined to benefit myself 
alone." By dissimulator opis proprice he means, in fact, concealing his 
own influence, and reserving it all for himself. — 10. Majoris culpa. The 
major culpa, here alluded to, is the unwillingness to serve a friend. — 11. 
Frontis ad urbanae descendi prccmia. " I have descended into the arena 
to contend for the rewards of town-bred assurance," i. e., I have resolved 
at last to put in for a share of those rewards which a little city assurance 
is pretty certain of obtaining. The frons urbana is sportively but truly 
applied to that open and unshrinking assurance so generally found in the 
population of cities. — 12. Jussa. " The importunities." — 13. Scribe tui 
gregis hunc. " Enroll this person among thy retinue." Grex is here taken 
in a good sense to denote a society of friends and followers. 



574 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE X. 

Epistle X. The poet loved to retire into the country, and indulge, amid 
rural scenes, in reading, and in wooing his muse. Fuscus, on the other 
hand, gave the preference to a city life, though in every thing else his 
views and feelings were in unison with those of his friend. In the pres- 
ent epistle, therefore, Horace states to his old companion the grounds of 
his choice, and paints, in masterly colors, the innocent pleasures, the sim- 
plicity, and the calm repose of a country life. 

1-10. 1. Urbis amatorem. Beautifully opposed to ruris ctmatores in 
the following line. — Fuscum solvere jubemus. " Bid Fuscus hail." Fus- 
cus Aristius, who is here addressed, was a distinguished grammarian 
and rhetorician of the day, a man of probity, but too much influenced by 
the desire of accumulating riches, the common vice of the times, and pre- 
ferring, therefore, a city life to the repose of the country. He is the 
same individual to whom the 22d ode of the first book is addressed. — 
3. Pcene gemelli. " Almost twins." Compare Sat. i., 3, 44. — 4. Et alter. 
Supply negat. — 5. Annuimus pariter vetuli notique columbi. " We nod 
assent to each other, like old and constant doves." Supply veluti or si- 
cuti, and compare the explanatory remark of Doring: "Si alter ait, alter 
quoque ait, alter alteri in omni re pari modo annuity — Noti. Alluding 
literally to long acquaintance, and to constancy of attachment resulting 
therefrom. — 6. Nidum. The comparison is still kept up, and the city to 
which Fuscus clings, and in which all his desires appear to centre, is 
beautifully styled the nest, which he is said to keep, while the poet roams 
abroad. — 7. Musco circumlita saxa. " The moss-grown rocks." — 8. Quid 
queeris ? " In a word." For a literal translation, supply ultra. This was 
a form of expression used when they wanted, in few words, to give a 
reason for, or an explanation of, any thing. — Vivo et regno. "I live and 
reign," i. e., I live as happy as a king ; I lead a life of independence and 
happiness. — 9. Rumore secundo. " With favoring acclaim." — 10. Utque 
sacerdotis fugitivus, &c. "And, like a priest's runaway slave, I reject 
the sweet wafers ; I want plain bread, which is more agreeable to me 
now than honeyed cheese-cakes." By liba are meant a kind of consecrat- 
ed cake or wafer, made of flour, honey, and oil, which were offered up, 
during the performance of sacred rites, to Bacchus [Ovid, Fast., iii., 735), 
Ceres, Pan, and other deities. They became the perquisite of the priests, 
and their number was so great that the latter gave them, as an article of 
food, to their slaves. The placenta were cheese-cakes, composed of fine 
wheat flour, cheese, honey, &c. Compare Cato, R. R., 76. — The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed by this passage is this : As the priest's slave, who 
is tired of living on the delicacies offered to his master's god, runs away 
from his service, that he may get a little common bread, so the poet would 
retreat from the false taste and the cloying pleasures of the city, to the 
simple and natural enjoyments of the country. 

12-17. 12. Vivere natures si convenienter oportet, &c. " If we ought to 
live conformably to nature, and if a spot of ground is to be sought after, in 
the first place, for a dwelling to be erected upon it," i. e., if we would lead 
an easy life, and one agreeable to nature, and if, for this end, we make it 
our first care to find out some fit place whereon to build us a house. Ob- 
serve that domo is here the old form of the dative for domui. This same 
form occurs sometimes in Cato, e. g., R. R., 134, &c. The poet begins 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EriSTLE X. 575 

here the first part of his epistle, and assigns, as the first reason for his pre- 
ferring the country to the city, that we can live there more conformably to 
the laws of nature, and with greater ease supply whatever she demands, 
or disengage ourselves from the desire of what she does not really want. 
— 14. Potior •em rurebeato. "Preferable to the blissful country." — 15. Est 
vbi plus tepeant hiemes ? " Is there a spot where the winters are milder?" 
— 16. Rabiem Canis. Consult note on Ode i., 17, 17. — Momenta Leonis. 
" The season of the Lion." Alluding to the period when the sun is in the 
sign of Leo (part of July and August), and to the heat which marks that 
portion of the year.— 17. Solem acutum. " The scorching sun." 

18-25. 18. Divellat. "Disturbs." Several MSS. have depellat, an ev- 
ident interpretation of the true reading. — 19. Deterius Libycis olet, &c. 
" Is the grass inferior in smell or beauty to the tesselated pavements of 
Numidian marble 1" By Libyci lapilli are here literally meant small 
square pieces of Numidian marble forming tesselated or mosaic pavements. 
Compare Orelli, ad loc. The idea intended to be conveyed by the ques- 
tion of the bard is strikingly beautiful. Can the splendid pavement, with 
all its varied hues, compare for a moment with the verdant turf or the en- 
amel of the fields 1 Does it send forth on the air a sweeter perfume than 
the wild flower 1 The Romans, it must be remembered, used to sprinkle 
essences on the floors of their dining-rooms, as on the stage of the theatres. 
— 20. In vicis tendit rumpere plumbum. "Strives to burst the lead in the 
streets," i. e., the leaden pipes that convey it through the streets of the 
city. Water was brought to Rome in aqueducts, and then distributed 
throughout the city, from the castella, or reservoirs of the aqueducts, by 
means of leaden or terra cotta pipes. — 21. Quam qtice per pronurn, &c. 
" Than that which runs murmuring along its sloping channel." — 22. Nempe 
inter varias, &c. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : 
They who dwell in cities endeavor, it is true, to procure for themselves, 
by means of art, the beauty and the enjoyment of rural scenes. " For ex- 
ample, a wood is reared amid columns of variegated marble, and that 
abode is praised which commands a prospect of distant fields," yet na- 
ture, though men strive to expel her by violence, will as often return, and 
will insensibly triumph over all their unreasonable disgusts. As regards 
the expression inter varias nutritur silva columnas, consult note on Ode 
iii., 10, 5. — 24. Naturam expellas furca. By natura is here meant that 
relish for the pleasures of a rural life which has been implanted by Nature 
in the breast of all, though weakened in many by the force of habit or ed- 
ucation. This natural feeling, says the poet, can never entirely be eradi- 
cated, but must eventually triumph over every obstacle. The expression 
expellas furca is metaphorical, and refers to the driving away by violence. 
It appears to be a mode of speaking derived from the manner of rustics, 
who arm and defend themselves with forks, or remove, by means of the 
same instrument, whatever opposes them. — 25. Mala fastidia. "Unrea- 
sonable disgusts." Literally, " evil disgusts," i. e., harmful. Alluding to 
those disgusts which keep away the rich and luxurious from the calm and 
simple enjoyments of a country life, and which thus prove harmful by de- 
priving them of a source of the truest happiness. 

26, 27. 26. Non, qui Sidonio, &c. Horace compares the taste of Na- 
ture to the true purple, and that of the passions to an adulterated and coun- 



576 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE X. 

terfeit purple. The man, he observes, who can not distinguish between 
what is true and what is false, will as surely injure himself, as the mer- 
chant who knows not the difference between the genuine purple and that 
which is the reverse. — Sidonio. Sidon was a famous commercial city, the 
capital of Phcenicia, about 24 miles north of Tyre, which was one of its col- 
onies. — Contendere callidus. " Skillfully to compare." People who com- 
pare pieces of stuff together, stretch them out near each other, the better 
to discern the difference. — 27. Aquinatem potuntia vellera fucum. "The 
fleeces that drink the dye of Aquiuum." According to the scholiast, a 
purple was manufactured at Aquinum in imitation of the Phoenician. 
Aquinum was a city of the Volsci, in new Latium, situate a little be- 
yond the place where the Latin Way crossed the Rivers Liris and Melfis. 
— Fucum. Consult note on Ode iii., 5, 28. 

30-38. 30. Quern res plus nimio, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this : They who bound their desires by the wants of nature (and 
such is usually the temper of a country life), are independent of Fortune's 
favors and resentments, her anger and inconstancy. — 31. Si quid mira- 
here, pones invitus. " If thou shalt admire any thing greatly, thou wilt be 
unwilling to resign it." — 32. Licet sub paupere tecto &c. " One may live 
more happily beneath an humble roof, than the powerful and the friends 
of the powerful." Reges is here equivalent to potentiores or ditiores. — 
34. Cervus equum, &c. The fable here told is imitated from Stesichorus, 
who repeated it to the inhabitants of Himera, in Sicily, when the latter 
were about to assign a body-guard to Phalaris, tyrant of Agrigentum, 
whom they had called to their aid, and made commander of their forces. 
Stesichorus, as Aristotle informs us (Rhet., ii., 39), undertook by this apo- 
logue to show the Himereans of what folly they would be guilty if they 
thus delivered themselves up into the hands of a powerful individual. 
— Communions herbis. "From their common pasture." — 35. Minor. 
"Worsted." Proving inferior. — 37. Victor violens. "An impetuous vic- 
tor." — 38. Depulit. Equivalent to depellere potuit. 

39-50. 39. Sic, qui pauperiem veritus, &c. "In like manner, he who, 
from a dread of narrow circumstances, parts with his liberty, more pre- 
cious than any metals, shall shamefully bear a master, and be forever a 
slave, because he shall not know how to be contented with a little," i. e. t 
he who, not content with a little, regards the precious boon of freedom as 
of inferior moment when compared with the acquisition of riches, shall be- 
come the slave of wealth and live in eternal bondage. — Metallis. Used 
contemptuously for divitiis. — 42. Cui non conveniet sua res, &c. "As a 
shoe at times, if it shall be larger than the foot, will trip up, if less, will 
gall, (so) will his own condition him, whom (that condition) shall not suit." 
The idea intended to be conveyed is simply this : When a man's for- 
tune does not suit his condition, it will be like a shoe, which is apt to 
cause us to trip if too large, and which pinches when too small. — 45. 
Nee me dimittes incastigatum, &c. The poet makes use of this correct- 
ive to soften the advice which he has given to his friend. He desires to 
be treated with the same frankness, whenever he shall appear enslaved 
by the same passions. — 46. Cogere. Equivalent to congerere. — 47. Impe- 
rat out servit, &c. "If the possessor of wealth be a wise man, he will 
command his riches ; if a fool, he will be commanded by them, and become 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XI. 577 

their slave. — 48. Tortum digna sequi, Sec. " Though deserving rather to 
follow, than to lead, the twisted rope," i. e., deserving rather to be held in 
subjection than itself to subject others. The metaphor here employed is 
taken from beasts that are led with a cord. — 49. Dictabam. " I dictated," 
i. e., to my amanuensis. In writing letters, the Romans used the imper- 
fect tense to denote what was going on at the time when they wrote, 
putting themselves, as it were, in the place of the person who received 
the letter, and using the tense which would be proper when it came to 
his hands. (Compare Zumpt, § 503.) — Post fanum putre Vacunce. "Be- 
hiud the mouldei'ing fane of Vacuna." Vacuna was a goddess, worship- 
ped principally by the Sabines, but also by the L atins. According to some 
authorities, she was identical with Victoria, and the Lake Cutiliae, in the 
centre of Italy, was sacred to her. Others made her the same with Diana, 
Ceres, or Minerva. This last was the opinion of Varro. The temple of 
the goddess, in the Sabine territory, not far from a grove likewise conse- 
crated to her, would seem to have been in the vicinity of tbe poet's villa. 
Bebindits mouldering remains, seated on the grassy turf, Horace dictated 
the present epistle. — 50. Excepto, quod non simul esses, &c. "In all other 
respects happy, except that thou wast not with me." There is no need 
of any ellipsis of eo after excepto ; the clause that comes after, namely, quod 
non simul esses, must be regarded as a noun of the neuter gender, and as 
the subject of the participle. [Zumpt, § 647.) 



Epistle XI. The poet instructs his friend Bullatius, who was roaming 
abroad for the purpose of dispelling the cares which disturbed his repose, 
that happiness does not depend upon climate or place, but upon the state 
of our own minds. 

1-3. 1. Quid tibi visa Chios, &c. "How does Chios appear to thee, 
Bullatius, and famed Lesbos?" — Chios. An island in the iEgean Sea, 
off the coast of Lydia, and one of the twelve states established by the 
Ioniaus after their emigration from the mother country to Asia. It is 
now Scio. — Lesbos. An island of the iEgean, north of Chios. Its mod- 
ern name is Metelino or Metelin, a corruption of Mytilene, the name of the 
ancient capital. Lesbos was colonized by the iEolians in tbe first great 
emigration. The epithet nota, which is here given it, applies not so 
much to the excellent wine produced there, as to the distinguished per- 
sons who were natives of the island, and among whom may be mention- 
ed Sappho, Alcsens, Theophrastus, &c. — 2. Concinna Samos. " Hand- 
some Samos." Samos lies southeast of Chios. It is about six hundred 
stadia in circumference, and full of mountains. This, also, was one of 
the twelve Ionian states of Asia. The epithet concinna, here bestowed 
on it, would seem to refer to the neatness and elegance of its buildings. 
— Quid Crossi regia Sardis ? Sardis was the ancient capital of the 
Lydiau kings, and stood on the River Pactolus. It was afterward the 
residence of the satrap of Lydia, and the head-quarters of the Persian 
monarchs when they visited western Asia. — 3. Smyrna. This city stood 
on the coast of Lydia, and was one of the old jEolian colonies ; but the pe- 
riod of its splendor belongs to the Macedonian era. Antigonus and Ly- 
simachus made it one of the most beautiful towns in Asia. The modem 
town, l<mur. or Smyrna, is the chief trading-place of the Levant.— Colo- 



578 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XI. 

phon. A city of Ionia, northwest of Ephesus, famed for its excellent cav- 
alry. — Fama 1 " Than fame represents them to be 1" 

4-11. 4. Cunctane pros campo, &c. "Are they all contemptible in 
comparison with the Campus Martius and the River Tiber?" Sordeo is 
here equivalent to contemnor, nihili peridor, &c. — 5. An venit in votum, 
&c. " Or does one of the cities of Attalus become the object of thy wish 1" 
Literally, " enter into thy wish," i. e., dost thou wish to dwell in one of 
the cities of Attalus 1 Among the flourishing cities ruled over in earlier 
days by Attalus, were Pergamus, the capital, Myndus, Apollonia, Tralles, 
Thyatira, &c — 6. Lebedum. Lebedus was a maritime city of Ionia, north- 
west of Colophon. It was at one time a lai-ge and flourishing city, but, 
upon the removal of the greater part of its inhabitants to Ephesus by 
Lysimachus, it sank into insignificance, and, in the time of Horace, was 
deserted and in ruins. — Gabiis. There were two cities of the name of 
Gabii in Italy, one among the Sabines and the other in Latium. The lat- 
ter was the more celebrated of the two, and is the place here referred to. 
In the time of Horace it was in a ruined and deserted state, having suf- 
fered severely during the civil wars. It was raised, however, from this 
state of rain and desolation under Antoninus and Coinmodus, and became 
a thriving town. It was situate on the Via Pranesthia, about twelve 
miles from Rome. — 8. Fidenis. Eidenas was a small town of the Sabines, 
about four or five miles from Rome, and is well known as a brave though 
unsuccessful antagonist of the latter city. It was stormed A.U.C. 329 by 
the dictator iEmilius Mamercus, and remained after this a deserted place 
until some time after the age of Horace. — 11. Sed neque, qui Capua, Sec. 
The idea intended to be conveyed, from this line to the close of the epis- 
tle, is as follows : But, whatever city or region may have pleased thee, 
my friend, return now, I entreat thee, to Rome. Eor, as he who journeys 
to the latter place from Capua does not feel inclined to pass the rest of 
his days in an inn by the way, because, when bespattered with rain and 
mire, he has been able to dry and cleanse himself there ; and as he who, 
when laboring under the chill of a fever, has obtained relief from the stove 
and the warm bath, does not therefore regard these as sufficient to com- 
plete the happiness of life ; so do thou linger no more in the places which 
at present may delight thee, nor, if a tempest shall have tossed thee on 
the deep, sell, in consequence, thy vessel, and revisit not for the time to 
come thy native country and thy friends. Rhodes and the fair Mytilene 
are to him who visits them when in sound health precisely the same as 
other things, which, though good in themselves, prove, if not used at the 
proper period, injurious rather than beneficial. Return, therefore, and, 
far removed from them, praise foreign cities and countries from Rome. 
Enjoy the good things which fortune now auspiciously offers, in order 
that, wherever thou mayest be, thou mayest be able to say that thy life 
has been passed happily. Eor if the cares of the mind are removed, not 
by pleasing scenery, but by reason and reflection, they, surely, who run 
beyond the sea, change climate only, not the mind. Yet such is human 
nature : we are borne afar, in ships and chariots, to seek for that which 
lies at our very doors. 

13-19. 13. Frigus. Consult note on Sat. i., 1, 80.— 14. Utfortunatam 
plene, &c. " As completely furnishing the means of a happy life."— 17. In- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., EPISTLE XII. 579 

colutni Rhodos et Mytilene, &c. "Rhodes and fair Mytilene are, to a man 
in good health, the same as a great coat at the summer solstice, a pair of 
drawers alone in the snowy season." As regards Mytilene, compare note 
on verse 1, " notaque Lesbos." The pcenula was a thick cloak, chiefly 
used by the Romans in travelling, in place of the toga, as a protection 
against the cold and rain. It appears to have been a long cloak without 
sleeves, and with only an opening for the head." By the campestre is prop- 
erly meant a sort of linen covering, worn around the loins by those who 
exercised naked in the Campus Martius. We have rendered the term 
" a pair of drawers" merely for the sake of making the general meaning 
more intelligible to "modern ears." — 19. Tiberis. The allusion is to bath- 
ing. — SextUi mense. Consult note on Epist. i., 7, 2. 

21-30. 21. Romce laudetur Samos, &c. "Let Samos, and Chios, and 
Rhodes, far away, be praised by thee at Rome." — 22. Fortunaverit. 
Equivalent to beaverit. The verb fortunate belongs properly to the lan- 
guage of religious formulas. Thus we have in Afranius {ap. Non., p. 109), 
" Deos ego omnis ut fortunassint ptecot." — 24. Libenter. Equivalent to 
feliciter or jucunde. — 26. Non locus, effusi late maris arbiter. "Not a place 
that commands a prospect of the wide-extended sea." — 28. Strenua nos 
exercet inertia. "A laborious idleness occupies us," i. e., we are always 
doing something, and yet, in reality, doing nothing. A pleasing oxymoron. 
The indolent often show themselves active in those very things which 
they ought to avoid. So here, all these pursuits of happiness are mere 
idleness, and turn to no account. We are at incredible pains in pursuit 
of happiness, and yet, after all, can not find it ; whereas, did we under- 
stand ourselves well, it is to be had at our very doors. — 29. Pelimus bene 
vivere. "We seek for a spot in which to live happily." — 30. Ulubris. 
Ulubrae was a small town of Latium, and appears to have stood in a plain 
at no great distance from Veliti-ae. Its marshy situation is plainly alluded 
to by Cicero {Ep. ad Fam., 7, 18), who calls the inhabitants little frogs. 
Juvenal also gives us but a wretched idea of the place. And yet even 
here, according to Horace, may happiness be found, if he who seeks for 
it possesses a calm and equal mind, one that is not the sport of ever-vary- 
ing resolves, but is contented with its lot. 



Epistle XII. The poet advises Iccius, a querulous man, and not con- 
tented with his present wealth, to cast aside all desire of possessing more, 
and remain satisfied with what he has thus far accumulated. The epistle 
concludes with recommending Pompeius G-rosphus, and with a short ac- 
count of the most important news at Rome. The individual here address- 
ed is the same with the one to whom the twenty -ninth ode of the first book 
is inscribed, and from that piece it would appear, that, in pursuit of his 
darling object, he had at one time taken up the profession of a soldier. 
Disappointed, however, in this expectation, he looked around for other 
means of accomplishing his views ; and not in vain; for Agrippa appoint- 
ed him superintendent of his estates in Sicily, a station occupied by him 
when this epistle was written. It should be further remarked, that the 
individual addressed had pretensions also to the character of a philosopher. 
In the ode just referred to, Horace describes him as a philosophical soldier, 
and here as a philosophical miser, but he becomes equally ridiculous in 
either character. 



580 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XII. 

1-4. 1. Fructibus Agrippce Siculis. "The Sicilian produce of Agrip- 
pa," i. e., the produce of Agrippa's Sicilian estates. After the defeat of 
Sextus Pompeius off the coast of Sicily, near Messana, and the subjection 
of the whole island which followed this event, Augustus, in return for so 
important a service, bestowed on Agrippa very extensive and valuable 
lands in Sicily. Iccius was agent or farmer over these. — 2. Non est ut. 
" It is not possible that." ' An imitation of the Greek idiom ovk. egtiv o>c 
or 07TWC- So that non est ut possit is equivalent in effect to the simple non 
potest. According to Horace's way of thinking, he that has enough has 
all ; any thing beyond this is useless and hurtful. — 3. Tolle querelas. "We 
may suppose Iccius, like other avaricious men, to have indulged in fre- 
quent complaints respecting the state of his affairs. — 4. Cui rerum sup- 
petit usus. "For whom the usufruct of property is sufficient," i. e., who 
is satisfied with the enjoyment of property belonging to another. Usus 
is opposed in this sense to mancipium. The property was Agrippa's, 
though his agent or factor could enjoy the product of it. — Si ventri bene, 
&c. The whole clause, from si to Puis inclusive, is equivalent in effect to 
si vales. 

7, 8. 7. Si forte. Iccius very probably lived in the way here described : 
the poet, however, in order to soften down his remark, adds the term forte, 
as if he were merely stating an imaginary case. — In medio positorum. 
"In the midst of abundance." Literally, "in the midst of the things placed 
before thee." The reference is to the rich produce of Agrippa's estates. 
— 8. Urtica. " On the nettle." Young nettles were eaten by the lower 
classes, as they still are by the modern Italians. Compare Pliny, N. H., 
xxi., 15 : "Urtica, incipiens nasci vere, non ingrato, multis eliam religioso 
in cibo est ad pellendos totius auni morbos." — Sic vives protenus, ut, &c. 
" Thou wilt continue to live so, even though," &c. Compare the explana- 
tion of Hunter: " Sic vives protenus est, sic porro vives, sic perges vivere, 
ut (etiamsi) te confestim liquidus fortunae rivus inauret, i. e., etiamsi re- 
pente dives f actus sis." The allusion in the words liquidus fortunce rivus 
inauret is thought by some commentators to be to the story of Midas and 
the River Pactolus. We should have great doubts respecting the accura- 
cy of this remark. The phrase in question would rather seem to be one 
of a mere proverbial character. 

10-13. 10. Vel quia naturam, &c. The poet here amuses himself with 
the philosophic pretensions of Iccius, and involves him in a ludicrous and 
awkward dilemma. The train of ideas is as follows : "What ? art thou a 
philosopher, and dost thou complain of not being richer ? Suppose that 
wealth were to come suddenly into thy possession, what wouldst thou gain 
from such a state of things ? evidently nothing. For thy present mode of 
life is either the result of thy natural feelings, or of thy philosophy : Is it 
of the former? Gold can not change thy nature. Is it of the latter? Thy 
philosophy teaches thee that virtue alone contributes to true happiness. 
The whole argument is keenly ironical. — 12. Miramur, si Democriti, &c. 
The train of ideas is as follows : We wonder at the mental abstraction of 
Democritus, who was so wrapped up in his philosophical studies as to neg- 
lect entirely the care of his domestic concerns, and allow the neighboring 
flock to feed upon his fields and cultivated grounds ; but how much more 
ought we to wonder at thee, Iccius, who canst attend at the same time to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XII. 581 

thy pecuniary affairs and the investigations of philosophy, and not, like 
Democritus, sacrifice the former to the latter. Ironical. — Democriti. De- 
mocritus was a native of Abdera, in Thrace, and the successor of Leucip- 
pus in the Eleatic school. He was contemporary with Socrates, Anax- 
agoras, Archelaus, Parmenides, Zeno, and Protagoras. The story here 
told of him deserves little credit, as well as the other, which states that 
he gave up his patrimony to his country. He is commonly known as the 
laughing philosopher. — Pecus. Supply alienum. — 13. Dum peregre est 
animus sine corpore velox. Horace, in this, follows the Platonic notion, 
that the soul, when employed in contemplation, was in a manner detach- 
ed from the body, that it might the more easily mount above earthly 
things, and approach nearer the objects it desired to contemplate. 

14-19. 14. Inter scabiem tantam ct contagia lucri. " Amid so great an 
itch for and contagion of gain (as now prevails)." Compare Orelli : " Sea- 
hies significat acria avaritiae irritamenta." — 15. Adhuc. "Still." Equiva- 
lent to nunc quoque. — 16. Quce mare compescant causes. " What causes 
set bounds to the sea," i. e., the causes of the tides, &c. — Quid temperet 
annum. "What regulates the changes of the year." — 17. Stellcs sponte 
sua, &c. Alluding to the planets. — 18. Quid premat obscurum lunce, &c. 
"What spreads obscurity over the moon, what brings out her orb," i. e., 
what occasions the eclipses of the moon, what the reappearance of her 
light. Premat is here equivalent to abscondat. — 19. Rerum concordia 
discors. " The discordant harmony of things." The reference here is to 
those principles of things, which, though ever in direct opposition to each 
other, yet ever agree in preserving the great scheme of the universe. In 
other words, there is in this scheme apparent discord, but real concord. 

20-24. 20. Empedocles, an Stertinium deliret acumen. " Whether Em- 
pedocles, or the acuteness of Stertinius be in the wrong." Empedocles 
was a native of Agrigentum, in Sicily, and flourished about 444 B.C. He 
supposed the world to consist of four elements, by whose attraction and 
repulsion all things were formed. The Stoics, on the other hand, viewed 
a divinity as the cause of all. Stertinius, the ridiculous " sapientum octa- 
vus" (Sat. ii., 3, 293), is humorously made the representative of the latter 
sect. — 21. Verum seu pisces, &c. An ironical allusion to the doctrines of 
Pythagoras respecting the metempsychosis, according to which the souls 
of men passed not only into animals, but also into plants, &c. Hence to 
feed on these becomes actual murder. Empedocles agreed with Pythag- 
oras in a belief in the transmigration of souls. Horace, therefore, jokes 
here, as if Iccius, like Empedocles, was a Pythagorean, and held all organ- 
ized bodies to be animated. — 22. Utere Pompeio Grospho. " Give a kind 
reception to my friend Pompeius Grosphus." Utere is equivalent here to 
utere ut amico. The individual here meant is the same to whom the poet 
addresses the sixteenth ode of the second book, according to the opinion 
of some commentators. (Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode ii., 7.) — 
Ultro defer. "Readily grant it." — 24. Vilis amicorum est annona, &c. 
"The price of friends is low when good men want any thing," i.e., friends 
are to be had cheap when good men like Grosphus want any thing, be- 
cause they are so moderate in their demands. 

25-27. 25. Romana res. " The Roman affairs." The poet here pro. 



582 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., EPISTLE XIII. 

ceeds to communicate four pieces of intelligence to Ieciua : 1st. The re* 
duction of the Cantabri by Agrippa. 2d. The pacification of Armenia by 
Tiberias. 3d. The acknowledgment of the Roman power by the Parthians. 
4th. The abundant harvests of the year. This was A.U.C. 734, B.C. 20.— 
26. Cantaber Agrippa. Consult note on Ode iii., 8, 22. — Claudi virtute 
Neronis Armenius occidit. Horace, it will be perceived, does not here 
follow that account which makes Artaxias, the Armenian king, to have 
fallen by the treachery of his relations, bat enumerates his death among 
the exploits of Tiberias. This, of eourse, is done to flatter the young 
prince, and is in accordance with the popular belief of the day.— 27. Jus 
imperiumque Phrahates Cabsaris accepit, &c. "Phrahates, on bended 
knee, has acknowledged the supremacy of Caesar." Genibus minor means 
literally, " lower than the knees of," i. e., at the knees of Caesar. This, 
after all, however, is only a poetical mode of expression for " submissive- 
ly," since Phrahates never met Augustus in person. Jus imperiumque, 
as here employed, includes the idea of both civil and military power, i. e., 
full and unlimited authority. The allusion is to the event already men- 
tioned in the note on Ode i., 26, 3, when Phrahates, through dread of the 
Roman power, surrendered the Roman standards and captives. 



Epistle Xlff. The poet, having intrusted Vinius with several rolls of 
his writings (volumina) that were to be delivered to Augustus, amuses 
himself with giving him directions about the mode of carrying them, and 
the form to be observed in presenting them to the emperor. 

1-7. 1. Ut prqficiscentem docvi, &c. "Vinius, thou wilt deliver these 
sealed rolls to Augustus in the way that I repeatedly and long taught 
thee when setting oat," i. e., in handing these rolls to the emperor, remem- 
ber the many and long instructions which I gave thee at thy departure.— 
2. Signata volumina. Horace is supposed by the commentators to have 
Bent on this occasion not only the epistle to Augustus (the first of the sec- 
ond book), but also the last odes and epistles he had written. He calls 
these pieces volumina, because they were separately rolled up (the usual 
form of books in those days), and they are sealed, in order that they might 
not be exposed to the prying curiosity of the courtiers. — Vini. Vinius is 
thought to have been one of our poet's neighbors, and a man evidently of 
low birth. The family, however, rose into importance under the succeed- 
ing emperors, and we find Titus Vinius filling the consulship under Galba. 
— 3. Si validus, si Icetus erit, &c. " If he shall be in health, if in spirits, if, 
in fine, he shall ask for them." Validus stands opposed to male validus. 
With poscet we may supply tradi sibi volumina. — 4. Ne studio nostri 
pecces, &c. " Lest, through eagerness to serve me, thou give offence, and 
industriously bring odium on my productions as an over-officious agent." 
Join in construction opera vehemente, as the ablative of quality, with min- 
ister. Literally, "as an agent of vehement endeavor." — 6. Uret. Equiv- 
alent to premet or vexabit. — 7. Quam quo perferre juberis, &c. "Than 
roughly throw down thy pannier where thoa art directed to carry it, and 
turn into ridicule thy paternal cognomen of Asella," i.e., thy family name 
of Asella. Horace puns upon the name of his neighbor, and tells him that 
he should beware of blundering in the presence of the courtiers, who 
would most certainly rally him, in such an event, upon his surname of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XIV. 583 

Asella (i. e., a little ass). The poet prepares us for this witticism, such as 
it is, by the use of clitellas in the commencement of the line, under which 
term the roils above mentioned are figuratively referred to. 

10-15. 10. Lamas. "Fens." Compare the Vet. Gloss. „• " Lamce. tttj- 
?.u6eig tottoi." — 11. Victor propositi simul ac, Sec. "As soon as thou 
shalt have arrived there, after having conquered all the difficulties of the 
way." The poet, both in this and the preceding line, keeps up the pun- 
ning allusion in the name Asella. — 12. Sub ala. "Under thy arm." — 
14. Ut vinosa glomus, Sec. "As the tippling Pyrrhia the clew of pilfered 
yarn." The allusion is to a comedy written by Titinius, in which a slave, 
named Pyrrhia, who was addicted to drinking, stole a clew or ball of yam, 
and, in consequence of her drunkenness, carried it in such a way as to be 
easily detected. As Vinius had, without doubt, been several times pres- 
ent at the representation of this piece, Horace reminds him of that image 
which we may suppose had produced the strongest impression upon him. 
As regards the term glomus (which we have adopted after Bentley, in- 
stead of the common glomos), it may be remarked, that the neuter form is 
decidedly preferable to the masculine, and that the meaning, also, is im- 
proved by its being here employed. — 15. Ut cum pileolo soleas conviva 
tribulis. "As a tribe-guest his slippers and cap." By conviva tribulis 
is meant one of the poorer members of a tribe, and in particular a native 
of the country, invited to an entertainment given by some richer individ- 
ual of the same tribe ; a custom occasionally pursued by the wealthy Ro- 
mans in order to keep up their influence. The guest, in the true country 
fashion, having no slave to follow him and carry these articles, proceeds 
barefoot to the abode of his entertainer, with his slippers and cap under 
his arm. The former are to be put on when he reaches the entrance, that 
he may appear with them in a clean state before the master of the house. 
The cap was to be worn when they returned; for, as they sometimes 
went, on such occasions, to sup at a considerable distance from home, and 
returned late, the cap was necessary to defend them from the injuries of 
the air. 

16-19. 16. Neu vulgo narres, Sec. " And don't tell every body," &c. — 
18. Oratus multa prece, nitere porro. "Though entreated with many a 
prayer, push onward," i. e., though those whom you meet may be very 
urgent to know what you are carrying, give no heed to them, but push on. 
— 19. Cave, ne titubes, Sec. "Take care lest thou stumble and mar my di- 
rections." Literally, "break" them. Observe that cave has the final syl- 
lable short, as in Sat. ii., 3, 38. 



Epistle XTV. The poet, in this epistle, gives us the picture of an un- 
steady mind. His farm was commonly managed by a master-servant, 
who was a kind of overseer or steward, and, as such, had the whole care 
of it intrusted to him in his master's absence. The office was at this time 
filled by one who had formerly been in the lowest station of his slaves at 
Rome, and, weary of that bondage, had earnestly desired to be sent to 
employment in the country. Now, however, that he had obtained his 
wish, he was disgusted with a life so laborious and solitary, and wanted 
to be restored to his former condition. The poet, in the mean time, who 



584 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XIV. 

was detained at Rome by his concern for a friend who mourned the loss 
of his brother, and had no less impatience to get into the country than his 
steward to be in town, writes him this epistle to correct his inconstancy, 
and to make him ashamed of complaining that he was unhappy in a place 
which afforded so much delight to his master, who thought he never had 
any real enjoyment as long as he was absent from it. 

1-9. 1. Villice silvarum, &c. " Steward of my woods, and of the little 
farm that always restores me to myself." The villicus was usually of 
servile condition. — 2. Hahitatum quinque foeis, Sec. "Though occupied 
by five hearths, and accustomed to send five honest heads of families to 
Varia." By focis are meant, in fact, dwellings or families. The poet 
merely wishes by the expression quinque bonos solitum, &c, to add still 
more precision to the phrase hahitatum quinque focis in the second verse. 
His farm contained on it five families, and the fathers or heads of these 
families were the poet's tenants, and were accustomed, as often as their 
private affairs or a wish to dispose of their commodities called them thith- 
er, to go to the neighboring town of Varia. In this way he strives to re- 
mind the individual whom he addresses that the farm in question, though 
small in itself, was yet, as far as regarded the living happily upon it, suf- 
ficiently extensive. Varia, now Vicovaro, was situate in the Sabine ter- 
ritory, eight miles from Tibur, on the Via Valeria. — 4. Spinas. The 
thorns of the mind are its vitia or defects. — 5. Et melior sit Horatius an 
res. "And whether Horace or his farm be in the better condition/'^— 6. 
Lamice pietas et cura. " The affection and grief of Lamia," i. e., bis affec- 
tionate grief. The allusion is to the grief of Lamia, not of Horace. By 
Lamia is meant L. iElius Lamia, to whom Horace addressed Odes i., 26, 
and iii., 17. — Me moratur. "Detain me here," i. e., at Rome. — 7. Rapto. 
" Snatched away by death." Supply a morte. — 8. Mens animusque. 
Equivalent to totus mens animus. "When the Latin writers use mens 
animusque, they would express all the faculties of the soul. Mens regards 
the superior and intelligent part; animus, the se'nsible and inferior, the 
source of the passions. — 9. Et amat spatiis obstantia rumpere claustra. 
" And long to break through the barriers that oppose my way." A figur- 
ative allusion to the carceres, or barriers in the circus (here called claus- 
tra), where the chariots were restrained until the signal given for start- 
ing, as well as to the spatia, or course itself. The plural form spatia is 
more frequently employed than the singular, in order to denote that it was 
run over several times in one race. 

10-19. 10. Viventem. " Him who lives. "—In urbe. Supply viventem. 
— 11. Sua nimirum est odio sors. "His own lot evidently is an unpleas- 
ing one." The idea intended to be expressed by the whole line is this : 
'Tis a sure sign, when we envy another's lot, that we are discontented 
with our own. — 12. Locum immeritum.. "The unoffending place." Lit- 
erally, " the undeserving place," i. e., innocent. Referring to the place in 
which each one is either stationed at the time, or else passes his days. — 
13. Qui se non effugit unquam. Compare Ode ii., 16, 20 : " Patrice quis 
exsul se quoque fug-it?" — 14. Mediastinus. "While a mere drudge, at 
every one's beck." Mediastinus denotes a slave of the lowest rank, one 
who was attached to no particular department of the household, but was 
accustomed to perform the lowest offices, and to execute not only any 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XV. 585 

commands which the master might impose, but even those which the other 
slaves belonging to particular stations might see fit to give. Hence the 
derivation of the name from medius, as indicating one who stands in the 
midst, exposed to the orders of all, or, in other words, a slave of all work. 
15. Villicus. Supply f actus. — 16. Me constare mihi scis. It is very ap- 
parent from the satires, and one in particular (ii., 7, 28), that Horace was 
not always entitled to the praise which he here bestows upon himself for 
consistency of character. As he advanced in years, the resolutions of the 
poet became more fixed and settled. — 19. Tesqua. " Wilds." A Sabine 
term, according to the scholiast. 

22-34. 22. Quid nostrum concentum dividat. "What prevents our 
agreeing on these points." Literally, " what divides our agreement," i. e., 
keeps it apart or separate. — 23. Tenues togce. " Fine garments." Tenues 
is here equivalent to delicatiores, or minime crassce. — Nitidique capilli. 
" And locks shining with unguents." — 24. Bibulum. " A quaffer." Com- 
pare Epist. i., 18, 91 : " Potores bibuli media de node Falerni." — 26. Nee 
lusisse pudet, &c. " Nor is it a shame to have sported (in this way), but (it 
is a shame) not to cut short such folly," i. e., by bringing maturer judgment 
to one's aid. With lusisse supply illo modo. — 27. Non istic obliquo oculo, 
&c. " There no one with envious eye takes aught away from my enjoy- 
ments." — Limat. Literally, "files away," i. e., diminishes. It was a 
common superstition among the ancients, that an envious eye diminished 
and tainted what it looked upon. A belief in the supposed effect of the 
evil eye is still prevalent in modem times. — 28. Venenat. " Seeks to poi- 
son them." — 29. Moventem. Supply me. — 30. Cum servis urbana diaria, 
Sec. " Wouldst thou rather gnaw with my other slaves thy daily allow- 
ance V Diaria was the allowance granted to slaves by the day. This 
was less in town than in the country, for their allowance was always pro- 
portioned to their labor. Hence the term rodere is employed in the text, 
not only to mark the small quantity, but also the bad kind of food that was 
given to slaves in the city. — 31. Invidet usum lignorum, &c. "The cun- 
ning city slave, on the other hand, envies thee the use of the fuel, the 
flocks, and the garden." The term calo is here taken in a general sense. 
33. Optat ephippia bos, Sec. "The ox wishes for the horse's trappings, 
the lazy horse wishes to plough." The ephippia were, properly speak- 
ing, a kind of covering (vestis stragula), with which the horse was said to 
be constratus. We have followed Bentley and Orelli in placing a stop 
after bos, and assigning piger as an epithet to caballus. The caesural 
pause alone makes the propriety of this arrangement sufficiently appar- 
ent. — 34. Quam scit uterque, libens, Sec. "My opinion will be, that each 
of you ply contentedly that business which he best understands." — Uter- 
que. Referring to the villicus and the calo. 



Epistle XV. Augustus having recovered from a dangerous illness by 
the use of the cold bath, which his physician Antonius Musa had prescrib- 
ed, this new remedy came into great vogue, and the warm baths, which 
had hitherto been principally resorted to, began to lose their credit. An- 
tonius Musa, who was strongly attached to the system of treatment that 
had saved the life of his imperial patient, advised Horace, among others, 
to make trial of it. The poet therefore writes to his friend Numonius 
B b 2 



586 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XV. 

Vala, who had been using for some time the baths of Velia and Salernum, 
in order to obtain information respecting the climate of these places, the 
manners of the inhabitants, &c. 

1-3. 1. Quae sit hiems Velice, &c. In the natural order of construction 
we ought to begin with the 25th verse, " Scribere te nobis,''' &c. The con- 
fusion produced by the double parenthesis is far from imparting any beau- 
ty to the epistle.— Velice. Velia, called also Elea and Hyele, was a city 
of Lucania, situate about three miles from the left bank of the River Heles 
or Elees, which is said to have given name to the place. — Salerni. Sa- 
lernum was a city of Campania, on the Sinus Passtanus. It is said to have 
been built by the Romans as a check upon the Picentini. It was not, 
therefore, situated, like the modern town of Salerno, close to the sea, but 
on the height above, where considerable remains have been observed. — 
2. Quorum hominum regio, &c. "With what kind of inhabitants the coun- 
try is peopled, and of what nature is the road to them." — Nam mihiBaias, 
&c. Understand censet. "For Antonius Musa thinks that Baisa is of no 
service to me," i. e., I ask these questions, because Antonius Musa thinks 
that I can derive no benefit from the warm baths at Baiee. — 3. Musa An- 
tonius. As regards the celebrated cure performed by this physician on 
Augustus, which proved the foundation of his fame, compare the account 
of the scholiast. He recommended the cold bath to Horace, also, for the 
weakness in his eyes. — Et tamen Mis mefacit invisum, &c. "And yet 
makes me odious to that place, when I am going to be bathed in cold wa- 
ter, in the depth of winter," i. e., and yet makes the people of that place 
highly incensed against me, when they see me about to use the cold bath 
of another place in mid-winter, instead of their own warm baths. Ob- 
serve here the force of tamen, " and yet makes me odious" to them, in- 
stead of himself, the real cause of my deserting them. Perluor, as here 
employed, does not suppose that the poet had already used the cold bath, 
but that he was on the point of doing so. It is equivalent, therefore, to 
cum in eo sum ut perluar. The supposed anger of the people of Baise 
arises from seeing their warm baths slighted, and their prospects of gain 
threatened with diminution. 

5-9. 5. Myrteta. Referring to the myrtle groves of Baiae, in which the 
baths were situate. — 6. Cessantem morbum. This morbus cessans ("lin- 
gering disease") is caused, observes Sanadon, by a phlegmatic humor, 
which, obstructing the nerves, produces a languid heaviness, and some- 
times deprives the part affected of all sensation and action, as in palsies 
and apoplexies. — Elidere. "To drive away." Literally, "to dash out." 
The term strikingly depicts the rapidity of the cure. — 7. Sulfura. "Their 
sulphur baths." The allusion is to the vapor baths of Baise. — Invidus 
cegris. " Bearing no good will to those invalids." — 8. Qui caput et stom- 
achum, &c. The allusion here would seem to be to a species of shower 
baths. — 9. Clusinis. Clusium was a city of Etruria, nearly on a line with 
Perusia, and to the west of it. It is now Chiusi. — Gabiosque. Consult 
note on Epist., i., 11, 7. — Frigida. Cold because mountainous. 

10-25. 10. Mutandus locus est, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed 
is this : I must obey my physician, I must change my baths, and go no 
more to Baise. The poet now humorously supposes himself on the point 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XV. 587 

of setting out. If, perchance, observes he, my horse shall refuse to turn, 
away from the road leading to Cuniae or to Baiae, and to leave his usual 
stages, I, his rider, will chide him for his obstinacy, angrily pulling in the 
left-hand rein ; but horses hear not words, their ear is in the bit. — Dever- 
soria nota prceteragendus. An anastrophe for agendus prater deversoria 
nota. — 11. Quo tendis ? Addressed by the rider to his horse. — Cumas. 
Cumae was an ancient city of Campania, placed on a rocky hill washed 
by the sea, and situate some distance below the mouth of the Vulturnus. 
— 12. LcEva stomackosus habena. At the entrance into Campania the 
road divides: the right leads to Cuniae and Baiae, the left to Capua, Sa- 
lernum, and Velia. The horse is going to his usual stage at Baiae, but 
Horace turns him to the left, to the Lucanian road. — 13. Eques. Refer- 
ring to himself. — 14. Major utrum populum, &c. To be referred back to 
the second line of the epistle, so as to stand in connection with it, as a 
continuation of the poet's inquiries. — 16. Jugis aquce. Our poet was 
obliged to drink more water than wine for fear of inflaming his eyes, and 
he was therefore more curious about it. — Nam vina nihil moror illius ores. 
" For I stop not to inquire about the wines of that region," i- e., I need not 
make inquiries about the wines of that part of the country; I know them 
to be of inferior quality, and therefore do not intep^ to use them. — 17. 
Quidvis. A general reference to plain and homely fare, but particularly 
to wine. On my Sabine farm I can put up with any kind of food or drink, 
because there the mountain air and freqnent walks abroad facilitate di- 
gestion ; but, when I come down to the sea-coast in the winter season, 
suffering from cold, I want generous and mellow wine. — 18. Mare. Al- 
luding to the lower or Tuscan Sea.— Generosum et lene requiro. " I want 
generous and mellow wine."— 21. Tractus uter. "Which tract of coun- 
try." Alluding to the respective territories of Velia and Salernum.— 22. 
Echinos. Consult note on Epode v., 27.-23. Phaazque. "And a true 
Phaeacian," i. e„ as sleek as one of the subjects of Alcinous. Consult nota 
on Epist. i., 2, 23. — 24. Scribere te nobis, &c. Compare note on verse 1. 

25-31. 25. M<znius. This individual has already made his appearance 
before us in Sat. i., 1, 101, and i., 3, 2. Our poet assures us that he knew 
how to reconcile himself equally to a frugal or a sumptuous table ; and, to 
justify his conduct, he cites, with a bitter spirit of satire, the example of 
Mamius, with whose character he finishes the epistle. — Rebus maternis 
atque paternis. " His maternal and paternal estates," i. e., the whole of 
his patrimony. — 26. Urbanus. "A merry fellow." — 27. Scurra vagtts, 
non qui certum, &c. " A wandei-ing buffoon, who had no fixed eating- 
place ; who, when in want of a dinner, could not tell a citizen from a 
stranger," i. e., would fasten on them alike. Hostis is here employed in 
its primitive meaning of a stranger or foreigner. (Compare Cicero, de Off., 
i., 12.) As regards the expression scurra vagus, it may be remarked, 
that there were two kinds of buffoons : some who kept entirely to one 
master, and others who changed about from one to another, according as 
they met with the best entertainment. — Prcesepe. A happy term, mark- 
ing out Maenius as a species of gluttonous animal, and serving to introduce 
the rest of the description. — 29. Qucelibet in quemvis opprobria Jingere 
savus. " Merciless in inventing any calumnies against all without dis- 
tinction." The comparison is here indirectly made with an animal raging 
through want of food. So Maenius would quarrel with any one that would 



588 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVI. 

not feed him. — 30. Pernicies et tempestas baratlirumque macelli. " The 
very destruction, and hurricane, and gulf of the market." Horace calls 
Maenius the ruin and destruction of the market, because he would con- 
sume, if let alone, all that was in it. So Parmeno, in Terence [Eunuch., 
i., 1, 34), styles Thais "Fundi nostri calamitas," i. e.. the stoi-m that rav- 
ages our farm. — 31. Baratlirum. Consult note on Sat. ii., 3, 166. — Quic- 
quid qucesierat. "Whatever he had been able to obtain." 

32-38. 32. Nequitice fautoribus et timidis. "Prom the favorers of his 
scurrility, and from those who dreaded it." Two sources of support for 
the scurra are here alluded to, and two classes of persons are meant, 
namely, those who directly favored and encouraged his abuse of others, 
and those who, through the dread of suffering from it, purchased an escape 
by entertainments, &c. — 33. Patinas casnabat omasi, &c. " Would devour 
for supper whole dishes of tripe and wretched lamb." With agnince sup- 
ply carnis. Lamb was little esteemed. — 35. Nimirum hie ego sum, &c. 
"Just such a one am I; for, when I have nothing better, I commend my 
quiet and frugal repast; resolute enough amid humble fare." The poet 
now refers to himself. Quum res deficiunt may be more literally render- 
ed, "when better nitons fail." Hie is by an elegant usage equivalent to 
talis— -37. Verum, ubi quid melius contingit et unctius. "When, how- 
ever, any thing better and more delicate offers," or, more literally, "falls 
to my lot." — 38. Quorum conspidtur nitidis, Sec. "Whose money is 
seen well and safely laid out, in villas conspicuous for their elegance and 
beauty." Fundata is here equivalent to bene et tuto collocata ; and niti- 
dis to pulchritudine et nitore conspicuis. 



Epistle XVI. Gluinctius Hirpinus is thought to have written to Horace, 
reproaching him with his long stay in the country, and desiring a descrip- 
tion of that little retirement where the poet professed to find so much hap- 
piness, and which he was so unwilling to exchange for the society of the 
capital. Horace yields to his request, and, after a short account of his re- 
treat, and the manner in which he enjoyed himself there, falls into a di- 
gression concerning virtue ; where, after rejecting several false accounts 
and definitions, he endeavors to teach its true nature and properties. As 
this discussion is of a serious character, the poet seeks to enliven it by 
adopting the dialogue form. 

1-8. 1. Quincti. The individual here addressed is generally supposed 
to be the same with the one to whom the eleventh ode of the second book 
is inscribed. Bothe, however, maintains, that the person meant is T. 
Cluinctius Crispinus, who was consul A.U.C. 745, and one of those driven 
into exile in the affair of Julia, the daughter of Augustus. — 2. Arvo. "By 
tillage," i. e., by its harvests. — 3. An amicta vitibus vlmo. "Or with 
what the vine-clad elm bestows," i. e., with wine. Literally, "or with 
the vine-clad elm." An elegant allusion to the Roman practice of train- 
ing the vine along the trunk and branches of the elm. — 4. Loquaciter. 
41 In loquacious strain," i. e., at large. The description, after all, is only 
ten lines ; but the poet perhaps felt that some indirect apology was re- 
quired for again turning to his favorite theme, although he intended to be 
brief in what he said. — Continui monies, &c. " A continued range of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVI. 589 

mountains, except where they are parted by a shady vale," i. e., imag- 
ine to thyself a continued chain of mountains, divided only by a shady 
vale. For the grammatical construction, we may supply hie sunt with 
monies, though the translation is far neater if no verb be expressed. The 
poet is pointing, as it were, to the surrounding scenery, and his friend is 
supposed to be stationed by his side. — Sed ut veniens dextrum lotus, &c. 
" So situated, however, that the approaching sun views its right side, and 
warms its left when departing in his rapid car." Orelli makes vaporet 
signify here, " covers with an exhalation," and refers in explanation to 
the usual appearance of an Italian evening, "ut fit vesperi sub ccelo Itali- 
co." — 8. Temperiem. "The temperature." Supply aeris. — Quid? Sup- 
ply diceres. — Si rubicunda benigni coma, &c. "If the very briers pro- 
duce in abundance the ruddy cornels and sloes." This is said jocosely, 
since neither of them was in any repute. 

10-17. 10. Multa fruge. "With plenty of acorns." Fruge is here 
equivalent to glande. — Pecus. Equivalent here to sues. — 11. Dicas ad- 
ductum propius frondere Tarentum. " Thou mightest say that Tarentum 
blooms here, brought nearer to Rome," i. e., that the delicious shades of 
Tarentum have changed their situation and drawn nearer to Rome. — 
12. Fons etiam. rivo dare nomen idoneus. " A fountain, too, fit to give 
name to a stream," i. e., large enough to form and give name to a stream. 
The stream here meant is the Digentia, now Licenza, and the fountain 
formed its source. Compare the note on Ode iii., 4, 16. — Idoneus dare. 
A Graecism for idoneus qui det. — 14. TJtilis. In the sense of salubris. — 
15. Latebrce. "Retreats." — Amance. "Delicious." — 16. Incolumem tibi 
me praestant. "Preserve me in health and safety for thee amid Septem- 
ber hours," i. e., during the sickly season of September. — 17. Tu recte 
vivis, si curas esse quod audis. "Thou leadest a happy life, if it is thy 
care to be what thou art reputed." Audis is here equivalent to diceris 
esse, like kTivelc and aKOveic in Greek. Horace, observes Francis, is here 
very careless of the connection. After having described his farm, he 
would insinuate to duinctius that the tranquil and innocent pleasures he 
found there were infinitely preferable to the dangerous and tumultuous 
pursuits of ambition. He would inform him that happiness, founded upon 
the opinion of others, is weak and uncertain; that the praises which we 
receive from a mistaken applause are really paid to virtue, not to us ; and 
that, while we are outwardly honored, esteemed, and applauded, we are 
inwardly contemptible and miserable. Such was probably the then situa- 
tion of Q,uinctius, who disguised, under a seeming severity of manners, 
the most irregular indulgences of ambition and sensuality. Some years 
afterward he broke through all restraint, and his incontinence plunged 
him into the last distresses. 

18-24. 18. Omnis Roma. Equivalent to nos omnes Romani. — 19. Sed 
vereor, ne cui de te plus, &c. "But I am under great apprehensions lest 
thou mayest give more credit concerning thyself to any other than thyself, 
or lest thou mayest imagine that one may be happy who is other than 
wise and good," i. e., I am afraid lest, in a thing that so intimately con- 
cerns thee as thy own happiness, thou mayest trust more to the testimony 
of others than to the suggestions of thine own mind, and mayest fancy 
that happiness can subsist without wisdom and virtue. As regards the 



590 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVI. 

construction of the sentence, it may be remarked, that the ablatives sa- 
piente and bono follow alium, because this last implies a comparison. — 
21. Neu, si ie populus, &c. The continuation of ideas is as follows : I am 
afraid, also, lest, though all pronounce thee well and in perfect health, 
thou mayest in reality be the prey of disease, and resemble him who con- 
ceals the lurking fever, at the hour for eating, lest food be denied hirn, un- 
til his malady too plainly shows itself by the trembling of his hands while 
busied with the contents of the dish. The degree of intimacy that sub- 
sisted between Horace and duinetius may easily be inferred from the 
present passage and the lines which immediately precede it ; for who but 
a very intimate friend would hold such language to another? — 23. Mani- 
bus unctis. Greasy, because the Romans did not use knives and forks in 
eating, but employed their fingers. His tremor, of course, would make his 
hands more greasy than usual. {Keightley, ad loc.) — 24. Pudor malus. 
"The false shame." Compare Celsus, iii., 2: "Neque dubium est, quia 
vix quisquam, qui non dissimulavit, sed per abstinentiam mature morbo 
occurrit, cegrotet." 

25-30. 25. Tibi pugnata. " Fought by thee."— 26. Dicat. " Should 
talk of," i. e., should talk in thy presence of them. We must not join tibi, 
in construction, with dicat, but with pugnata, making it equivalent to a 
te. — Vacua-s. "Open to his strains."* — 27. Tetie magis salvum populus 
velit, &c. The careless manner of introducing the praises and name of 
Augustus is not the least beautiful part of this passage. That his glories 
are inseparable from those of the state, and that his happiness consists hi 
loving and being beloved by his people, are the highest praises which can 
possibly be given to a great and good prince. — 28. Servet in ambiguo. 
The wish expressed in the text is this, that Jupiter may keep it in doubt 
whether the people be more solicitous for the welfare of the prince, or the 
prince for that of the people, so that it may not appear that the one is sur- 
passed by the other in feelings of attachment. — 30. Qiium paleris sapiens 
emeudalusqne vocari, &c. " When thou sufferest thyself to be styled a 
wise and virtuous man, tell me, I entreat, dost thou answer to these ap- 
pellations in thy own name ?'' i. e., dost thou answer to this character as 
thy own? The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : No private 
man, that has the least glimpse of reason, can take for his own the praises 
that belong only to a great prince, famed for his victories and success. 
And yet wherein is it less ridiculous to imagine ourselves wise and vir- 
tuous, without any real perception of these qualities within ourselves, only 
because the people ignorantly ascribe them to us ? 

31-44. 31. Nempe vir bonus et prudens, &c. " To be sure ; I love to be 
called a good and wise man as well as thou." The poet here supposes 
his friend duinetius to reply to his question. Every one would willingly 
pass for a good and wise man, but the folly of it is placed in a strong light 
by bringing in the word dici. — 33. Qui dedit hoc hodie, eras, si volet, au- 
feret, &c. This is the answer which Horace makes to Gluinctius. Were 
the populace steady in their approbation, there would be less reason to 
lind fault with those who are at so much pains to acquire it ; because it 
would procure them the same advantages, at least with regard to the pop- 
ulace, as real virtue ; but as there is nothing more changeable, it is mere 
madness to build our hopes on a foundation so chimerical and uncertain. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVI. 591 

—35. Pone. "Put it down," i. e., lay aside this appellation of a good and 
wise man. — 36. Idem si clamet furem, &c. The construction is si idem 
clamet me esse furem, &c. — 39. Falsus honor. "Undeserved honor." — 
Mendax infamia. "Lying calumny." — 40. Mcndosxim et medicandjum. 
" The vicious man, and him that stands in need of a cure." — 41. Servat. 
" Observes." We are here supposed to have Gluinctius's definition of a 
vir bonus, which is the same, in fact, with the definition given by the 
crowd. — 42. Secantur. "Are decided." Compare Sat. i., 10, 15. — 43. Quo 
res sponsore, et quo causes, teste tenentur. " By whose surety property is 
retained, and by whose testimony causes are won." — 44. Sed videt hunc 
omnis domus, &c. " Yet all his family and neighbors see this man to be 
polluted within, though imposing to the view with a fair exterior." Van- 
ity, observes Sanadon, point of honor, sense of decency, or some other mo- 
tive of interest, disguise mankind when they appear abroad ; but at home 
they throw off the mask, and show their natural face. A magistrate ap- 
pears in public with dignity, circumspection, and integrity. A courtier 
puts on an air of gayety, politeness, and complaisance. But let them en- 
ter into themselves and all is changed. A man may be a very bad man 
with all the good qualities given him by our poet's definition, as that slave 
may be a bad one who is neither a thief, murderer, nor fugitive. 

48-61. 48. Non pasces in cruce corvos. The capital punishment of 
slaves was crucifixion. The connection in the train of ideas, which has 
already been hinted at, is as follows : The man who aims only at obeying 
the laws, is no more than exempt from the penalties annexed to them ; as 
a slave, who is no fugitive nor thief, escapes punishment. But neither 
the one nor the other can on that account claim the character of virtue, be- 
cause they may act only from a vicious motive, and, notwithstanding their 
strict adherence to the law, be still ready to break it when they can do 
so with impunity. — 49. Remiit uegitatque Sabellus. Horace here styles 
himself Sabellus, i. e., "the Sabine farmer," in imitation of the plain and 
simple mode of speaking prevalent among the inhabitants of the country. 
— 50. Foveam. "The pitfall." A usual mode of taking wolves. — 51. Mi- 
luus. The poet alludes to a species of fish, living on prey, and some- 
times, for the sake of obtaining food, darting up from the water like the 
flying-fish when pursued by its foe. Keightley, less correctly, makes it 
the kite, remarking that this bird is often caught in this way, or by a snap- 
trap baited with a piece of meat. — 56. Damnum est, non f acinus, mihi 
pacto lenius isto. "My loss, it is true, is in this way less, but not thy vil- 
lainy." The poet here touches, as it would appeal*, upon the doctrine of 
the Stoics respecting the essential nature of crime. He puts the Stoic 
paradox, omnia peccata esse cequalia, in its true light; for all peccata are 
aqualia inasmuch as they are such, but all are not equally injurious, and 
so should not be punished alike. {Keightley, ad loc.) — 57. Vir bonus, 
omne forum, &c. Horace here introduces another vice, common to those 
who falsely affect a character of virtue ; they want also to deceive the 
world by putting on an exterior of devotion. They go to the temple, offer 
sacrifices, and pray so as to be heard by all. When they have prayed to 
gain the good opinion of the public, they mutter their secret wishes for 
the success of their villainies and hypocrisy. It is not the poet's design to 
censure either public or private prayer, but the abuse of it, and the vir 
bonus here introduced to our notice is, like the one that has preceded him, 



592 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVI. 

merely entitled to this appellation in the opinion of the vulgar, who are 
governed entirely by external circumstances. — 59. Jane pater. To Janus 
not only the opening of the year was consecrated, but also that of the day, 
and he was, of course, invoked to aid the various undertakings in which 
men engaged.— 60. Pulchra Laverna. Laverna, in the strange mythology 
of the Romans, was the goddess of fraudulent men and of thieves. — 61. 
Dajusto sanctoque videri. A Graecism. 

63-72. 63. Qui melior servo, &c. In this latter part of his epistle the 
poet shows that there is no servitude equal to that which our passions 
impose upon us. Men of a covetous temper, for example, stoop to the 
meanest arts of acquiring wealth. Horace justly compares them to that 
sordid class of beings, who descended so low as to stoop to take up a 
piece of false money, fixed to the ground by children on purpose to de- 
ceive those who passed by. — 64. In triviis jixum. "Fixed in the cross- 
roads." The mode of doing this is explained by Pseudocomutus, ad Pers., 
Sat. v., iii. : " Solent pueri, ut ridendi causam habeant, assem in silice 
plumbatum afjigere, ut, qui viderint, se ad colligendum inclinent nee ta- 
onen possint evellere, quo facto, pueri, ' etiam !' clamitare solent, 'etiam!' " 
— 65. Porro. " Then." — 67. Perdidit arma, locum virtutis deseruit, &c. 
"The man who is perpetually busy, and immersed in the increasing of 
his wealth, has thrown away his arms, has abandoned the post of virtue." 
By arma are here meant the precepts of virtue and wisdom. The poet 
draws a noble and beautiful idea of life. The deity has sent us into this 
world to combat vice, and maintain a constant warfare against our pas- 
sions. The man who gives ground is like the coward that has thrown 
away his arms and abandoned the post it was his duty to preserve. — 
69. Caplivum. " This captive." The avaricious and sordid man is here 
ironically styled a captive, because a complete slave to his covetous feel- 
ings. Captives might either be put to death or sold, and the poet humor- 
ously recommends the latter course, or else that he be retained and made 
useful in some way. — 70. Sine pascat durus aretque. "Let him lead the 
hard life of a shepherd or a ploughman." — 72. Annonce prosit. " Let him 
contribute to the cheapness of grain," i. e., by his labor. — Penusque. "And 
other provisions." 

73-79. 73. Vir bonus et sapiens, &c. After rejecting the several false 
notions of virtue which have just passed in review, the poet now lays 
down the position that the truly good and wise man is he whom the loss 
of fortune, liberty, and life can not intimidate. With unexpected spirit 
and address he brings a god upon the stage, in the character of this good 
man, instead of giving a formal definition. The whole passage is imitated 
from the Bacchae of Euripides (484, seqq.), where Pentheus, king of Thebes, 
threatens Bacchus with rough usage and with chains. — Pentheu, rector 
Thebarum, &c. Bacchus speaks. — 75. Ncmpe pecus, rem, lectos, &c. "My 
cattle, I suppose, my lands, my furniture, my money ; thou mayest take 
them." — 78. Ipse deus simul atque volam, &c. " A god will come in per- 
son to deliver me, as soon as I shall desire it." — Opinor, hoc sentit, &c. 
" In my opinion, he means this : I will die. Death is the end of our race." 
In the Greek play, Bacchus means that he will deliver himself, and when 
he pleases. Horace, therefore, in his imitation of the Greek poet, aban- 
dons the idea just alluded to, and explains the words conformably to his 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVII. 593 

own design, of showing - that the fear even of death is not capable of shak- 
ing the courage of a good man, or of obliging him to abandon the cause of 
virtue. — 79. Moriar. " I will die." An allusion to the Stoic doctrine of 
the lawfulness of suicide. — Mors ultima linea rerum est. A figurative al- 
lusion to chariot races. Linea was a white or chalked rope drawn across 
the circus, and serving to mark both the beginning and the end of the race. 
It answered, therefore, to the starting and winning post of modern days. 



Epistle XVIT. Horace, in this epistle, gives his young friend some in- 
structions for his conduct at court, that he may not only support his own 
character there, but proceed with happiness in that dangerous and slip- 
pery road. He shows that an active life, the life of a man who attempts 
togain and preserve the favors of the great by honorable means, is far more 
reputable than an idle life without emulation and ambition. He then as- 
sures him that nothing can more probably ruin him at court than a mean 
ancLsordid design of amassing money by asking favors. 

1-5. 1. Quamvis. Joined with the indicative here to denote certain- 
ty, as in verse 22, and Epist. i., 14, 6. — Scceva. As this and the next 
epistle are written upon the same subject, the copyists would seem to 
have joined them togethei". Baxter and Gesner incline to the opinion 
that they were both written to the same person. We do not find, how- 
ever, as Gesner himself acknowledges, that the house of Lollius ever took 
the cognomen of Scceva, which appears in the Junian and Cassian fami- 
lies only. It is probable that the individual here meant was the son of 
that Scaeva whose valor is so highly spoken of by Caesar (B. C, iii., 53). — 
Per te. Equivalent to tua ipsius prudentia. — Et scis, quo tandem pacto 
deceat majoribus uti. " And know est well how to conduct thyself toward 
thy superiors," i. e., and art no way at a loss as to the manner of living 
with the great. — 3. Disce, docendus adhuc quce censet amicuhis. "Yet 
leam what are the sentiments of thy old friend upon the subject, who him- 
self still requires to be taught." — Ut si ccecus iter monstrare velit. "As 
if a blind guide should wish to show thee the way." The poet here, in 
allusion to the docendus adhuc, which has gone before, styles himself ccecus, 
a blind guide. — 5. Quod cures proprium fccisse. " Which thou mayest 
deem it worth thy while to make thine own." Proprium fecisse is here 
equivalent to in usum tuum convertlsse. 

6-11. 6. Primam somnus in horam. " Sleep until the frrst hour," i. e., 
until seven o'clock. — 8. Caupona. "The noise of the tavern." — Ferenli- 
num. A city of Latium, on the Via Lavicana , in the territory of the Heroici, 
forty-eight miles from Rome. The situation was mountainous and lonely. 
— 10. Nee vixit male qui natus moriensque fefellit. " Nor has he lived ill, 
who, at his birth and death, has escaped the observation of the world," i. 
e., nor has he made an ill choice of existence who has passed all his days 
in the bosom of obscurity. Compare the saying of Epicurus, Tidde fiicioac. 
— 11. Si prodesse tuis pauloqne benignius, &c. "If, however, thou shalt 
feel disposed to be of service to thy friends, and to treat thyself with a lit- 
tle more indulgence than ordinary, thou wilt go a poor man to the rich/' 
i. e., if thou shalt want to be useful to thy friends, and indulge thyself more 
freely in the pleasures of life, then nvake thy court to the great. Siccus^ 



594 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., EPISTLE XVII. 

when the reference is to drinking, is opposed to uvidus, but, in the case 
of eating, to unctus. The term uncli, therefore, is used in speaking of 
those who fare sumptuously, while by sicci are meant such as are con- 
fined, from scanty resources, to a spare and frugal diet. 

13-22. 13. Si pranderet olus patienter, &c. " If he could dine con- 
tentedly on herbs, Aristippus would not feel inclined to seek the society 
of kings." These are the words of Diogenes the Cynic. Compare Diog. 
Laert., i., 2, 68. — Horace, after laying it down as a maxim that every one 
ought to live according to his taste and liking, suddenly introduces Diog- 
enes, the well-known founder of the Cynic sect, opposing this decision, 
and condemning every species of indulgence. — 14. Si sciret regibus uti, 
&c. The reply of Aristippus. The allusion in regibus is to Dionysius 
the elder, tyrant of Syracuse, at whose court he resided for some time. — 
15. Qui me notat. " He who censures my conduct." Alluding to Diog- 
enes. — 18. Mordacem Cynicum sic eludebat. "He thus eluded the snarl- 
ing Cynic," i. e., he thus parried the blow which the latter sought to in- 
flict. Eludo is a gladiatorial term. — 19. Scurror ego ipse rnihi, populo tu. 
"I play the buffoon for my own advantage, thou to please the populace." 
Aristippus, observes Sanadon, does not, in fact, acknowledge he was a 
buffoon, but rather makes use of the term to insult Diogenes, and dexter- 
ously puts other words of more civil import in the place of it, when he 
again speaks of himself, namely, qfficium facio. My buffoonery, says 
he, if it deserve the name, procures me profit and honor ; thine leaves thee 
in meanness, indigence, filth, and contempt. My dependence is on kings, 
to whom we are bom in subjection ; thou art a slave to the people, whom 
a wise man should despise. — Hoc. " This line of conduct that I pursue." 
— 21. Officium facio. "I pay court." Aristippus, remarks Dacier, pays 
his court to Dionysius without making any request. Diogenes, on the 
other hand, asks even the vilest of things (villa rerum) from the vilest of 
people. He would excuse himself by saying that he asks only because 
what he asks is of little value ; but if the person who receives an obliga- 
tion is inferior at that time to the person who bestows it, he is inferior in 
proportion to the meanness of the favor he receives. — 22. Quamvis fers te 
nullius egentem. " Though thou pretendest to be in want of nothing." 

23-25. 23. Omnis Aristippum decuit color, Sec. " E very complexion, 
and situation, and circumstance of life suited Aristippus." Aristippus 
possessed a versatility of disposition and politeness of manners which, 
while they enabled him to accommodate himself to every situation, emi- 
nently qualified him for the easy gayety of a court. Perfectly free from 
the reserve and haughtiness of the preceptorial chair, he ridiculed the sin- 
gularities which were affected by other philosophers, particularly the 
stately gravity of Plato and the rigid abstinence of Diogenes. — 24. Ten- 
tantem majora, fere prcesentibus cequum. " Aspiring to greater things, 
yet in general content with the present," i. e., losing no opportunity to 
better his fortune, but still easy in his present situation. — 25. Contra, quern 
dnplici panno, &c. " On the other hand, I shall be much surprised if an 
opposite mode of life should prove becoming to him, whom obstinacy 
clothes with a thick, coarse mantle." Literally, " with a double piece of 
cloth," i. e., with a mantle as thick as two. The Cynics, instead of wear- 
ing, like other people, a pallium and tunic, went without the latter ; and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVII. 595 

they used to double their cloak of coarse cloth, and called this a dnrTiotc . 
{Keightley, ad loc.) — Patientia. The main Cynic virtue was patientia, 
called in Greek Kaprepia, i. e., endurance of privations, &c. Here, how- 
ever, mere stubborn obstinacy is meant by it. 

27-32. 27. Alter. Alluding to Aristippus. — Non expectabit. "Will not 
wait for." — 28. Quidlibet. Any sort of cloak, old or new, coarse or fine. — 
Celeberrima per loca. " Through the most frequented places." — 29. Per- 
tonamque feret non inconcinnus utramque. " And will support either 
character without the least admixture of awkwardness," i. e., will acquit 
himself equally well, whether he appears in a fine or a coarse garment, 
in a costly or a mean one. — 30. Alter Mileii textam, &c. " The other will 
shun a cloak wrought at Miletus, as something more dreadful than a rabid 
dog or a snake." Miletus, an Ionian city, on the western coast of Asia 
Minor, was famed for its woollen manufactures and its purple dye. — 31. 
Morietur frigore, si non retuleris pannum. " He will die with cold if one 
does not restore him his coarse cloak," i. e., he will rather perish with 
cold than appear in any other but his coarse cloak. Compare the stoiy 
related by the scholiast : " Aiunt Aristippum, invitato Diogene ad bal- 
neas, dedisse operant, ut omnes prius egredcrentur, ipsiusque pallium in- 
duisse, illique purpureum reliquisse, quod Diogenes cum induere noluisset, 
suum repetiit : tunc Aristippus increpuit Cynicum, fama servientem, qui 
algere mallet quam conspici in veste purpurea." — 32. Refer, et sine vivat 
incptus. " Restore it, and let the fool live." 

33-36. 33. Res gerere et captos ostendere civibus kostes, &c. " To per- 
form exploits, and to show the citizens their foes led captive, reaches the 
throne of Jove and aspires to celestial honors," i. e., is, in fact, a mounting 
up to the throne of Jupiter, and treading the paths of immortality. The 
expression captos ostendere civibus hosles alludes to the solemnity of a 
Roman triumph. Horace continues his argument, to prove that an active 
life, the life of a man who aims at acquiring the favor of the great, is pref- 
erable to the indolent life of those who renounce all commerce with the 
woi-ld, and are actuated by no ambition. His reasoning is this : Princes 
who gain great victories, and triumph over their enemies, almost equal 
the gods, and acquire immortal renown : in like manner, they whose mer- 
it recommends them to the favor of these true images of the deity, are by 
this raised above the rest of their species. The poet here both makes his 
court to Augustus, and defends the part he had himself chosen ; for, in the 
first satire of the second book, he tells us that envy itself must own he 
had lived in reputation with the great. — 35. Principibus viris. "The 
great." Principibus is here used in a more extended signification than 
ordinary, and indicates the great, the powerful, the noble, &c. — 36. Non 
cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum. A proverbial form of expres- 
sion, aud said of things that are arduous and perilous, and which it is not 
the fortune of every one to surcnount. Horace, by using this adage, in- 
tends to show that all people have not talents proper for succeeding in a 
court, while he seeks, at the same time, to raise the glory of those who 
have courage to attempt and address to conquer the difficulties there. 

37-40. 37. Sedit qui timuit, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is 
this : The man that doubts of success sits still, and so far is well. Be it 



596 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 

so. What then? He who has carried his point, has he not acted with 
the spirit of a man ? Now, the thing's that we seek after are to be ob- 
tained by the exercise of moral courage and resolution, or not at all. This 
man dreads the burden, as too great either for his strength or courage ; 
another attempts it, and happily succeeds, &c. In this way Horace seeks 
to impress upon Scasva the importance of zealous and untiring effort in 
conciliating the favor of the great. — 42. Aut decus et pretium recte petit 
experiens vir. " Or he who makes the attempt deservedly claims the 
honor and the reward." If there be difficulty or danger, he certainly de- 
serves the highest praise who tries to succeed ; and if virtue be any thing 
more than a mere idle name, he may with justice claim a reward propor- 
tional to his merit. — 43. Coram rege suo, &c. " They who say nothing 
about narrow means in the presence of their patron, will receive more 
than the importunate." By rege is meant the great man, the patron. — 
44. Distat, sumasne pudenter, an rapias. "There is a difference, wheth- 
er one take with modesty what is offered, or eagerly snatch at it." — 45. 
Atqui rerum caput hoc erat, hicfons. " For this (the receipt of some ad- 
vantage) is the capital point, this is the fountain-head of all your exer- 
tions." The imperfect, as here employed, does not accord "with the usage 
of our own language, and must therefore be rendered by the present. In 
the original, however, it gives a very pleasing air to the clause, as mark- 
ing a continuance of action in the two particular cases to which he refers. 
— 49. Indotata mihi soror est, &c. "The man who tells his patron, ' My 
sister has no portion, my mother is in straitened circumstances, and my 
farm is neither saleable nor to be relied upon for my support,' cries out, in 
effect, ' Give me food.' " — 48. Succinit alter, Et mihi dividuo, Sec. "An- 
other responds, 'A quarter shall be cut out for me, too, from the divided 
gift.' " An imitation of the cry of mendicants in asking charity. Quadra 
is properly a piece of bread or cake cut in the form of a quarter. — 49. Sed 
tacitus pasci si posset corvus, &c. The poet compares the cries made by 
the raven when lighting on food to the clamors of the importunate. 



Epistle XVIII. As in the preceding epistle the poet has given advice 
to Scaeva on the line of conduct to be pursued in his intercourse with the 
great, so here he lays down precepts to the same effect for the guidance 
of Lollius. The individual to whom this epistle is addressed, appears, as 
Wetzel correctly supposes, to be the same person with the one to whom 
the second epistle of the present book is inscribed. 

1-12. 1. Liberrime Lolli. "Frankest Lollius." Horace here mentions 
a leading quality in his friend, which might be serviceable or not, accord- 
ing as he employed it. — 2. Scurrantis speciem prcebere, &c. " To display 
the character of a mean flatterer, when thou hast professed thyself a 
friend." As regards the peculiar force of scurrantis in this passage, 
compare the explanation of the scholiast : " Scui-rantis : turpiter adulan- 
tis." — 3. Huic vitio. Alluding to base and sordid flattery. — 4. Asperitas 
agrestis et inconcinna gravisque. "A clownish, and unmannerly, and of- 
fensive rudeness." — 5. Tonsa cute. " By being shorn to the skin." To 
have the hair cut quite close was regarded as a mark of clownishness. 
The expression tonsa cute is equivalent to the Greek ry kv XPV K-Ovpa. 
Compare Epist. i., 7, 50. — 6. Libertas mera. "Mere frankness." — 7. Vir- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 597 

t us est medium vitiorum, &c. " Virtue holds a middle place between these 
opposite vices, and is equally removed from each." — 8. Alter in obsequium 
plus aequo promts, &c. " The one too prone to obsequious fawning, and 
a buffoon of the lowest couch," i. e., cairying his obsequious complaisance 
to excess, and degenerating into a mere buffoon. The reference is to the 
scurra. The expression imi derisor lecti has been much misunderstood. 
In order to comprehend its true meaning, we must bear in mind that the 
buffoons or jesters at a Roman entertainment were placed on the lowest 
couch along with the entertainer (consult note on Sat. ii., 8, 40), and hence 
derisor imi lecti does not by any means imply, as some suppose, a rallier 
of those who recline on the lowest couch, but is merely intended as a gen- 
eral designation for the buffoon or jester of the party. Horace advances 
a general proposition, and, to make flatterers appear the more odious, he 
says very judiciously, that, in pushing their complaisance too far, they de- 
generate into mere buffoons. — 9. Sic nutvm divitis horret. "Is so feai - - 
fully attentive to every nod of his patron." — 10. Et verba cadentia tollit. 
" And catches up his falling words," i. e., his casual remarks. He calls 
the attention of the company to, and extols as brilliant specimens of wit 
or talent, the merest expressions that chance to fall from his patron's lips. 
— 12. Red dere. "Is repeating." Equivalent to recitare. As regards the 
term dictata, consult note on Sat. i., 10, 75. — Mimum. " A mime-player." 
Consult note on Sat. i., 10, 6. 

13-18. 13. Alter rixatur de lana scepe caprina. "The other often 
wrangles about things of no consequence whatever." Alter here refers 
to the man of rude and blunt manners. The expression do lana caprina 
rixari is a proverbial one, and is well explained by the scholiast: "De 
lana caprina : proverbium, h. e. de re vili et pane nulla ; de nihilo, quia 
caprce nulla est lana, sed pili." — 14. Propugnat nugis armatus. " Arm- 
ed with trifles, stands forth an unflinching champion," i. e., armed with 
mere trifles and nonsense, he combats every thing that is advanced. — 
Scilicet. " For example." The poet now gives a specimen of that zeal- 
ous contention for trifles which marks the character that is here condemn- 
ed. Observe the construction here, armatus nugis, not pugnat pro nugis. 
— 15. Et vere quod placet ut non acriter elatrem. " And that I should not 
boldly speak out what are my real sentiments." — 16. Pretium cetas altera 
sordet. "Another life is worthless when purchased at such a price," i. 
e., I would reject with scorn another life upon such base conditions. Lit- 
erally, " another life is valueless as the price of it." — 17. Ambigitur quid 
enim 1 " And, pray, what matter is in dispute ? Why, whether Castor or 
Dolichos knows more of his profession," i. e., whether Castor or Dolichos 
be the more expert gladiator. Compare the scholiast : " Castor et Doli- 
chos erant illius temporis nobiles gladiatores." — 18. Minuci. Compare 
the scholiast : " Minucia via est a porta Minucia, sive Trigemina, per 
Sabinos ad Brundisium." 

19-23. 19. Gloria quern supra vires, &c. "Him whom vanity both 
clothes and perfumes beyond his means," i. e., the man who is led by a 
foolish desire of distinction into a style of living far beyond his means. 
The poet now enters upon an enumeration of those failings, from which he 
who seeks the favor of the great and powerful should be free. — 21. Pau- 
perlalis pudor et fuga. "A shame of, and aversion for narrow means," 



598 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 

i. e., a dread of narrow means, and an anxious care to avoid them.^- 
22. Scepe decern vitiis instruction: " Though not unfrequently ten times 
more vicious." Equivalent, in effect, to scepe decies vitiosior. This pre- 
cept is of great importance, observes Sanadon. A prince or powerful per- 
son, however vicious himself, pays a secret homage to virtue, and treats 
with just contempt those faults in others which render him really contempt- 
ible. He requires a regularity of conduct, which he breaks by his own ex- 
ample, as if he proposed to conceal his vices under their virtues. — 23. Re- 
git. " Gives him rules for his conduct." — Ac, veluti pia mater, &c. The 
idea intended to be conveyed is this : And, as an affectionate mother 
wishes that her offspring may be wiser and better than herself, so the pa- 
tron wishes that his dependent may be wiser and more virtuous than he is. 

25-29. 25. Et ait prope vera. " And says what is tolerably true." Ob- 
serve the force of prope. — Meee stultitiam patiuntur opes, &c. " My riches 
allow some indulgence in folly." The follies and vices of the rich and 
poor ai*e equal in themselves, yet they are very unequal in their conse- 
quences. The former are better able to support them without ruining 
themselves and families, whereas, when a man of but moderate fortune 
indulges in such a line of conduct, ruin both to him and his is sure to en- 
sue. — 27. Arcta decet sanum comitem toga. " A scanty gown becomes a 
prudent dependent." Comes is here employed to designate a man who 
attaches himself to some rich and powerful patron. The wearing of a wide 
toga indicated wealth and luxury. The precept here laid down, however, 
is a general one, and does not merely apply to dress, but extends, in fact, 
to buildings, table, equipage, &c. — 28. Eutrapelus, cuicunque nocere vole- 
bat, &c. To the praise which the rich man has just bestowed upon his 
wealth, as forming a kind of shield for his follies, the poet, to show his 
contempt of riches, immediately subjoins the story of Eutrapelus, who was 
accustomed to bestow, on those he wished to injure, costly and magnificent 
garments, that by these allurements they might be gradually led away 
into habits of luxury and corruption. The individual here referred to had 
the appellation of Eutrapelus (svTpuireXoc), " the rallier," given him for 
his wit and pleasantry. His real name was P. Volumnius. Having for- 
gotten to put his surname of Eutrapelus to a letter he wrote to Cicero, 
the orator tells him he fancied it came from Volumnius the senator, but 
was undeceived by the Eutrapelia {evTpaire'kLa), the spirit and vivacity 
which it displayed. — 29. Beatus enim jam, &c. "For now, (said he), a 
happy fellow in his own eyes," &c. Supply, for a literal translation, dixit 
Eutrapelus. 

31-35. 31. Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis, Sec. " Thou wilt not at any 
time pry into a secret of his, and wilt keep close what is intrusted to thee, 
though tried by wine and by anger," i. e., and wilt let nothing be forced 
out of thee either by wine or by anger. The poet here proceeds to give 
advice to be secret and to be accommodating. — Illius. Referring to the 
wealthy patron. — 33. Tua studia. "Thine own diversions." — 35. Gratia 
sic fratrum geminorum, &c. " Thus the friendship of the twin-brothers 
Amphion and Zethus was broken, until the lyre, disliked by the latter, 
who was rugged in manners, became silent." Amphion and Zethus were 
sons of Jupiter and Antiope, and remarkable for their different tempers. 
Amphion was fond of music, and Zethus took delight in tending flocks. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 599 

But as Zethus was naturally of a rugged disposition (compare Propertius, 
iii., 15, 20, and Statins, Theb., x., 443), and hated the lyre, this produced 
continual disputes between them, until Amphion at length, for the sake 
of harmony with his brother, renounced music entirely. Horace refers to 
the Antiope of Euripides, a play composed on this legend, but of which 
only fragments remain. 

40-51. 40. JEtolis plagis. The epithet \S£tolis is here merely orna- 
mental, and contains an allusion to the famous boar-hunt near Calydon, in 
iEtolia, on which occasion Meleager so greatly distinguished himself. — 
41. Et inhumance senium depone Camence. " And lay aside the peevish- 
ness of the unsocial muse," i. e., lay aside the peevish and morose habits 
which are superinduced by unsocial and secluded studies. Senium prop- 
erly denotes the peevishness of age, though taken here in a general sense. 
— 42. Pariter. " Along with him." — Pulmenta laborious emta. " On the 
dainties purchased by your labors." As regards the term pulmenta, con- 
sult note on Sat. ii., 2, 20. — 43. Opus. Alluding to the hunt. — 46. Adde, 
virilia quod speciosius arma, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Adde, quod non est alius qui tractei virilia arma speciosius te. The term 
speciosius may be rendered " more gracefully," and has reference, in some 
degree, to the public exhibition made of one's skill. — 47. Quo clamore 
coronas. ""With what acclamations from the surrounding spectators." — 
48. Campestria. "In the Campus Martius." — 50. Duce. Alluding to 
Augustus. — Qui iemplis Parthorum signa refigit nunc. "Who is now 
taking down the Roman standards from the temples of the Parthians." 
Consult note on Ode iv., 15, 6, and i., 26, 3, and also Introductory Remarks, 
Ode iii., 5. According to Bentley, this epistle was written at the time 
when Phraates restored the Roman standards, Augustus being in Bithyn- 
ia, Tiberius in Armenia, and the consulship being filled by M. Appuleius 
and P. Silius Nerva. Horace would then be entering his 40th year. — 
51. Et si quid abest, Italis adjudicat armis. " And, if any thing is want- 
ing to universal empire, adds it to the Romans by the power of his arms," 
i. e., if any thing has not been reduced, &c. Bentley thinks that Horace 
here alludes to the subjugation of Armenia, the same year in which the 
Parthians restored the Roman standards. 

52-59. 52. Ac ne te retrahas, et inexcusabilis absies. " And that thou 
mayest not withdraw thyself from such diversions, and stand aloof with- 
out the least excuse." The train of ideas is as follows : And that thou 
mayest not suffer thyself to be kept away from hunting with a powerful 
friend, nor be induced by some pretence, which can never excuse thee, 
to absent thyself on such occasions from his presence, recollect, I entreat, 
that thou thyself, though careful to observe all th e rules and measures of 
a just behavior, yet sometimes dost indulge in amusing sports on thy pa- 
ternal estate. — 53. Extra numerum modumque. " Out of number and 
measure," i. e., in violation of the rules and measures of a just behavior. 
Humerus and modus are properly metrical terms, the former denoting the 
rhythm, the latter indicating the component feet of a verse. They are 
here figuratively applied to the harmony of behavior and social intercourse 
which the poet is anxious to inculcate. Compare the Greek form of ex- 
pression, irapa jivdjibv aal n&oc. — 55. Partitur lintres exercitus. " Mock 
forces divide the little boats into two squadrons." The young Lollius was 



600 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 

accustomed to celebrate the victory at Actium by a mock conflict on a 
lake in his paternal grounds. — 56. Per pueros. "By slaves." The mock 
forces on both sides are composed of slaves. — Refertur. " Is represent- 
ed." — 57. Lacus Hadria. " A lake serves for the Adriatic." — 58. Fronde. 
Alluding to the bay. — 59. Consentire suis studiis qui crediderit te, &c. 
"He who shall believe that thou dost come into his particular taste, will 
as an applauder praise thine own without the least scruple." Literally, 
" with both his thumbs." The allusion in utroque pollice is borrowed from 
the gladiatorial sports. When a gladiator lowered his arms as a sign of 
being vanquished, his fate depended on the pleasure of the people, who, 
if they wished him to be saved, pressed down their thumbs (polliees pre- 
mebant), and if to be slain, turned them up (polliees vertebant). Hence 
polliees premere, " to favor," " to approve," &c. : the populace only extend- 
ed this indulgence to such gladiators as had conducted themselves bravely. 

€1-72. 61. Protinus ut moneam. "To proceed still further in my ad- 
monitions." — 66. Etiam atque etiam adspice. " Consider again and again." 
— 67. Aliena peccata. "Another's faults," i. e., the failings of the person 
recommended. — 68. Quondam. "Sometimes." — Tradimus. "We rec- 
ommend." — 69. Sua culpa. "His own misconduct." — Tueri. Supply 
eum. — 70. At penitus notum, &c. Bentley's conjectural emendation, At, 
is decidedly preferable to the common reading Ut. The advice given by 
the poet is as follows : Do not, after being once deceived, defend one who 
suffers by his own bad conduct ; but, on the other hand, shield from unjust 
reproach him whom thou knowest thoi-oughly, and protect an innocent 
man who puts all his confidence in thee: for if he be assailed with im- 
punity by the tooth of slander, hast thou not reason to dread lest this may 
next be thy fate 1 — Si tentent crimi?ia. " If false accusations assail him." 
— 72. Dente Theonino. In place of saying "with the tooth of calumny," 
Horace uses the expression " with the tooth of Theon." This individual 
appears to have been noted for his slanderous propensities, whether he 
was a freedman, as the scholiast informs us, or, as is much more probable, 
some obscure poet of the day. 

76-85. 76. Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amid. " To cultivate the 
friendship of the great seems delightful to those who have never made 
the trial." The pomp and splendor by which great men are surrounded 
makes us apt to think their friendship valuable, but a little experience 
soon convinces us that it is a most rigorous slavery. — 77. Dum tua navis 
in alto est. " While thy vessel is on the deep," i. e., while thou art en- 
joying the favor and friendship of the great. — 78. Hoc age, ne mutata rc- 
trorsum, &c. "Look to this, lest the breeze may change, and bear thee 
back again," i. e., lest the favor of the great may be withdrawn. — 79. Ode- 
runt hilarem tristes, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : Men 
of unlike tempers and characters never hax-monize ; do thou, therefore, 
accommodate thyself to thy patron's mode of thinking and acting, study 
well his character, and do all in thy power to please.— 80. Sedatum cele- 
res. " Men of active minds hate him that is of a dilatory temper." — 81. 
Potores bibuli, &c. "Well-soaked drinkers of Falernian at midnight," 
&c. There is nothing pleonastic, as Bentley thinks, in the expression 
potores bibuli. Fea well explains bibuli by bibuli ut spongicc, and com- 
pares with it the Italian sponghini, an epithet applied to hard drinkers. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XVIII. 601 

The phrase media de node is equivalent here to per mediae noctis tempus. 
(Compare Hand, ad Tursell., ii., p. 205.) — 83. Nocturnes vapores. The 
reference is to the "heats" under which those labor, in sleep, who have 
indulged freely in wine. — 84. Deme supercilio nubem. " Remove every 
cloud from thy brow," i. e., smooth thy forehead. The ancients called 
those wrinkles which appear upon the forehead, above the eyebrows, when 
any thing displeases us, clouds ; for as clouds obscure the face of heaven, 
so wrinkles obscure the forehead, and cause an appearance of sadness. — ■ 
Plerumque. "Oftentimes." — 85. Occupat obscuri speciem. "Wears the 
appearance of one that is reserved and close." — Acerbi. "Of one that is 
morose." 

86-93. 86. Inter cuncta. "Amid all thy employments," i. e., in what- 
ever way thou mayestbe employed about some powerful friend. Equiv- 
alent in fact, therefore, to omni tempore. (Orelli, ad loc.) The epistle 
concludes with some excellent moral maxims and reflections. Horace, 
after giving Lollius precepts respecting the mode of life which he is to 
pursue with the great, lays down, also, some rules for his conduct toward 
himself. He endeavors chiefly to make him sensible that happiness does 
not consist in the favor of princes, but must be the fruit of our own reflec- 
tion and care, and a steady pui-pose of keeping our passions within the 
bounds of moderation. — 87. Leniter. " In tranquillity." — 88. Semper in- 
ops. "That can never be satiated." — 89. Pavor. "Troublesome agita- 
tion of mind." — 90. Virlutem doctrina paret nalurane donet. "Whether 
instruction procures virtue, or nature bestows it," i. e., whether virtue is 
the result of precept or the gift of nature. Horace here alludes to the 
question, tl didaKTov i] ape.TTj, discussed by Socrates, and considered at 
large by iEscbines (Socrat. Dial., 1), and by Plato, in his Menon. — 91. 
Quid te tibi reddat amicum. " What may make thee a friend to thyself," 
i. e., what may give rise to such habits of thinking and of acting as may 
make thee pleased with thyself. Compare Epist. i., 14, 1, where Horace 
speaks of his farm as capable of restoring him to himself. — 92. Quid pure 
tranquillet. "What may bestow pure and unalloyed tranquillity."— 93. 
Secretum iter, etfallentis semita vitce. "A retired route, and the path of 
an humble life," i. e., of a life that passes unnoticed by the world. Fallen- 
tis is here equivalent to oculos hominum latentis. It is not the poet's de- 
sign to create in Lollius a disgust of his present way of life, or make him 
quit the court to enjoy retirement. This would have been imprudent and 
unfair, and contrary, also, to his own sentiments of things. His true aim 
is, to persuade him that, if happiness is to be found only in peaceful retire- 
ment, this ought to be his study even in the exercise of his employment. 
In this way he tacitly advises him to moderate his ambition and avarice, 
because, in a retired life, riches and honors are rather a troublesome bur- 
den than any needful help. 

94-101. 94. Digentia. The Digentia, now the Licenza, was a stream 
formed by the Eons Bandusia, and running near the poet's abode through 
the territory of Mandela, a small Sabine village in the vicinity. — 95. Ru- 
crosus frigore pagus. " A village wrinkled with cold." The consequence 
of its mountainous situation. — 96. Quid sentire putas ? quid credis amice 
precari? With sentire and precari respectively, supply me. — 97. Sit 
mihi, quod nunc est ; etiam minus. We have here a fine picture of the 

C c 



602 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I., EPISTLE XlX, 

manner in which Horace sought for tranquillity. He was so far from de- 
siring more that he could be even satisfied with less. He wanted to live 
for himself, cultivate his mind, and be freed from uncertainty. — 99. Et 
provisce frugis in annum. " And of the pi'oductions of the earth laid up 
for the year," i. e., and of provisions for a year. — 100. Neu fiuitem dubice 
spe pendulus horce. " And let me not fluctuate in suspense as regards the 
hope of each uncertain hour," i. e., and let me not fluctuate between hope 
and fear, filled with anxious thoughts as regards the uncertain events of 
the future. — 101. Sed satis est orareJovem, quce donat et aufert, &c. "But 
it is sufficient to ask of Jupiter those things which he gives and takes 
away," &c. Horace distinguishes between the things we ought to hope 
for from the gods, and those we are to expect only from oui-selves. Life 
and riches depend, according to the poet, upon the pleasure of Jove, but 
an equal mind upon oar own exertions. 



Epistle XIX. This epistle is a satire on the poets of our author's time, 
who, under pretence that Bacchus was a god of poetry, and that the best 
ancient bards loved wine, imagined that by equalling them in this partic- 
ular they equalled them in merit. Horace laughs at such ridiculous im- 
itation. 

1-7. 1. Prisco Cratino. For some account of Cratinus, consult the 
note on Satire i., 4, 1. — 2. Nulla placere diu nee vivere carmina possunt, 
&c. This was probably one of Cratinus's verses, which Horace has trans- 
lated. — 3. Ut male sanos adscripsit Liber, &c. "Ever since Bacchus 
ranked bards, seized with true poetic fury, among his Fauns and Satyrs, 
the sweet Muses have usually smelt of wine in the rnorning," i. e., ever 
since genuine poets existed, they have, scarcely with a single exception, 
manifested an attachment to the juice of the grape. With respect to the 
ranking of poets among Fauns and Satyrs, it may be observed, that the 
wild dances and gambols of these frolic beings were regarded as bearing 
no unapt resemblance to the enthusiasm of the children of song. — 6. Lau- 
dibus arguitur vini vinosus Homerus. " From his praises of wine, Ho- 
mer is convicted of having been attached to that liquor." (Compare 11., 
vi., 261 ; Od., xiv., 463, seqq.) — 7. Ennius pater. The term pater is here 
applied to Ennius as one of the earliest of the Roman bards. — Potus. 
"Mellow with wine." — Ad arma dicenda. An allusion to the poem of 
Ennius on the second Punic war, in which the praises of the elder Afri- 
canus were celebrated. 

8-11. 8. Forum putealque Libonis, Ice. " The Forum and the puteal 
of Libo I will give over to the temperate ; from the abstemious I will 
take away the power of song." The Forum was the great scene ofB,o- 
man litigation, and the puteal Libonis the place where the usurers and 
bankers were accustomed to meet. When the Forum, and the puteal of 
Libo, therefore, are consigned to the temperate, the meaning is, that to 
their lot are to fall the cares and the anxieties of life, the vexations of the 
law, and the disquieting pursuits of gain. .Consult, as regards the term 
puteal, the note on Sat. ii., 6, 35. — 9. Cantare. " Song," i. e., the privi- 
leges and honors of the poetic art. The infinitive has here the force of a 
noun in the accusative. — 10. Hoc simul edixi. Torrentius first perceived 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK [., EPISTLE XIX. 603 

that the words which have just preceded {Forum putealque Libonis, &c.) 
could not be spoken either by Cratinus or by Ennius, who were both dead 
long before Libo was bom; nor by Bacchus, who surely would not have 
waited so long to publish a decree, which the usage of so many poets had 
already established; nor by Maecenas, unless we read edixti andpalleres, 
contrary to all the manuscripts. We must therefore consider Horace him- 
self as giving forth his edict in the style and tone of a Roman praetor. — 
11. Nocturno certare mero, <fcc. " To contend in wine at night, to smell of 
it by day," i. e., to drink hard at night, and to have their breath smell of it 
by day. Horace here laughs at the folly of those who imagined that by 
indulging freely in wine they would be enabled to sustain the character 
of poets. 

12-15. 12. Quid ? si quis vullu torvo ferus, Sec. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this : a person might just as soon think of attaining to 
the high reputation of Cato Uticensis by aping the peculiarities of dress 
and appearance which characterized that remarkable man, as of becoming 
a poet by the mere quaffing of wine. — 15. Rupit Iarbitam Timagenis 
mmula lingua. " The emulous tongue of Timagenes caused Iarbita to 
burst, while he desires to be thought a man of wit, and to be regarded as 
eloquent." Timagenes was a rhetorician of Alexandrea, who, being taken 
captive by Grabinius, was brought to Rome, where Faustus, the son of 
Sylla, purchased him. He afterward obtained his freedom, and was hon- 
ored with the favor of Augustus, but as he was raueh given to raillery, 
and observed no measure with any person, he soon lost the good graces 
of bis patron, and, being compelled to retire from Rome, ended his days 
at Tusculum. It would appear, from the expression amulet lingua, that 
the wit and the declamatory powers of Timagenes carried with them more 
or less of mimicry and imitation. On the other hand, Iarbita was a native 
of Africa, whose true name was Cordus, but whom the poet pleasantly 
styles Iarbita ("the descendant of Iarbas," i. e., the Moor), from Iarbas, 
king of Mauretania, the fabled rival of -(Eneas, and perhaps with some 
satirical allusion to the history of that king. Now the meaning of Horace 
is this : that Iarbita burst his diaphragm (more probably a blood vessel) 
by imitating Timagenes in what least deserved imitation ; for he imitated 
what was ill about Timagenes, not what was good. He copied his per- 
sonal sarcasm, and, in endeavoring to equal his powers of declamation 
also, he confounded them with mere strength of lungs, and spoke so loud 
ut rumperet ilia. Hence, both in relation to this case, as well as to those 
which have preceded it, the poet adds the remark, Decipit exemplar vitiis 
imitabile. " An example, easy to be imitated in its faults, is sure to de- 
ceive the ignorant." 

18-31. 18. Exsangue cuminum. "The pale-making cumin." Dios- 
corides assures us that cumin will make people pale who drink it or 
wash themselves with it. Pliny says it was reported that the disciples 
of Porcius Latro, a famous master of the art of speaking, used it to imitate 
that paleness which he had contracted by his studies. — 19. Ut scepe. Tor 
quam scepe. — 21. Per vacuum. "Along a hitherto untravelled route." 

Compare Ode iii., 30, 13 : " Dicar princeps Solium carmen ad 

Italos deduxisse modos." — 22. Non aliena meo pressi pede. Supply vesti- 
gia. " I trod not in the footsteps of others." — 23. Parios iambos. " The 



604 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XIX. 

Parian iambics," i. e., the iambics of Arcbilocbus, who was a native of 
Paros, and the first who applied this species of verse to purposes of satire. 
— 24. Numeros animosque secutus Archilochi, &c. " Having imitated the 
numbers and spirit of Archilochus ; not, however, his subjects, and his 
language that drove Lycambes to despair." Consult note on Epode vi., 
13. — 26. Foliis brevioribus. " With more fading bays." Literally, "with 
leaves of shorter duration." Horace, in this passage, means to convey the 
idea that his imitation of Archilochus ought not to be regarded as detract- 
ing from his own fame, since both Sappho and Alcaeus made the same 
poet the model of their respective imitation. — 28. Temperat Archilochi 
musam, &c. " The masculine and vigorous Sappho tempers her own ef- 
fusions by the numbers of Archilochus ; Alcaeus tempers his." Temperat 
is here equivalent to moderantur et componunt, and the idea intended to 
be conveyed is, that both Sappho and Alcaeus blend in some degree the 
measures of Archilochus with their own, or, as Bentley expresses it, 
" Scias utrumque Archilocheos numeros suis Lyricisimmiscere." Sappho 
is styled mascula from the force and spirit of her poetry. — 29. Sed rebus 
et ordine dispar. " But he differs from him in his subjects, and in the ar- 
rangement of his measures." Alcaeus employed, it is true, some of the 
measures used by Archilochus, but then he differed from him in arrang- 
ing them with other kinds of verse. Compare the language of Bentley : 
" Adscivit Alcaeus metra quasdam Archilochi, sed ordine variavit, sed aliis 
ac illefecerat metris aptavit ea et connexuit, ut dactylicum Mud, Arbori- 
busque comae, cum Hexametro junxit Alcasus, at eundem Iambo comitem 
dedit Archilochus." — 30. Nee socerum qumrit, &c. Alluding to the story 
of Archilochus and Lycambes. Compare Epode vi., 13. — 31. Famoso 
carmine. " By defamatory strains." The allusion in the term sponsce is 
to Neobule, the daughter of Lycambes. 

32, 33. Hunc ego, non alio dictum prius ore, &c. " This poet, never 
celebrated by any previous tongue, I the Roman lyrist first made known 
to my countrymen," i. e., I alone, of all our bards, have dared to make this 
Alcaeus known to Roman ears, and my reward has been that I am the 
first in order among the lyric poets of my country. Horace appears to 
have been the first Roman who used the Alcaic measure. As regards 
the boast here uttered by the poet, compare Ode iv., 9, 3, seqq., and, with 
respect to the expression Latinus fidicen, compare Ode iv., 3, 23 : "Ro- 
mance Jidicen lyrce." — 33. Immemorata. "A new species of poetry." 
Literally, "productions unmentioned before," i. e., by any Latin bard. 
The reference is to lyric verse. It is deserving of remark, however, that, 
although Horace did not imitate Sappho less than Archilochus and Alcaeus, 
yet he does not say he was the first of the Romans who imitated her, be- 
cause Catullus, and some other Latin poets, had written Sapphic verses 
before him. 

35-41. 35. Ingratus. " Ungrateful," for not acknowledging in public 
the pleasure which the reading of our poet's works gave him in private. 
— 36. Premat. "Decries them." Doring supposes an ellipsis of invidia, 
or else that premat is here equivalent simply to contemnat. — 37. Non ego 
ventosae plebis suffragia venor, &c. As regards the epithet ventosce, con- 
sult note on Epist. i., 8, 12. Horace ridicules, with great pleasantry, the 
foolish vanity of certain poets, his contemporaries, who, to gain the ap- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XX. 605 

plause of the populace, courted them with entertainments and presents of 
cast-off clothing-. Suffragia is here equivalent to gratiam or favorem. — 
39. Non ego, nobilium auctorum auditor et ultor, &c. "I do not deign, 
as the auditor and defender of noble writers, to go around among the tribes 
and stages of the grammarians." It was customary, about this period, at 
Rome, for many who aspired to the reputation of superior learning- to 
open, as it were, a kind of school or auditory, in which the productions of 
living writers were read by their authors, and then criticised. Horace 
styles this class of persons grammatici, and informs us that he never 
deigned to approach such hot-beds of conceit, either for the purpose of 
listening to these distinguished effusions, or of defending them from the 
attacks of criticism, and hence the odium which he incurred among these 
impudent pretenders to literary merit. It is evident that nobilium is here 
ironical. — Ultor. Compare the explanation of Doring: "Ultor, qui ali- 
quem a reprehensione, criminatione vel injuria aliqua defendit, is ejus est 
quasi ultor, vindex, patronus." — 40. Pulpita. The stages from which the 
recitations above referred to were made. — 41. Hinc illce lacrimce. A pro- 
verbial expression, borrowed from the Andria of Terence (i., 1, 91), and 
there used in its natural meaning, but to be rendered here in accordance 
with the spirit of the present passage, " Hence all this spite and malice." 

42-48. 42. Et nugis addere pondus. " And to give an air of import- 
ance to trifles." — 43. Rides, ait. " Thou art laughing at us, says one of 
these same grammarians." — Jovis. Referring to Augustus. — 44. Manare. 
"Distill." "Used here transitively, in the sense oiemittere or exsudare. — 
45. Tibi pulcher. " "Wondrous fair in thine own eyes," i. e., extremely 
well pleased with thyself. — Ad hcec ego naribus uti formido. " At these 
words I am afraid to turnup my nose." Our poet, observes Dacier. was 
afraid of answering this insipid raillery with the contempt it deserved for 
fear of being beaten. He had not naturally too much courage, and bad 
poets are a choleric, testy generation. — 46. Luctantis. " Of my antago- 
nist." Literally, " of one struggling (with me)." — 47. Et diludia posco. 
"And I ask for an intermission." The Latins used diludia to denote an 
intermission of fighting given to the gladiators during the public games. 
Horace, therefore, pleasantly begs he may have time allowed him to cor- 
rect his verses before he mounts the stage and makes a public exhibition 
of his powers. — 48. Genuit. The aorist. Equivalent to gignere solet. 



Epistle XX. Addressed to his book. The poet, pretending that this, 
the first book of his epistles, was anxious to go forth into public, though 
against his will, proceeds to foretell, like another prophet, the fate that 
would inevitably accompany this rash design. It is evident, however, 
from what follows after the 17th verse, that all these gloomy forebodings 
had no real existence whatever in the poet's imagination, but that his eye 
rested on clear and distinct visions of future fame. 

1-5. 1. Vertumnum Janumque, &c. Near the temples of Vertumnus 
and Janus were porticoes, around the columns of which the booksellers, 
were accustomed tt> display their books for sale. Consult note on Sat. i., 
4, 71. — Spectare. "To look wistfully toward." — 2. Scilicet. "Forsooth." 
Ironical. — Prostes. " Thou mayest stand forth for sale." — Sosiorum pu- 
mice mundus. "Smoothed by the pumice of the Sosii." A part of the 



606 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XX. 

process of preparing works for sale consisted in smoothing the parchment 
with pumice-stone, in order to remove all excrescences from the surface. 
This operation was performed by the bookseller, who combined in himself 
the two employments of vender and bookbinder, if the latter term be here 
allowed us. (Consult note on Epode xiv., 8.) The Sosii were a plebeian 
family, well known in Rome, two brothers of which distinguished them- 
selves as booksellers by the coiTectness of their publications, and the 
beauty of what we would term the binding. — 3. Odisti claves, et grata si- 
gilla pudico. Most interpreters of the bard suppose that the allusion here 
is to the Roman custom of not merely locking, but also of sealing, the 
doors of the apartments in which their children were kept, that no persons 
who might be suspected of corrupting their innocence should be allowed 
to enter. This interpretation is certainly favored by the words Non ita 
nutritus in the fifth line, where Horace addresses his literary offspring as 
a father would a child. For a different explanation, consult Orelli, ad 
loc. — 4. Communia. " Public places," i. e., the public shops, or places of 
sale, where many would see and handle it. — 5. Non ita nutritus. "Thou 
wast not reared with this view." — Fuge quo descendere gestis. The allu- 
sion is to the going down into the Roman Forum, which was situate be- 
tween the Capitoline and Palatine Hills. Hence the phrase in Forum 
descendere is one of frequent occurrence in Cicero and Seneca. 

6-15. 6. Miser. Referring to the consequences of its own rashness. — 
7. Quis. For aliquis. — 8. In breve te cogi. "That thou art getting 
squeezed into a small compass," i. e., art getting rolled up close, to be laid 
by. The poet threatens his book that it shall be i*olled up, as if condemn- 
ed never to be read again. The books of the ancients were written on 
skins of parchment, which they were obliged to unfold and extend when 
they designed to read them. — Plenus quum languet amator. " When thy 
cloyed admirer grows languid." Amator here signifies a passionate read- 
er, who seizes a book with rapture, runs over it in haste ; his curiosity be- 
gins to be satisfied ; his appetite is cloyed ; he throws it away, and never 
opens it again. — 9. Quod si non odio peccantis desipit augur. "But if 
the augur, who now addresses thee, is not deprived of his better judgment 
by indignation at thy folly," i. e., if the anger which I now feel at thy rash 
and foolish conduct does not so influence my mind as to disqualify me 
from foreseeing and predicting the truth. — 10. Donee te deserat cetas. 
" Until the season of youth shall have left thee," i. e., as long as thou re- 
tainest the charms of novelty. — 12. Taciturnus. Elegantly applied to a 
book, which, having no reader with whom, as it were, to converse, is com- 
pelled to remain silent. — 13. Autfugies Uticam, aut vinctus mitteris Iler- 
dam. " Or shalt flee to Utica, or be sent tied up in a parcel to Ilerda." 
Manuscripts, remarks Sanadon, must have been of such value, that people 
of moderate fortune could not purchase them when they were first pub- 
lished, and when they came into their hands they had grown, generally 
speaking, far less valuable. They were then sent by the booksellers into 
the colonies for a better sale. Horace, therefore, tells his book that, when 
it has lost the charms of novelty and youth, it shall either feed moths at 
Rome, or willingly take its flight to Africa, or be sent by force to Spain. 
Utica and Ilerda are here put for the distant quarters in general. The 
former was situate in the vicinity of the spot where ancient Carthage had 
stood ; the latter was a city of Spain, the capital of the Ilergetes, near the 
foot of the Pyrenees, and in the northeastern section of the country. It is 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I., EPISTLE XX. 607 

now Lerida. Those who read, with the common text, unctus instead of 
vinclus, make the tei*m equivalent to sorde pollutus, "greasy" or "dirty;" 
but this is far inferior to the lection which we have given. — 14. Ridebit 
monita non exauditus, Sec. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : 
Then will I, whose admonitions have been disregarded by thee, laugh at 
thy fate ; as the man in the fable, who, unable to keep his ass from run- 
ning upon the border of a precipice, pushed him down headlong himself. 
The poet here alludes to a fable, which, though evidently lost to us, was 
no doubt well known in his time. A man endeavored to hinder his ass 
from running upon the brink of a precipice, but, finding him obstinately 
bent on pursuing the same track, was resolved to lend a helping hand, 
and so pushed him over. — 15. Male parentem asellum. "His badly-obey- 
ing ass," i. e., obstinately refractory. 

- 17-28. 17. Hoc quoque te manet, &c. Another fate which may await 
his book. "What the poet here pretends to regard as a misfortune, he well 
knew would be in reality an honor. The woi'ks of eminent poets alone 
were read in the schools of the day, and, though Horace himself speaks 
rather slightingly of this process in one part of his writings (Sat. i., 10, 
75), yet it is evident from another passage (Sat. ii., 1, 71) that this dis- 
tinction was conferred on the oldest bards of Rome. — 18. Occupet. " Shall 
overtake (thee)." — Extremis in vicis. "In the outskirts of the city." 
Here the teachers of the young resided from motives of economy. — 19. 
Quum tibi sol tepidus plures admoverit aures. The reference is to the 
latter part of the afternoon, at which time of day parents and others were 
accustomed to visit the schools, and listen to the instructions which their 
children received. The school-hours were continued until evening. — Atires. 
Equivalent here to auditores. — 20. Me liberiino natum patre, &c. Com- 
pare Sat. i., 6, 45. — 21. Majores pennas nido extendisse. A proverbial 
form of expression, borrowed from a bird whose wings grow too large for 
its nest, and employed to denote a man's having raised himself, by his 
own efforts, above his birth and condition. — 22. Addas. Supply tantum. 
— 23. Primis urbis. Alluding particularly to Augustus and Maecenas. — 
Belli. The poet served as a military tribune, " Bruto militias duce." 
(Ode ii., 7, 2.) — 24. Pracanum. " Gray before my time." — Solibus aptum. 
" Fond of basking in the sun." "We may remark, in many places of his 
works, that our poet was very sensible to cold; that in winter he went to 
the sea-coast, and was particularly fond of Tarentum in that season, be- 
cause it was milder there. — 25. Irasci celerem, tamen ut placabilis essem. 
" Of a hasty temper, yet so as easy to be appeased." — 26. Forte meum si 
quis te percontabitur azvum, &c. Horace was born A.U.C. 689, B.C. 65, 
in the consulship of L. Aurelius Cotta and L. Manlius Torquatus. From 
this period to the consulship of M. Lollius and Q,. iEinilius Lepidus there 
was an interval of forty-four years. — 28. Collegam Lepidum quo duxit 
Lollius anno. " In the year that Lollius received Lepidus as a colleague." 
The verb duxit, as here employed, has a particular reference to the fact 
of Lollius having been elected consul previous to Lepidus being chosen. 
Accoi-ding to Dio Cassius (54, 6), Augustus being, in the year 733, in Sicily, 
the consulship was given to him and Lollius. Augustus, however, de- 
clined this office, and therefore GL iEmilius Lepidus and L. Silanus be- 
came candidates for the vacant place. After much contention, the former 
obtained the appointment. In this sense, then, Lollius may be said to 
bave received him into the consulship, i. e., to have led the way. 



BOOK II. 



Epistle I. This is the celehrated epistle to Augustus, who, it seems, 
had, in a kind and friendly manner, chid our poet for not having address- 
ed to him any of his satiric or epistolary compositions. The chief object 
of Horace, in the verses which he in consequence inscribed to the em- 
peror, was to propitiate his favor in behalf of the poets of the day. One 
great obstacle to their full enjoyment of imperial patronage, and to their 
success with the public in general, arose from that inordinate admiration 
which prevailed for the works of the older Roman poets. A taste, whether 
real or pretended, for the most antiquated productions, appears to have 
been almost universal, and Augustus himself showed manifest symptoms 
of this predilection. (Compare Suetonius, vit. Aug., c. 89.) In the age 
of Horace, poetry had, no doubt, been greatly improved; but hitherto 
criticism had been little cultivated, and as yet had scarcely been profess- 
ed as an art among the Romans. Hence the public taste had not kept 
pace with the poetical improvements, and was scarcely fitted, or duly pre- 
pared to relish them. Some, whose ears were not yet accustomed to the 
majesty of Virgil's numbers, or the softness of Ovid's versification, were 
still pleased with the harsh and rugged measure, not merely of the most 
ancient hexameter, but even of the Saturnian lines ; while others, impene- 
trable to the refined wit and delicate irony of Horace himself, retained 
their preference for the coarse humor and quibbling jests which disgraced 
the old comic drama. A few of these detractors may have affected, mere- 
ly from feelings of political spleen, to prefer the unbridled scurrility, and 
the bold, uncompromising satire of a republican age, to those courtly re- 
finements which they might wish to insinuate were the badges of ser- 
vitude ; but the greater number obstinately maintained this partiality 
from malicious motives, and with a view, by invidious comparison, to dis- 
parage and degrade their contemporaries, who laid claim to poetical re- 
nown. Accordingly, the first aim of Horace, in his epistle to Augustus, 
is to lessen this undue admiration by a satirical representation of the 
faults of the ancient bards, and the absurdity of those who, in spite of their 
manifold defects, were constantly extolling them as models of perfection. 
But it must be admitted that, in pursuit of this object, which was in some 
degree selfish, Horace has too much depreciated the fathers of Roman 
song. He is in no degree conciliated by their strong sense, their vigor- 
ous expression, or their lively and accurate representations of life and 
manners. The old Auruncan receives no favor, though he was the founder 
of that art in which Horace himself chiefly excelled, and had left it to his 
successor only to polish and refine. While decrying the gross jests of 
Plautus, he has paid no tribute to the comic force of his Muse; nor, in the 
general odium thrown on his illustrious predecessors, has he consecrated 
a single line of panegyric to the native strength of Ennius, the simple 
majesty of Lucretius, or even the pure style and unsullied taste of Terence. 

His epistle, however, is a master-piece of delicate flattery and critical 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 609 

art. The poet introduces his subject by confessing that the Roman peo- 
ple had, with equal justice and wisdom, heaped divine honors on Augus- 
tus while yet present among them ; but that, in matters of taste, they 
were by no means so equitable, since they treated the living bard, how- 
ever high his merit, with contempt, and reserved their homage for those 
whom they dignified with the name of ancients. He confutes one argu- 
ment by which this prepossession was supported : That the oldest Greek 
writers, being incontestably superior to those of modern date, it followed 
that the like preference should be given to the antiquated Roman masters. 

Having obviated the popular and reigning prejudice against modern 
poets, he proceeds to conciliate the imperial favor in their behalf, by plac- 
ing their pretensions in a just light. This leads him to give a sketch of 
the progress of Latin poetry, from its rude commencement in the service 
of a barbarous superstition till his own time, and to point out the various 
causes which had impeded the attainment of perfection, particularly in the 
theatrical department; as the little attention paid to critical learning, the 
love of lucre which had infected Roman genius, and the preference given 
to illiberal sports and shows over all the genuine beauties of the drama. 
He at length appropriately concludes his interesting subject by applaud- 
ing Augustus for the judicious patronage which he had already afforded 
to meritorious poets, and showing the importance of still further extend- 
ing his protection to those who have the power of bestowing immortality 
on princes. It is difficult to say what influence this epistle may have had 
on the taste of the age. That it contributed to conciliate the favor of the 
public for the writers of the day seems highly probable ; but it does not 
appear to have eradicated the predilection for the oldest class of poets, 
which continued to be felt in full force as late as the reign of Nero. Dunlop. 

1-4. 1. Quum tot sustineas, &c. ""While thou alone (and unaided) 
art sustaining the weight of so in any and so important affairs." — Solus. 
Prom A.U.C. 727, when he was, by a public decree, saluted with the title 
of Augustus, an appellation which all were directed for the future to be- 
stow upon him, the distinguished individual here addressed may be said 
to have reigned alone, having then received, in addition to the consulship, 
the tribunitian power, and the guardianship of public morals and of the 
laws. — Moribus ornes. "Art adorning them with public morals." Au- 
gustus was invested with censorian power, repeatedly for five years, ac- 
cording to Dio Cassius (liii., 17), and, according to Suetonius, for life (Suet., 
Oct., 27), under the title of Prcefectus Morum. It is to the exercise of the 
duties connected with this office that the poet here alludes, and to his laws 
for the suppression of adultery, the encouragement of marriage, &c. — 4. 
Longo sermone. Commentators are perplexed by this expression, since, 
with the exception of the epistle to the Pisos, the present is actually one 
of the longest that we have from the pen of Horace. Hurd takes sermone 
to signify here not the body of the epistle, but the proem or introduction 
only, Parr's explanation, however, appears to us the fairest: "As to 
longo, the proper measure of it seems the length of the epistle itself com- 
pared with the extent and magnitude of the subject." (Warb. Tr., p. 
171, n. 2.) 

5-9. 5. Romulus et Liber pater, &c. The subject now opens. Augus- 



610 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

tus is more fortunate than the ancient heroes, who were not ranked among 
the gods until after their death. — 6. Post ingentia facta, &c. " After 
mighty exploits received into the temples of the gods," i. e., only graced 
with divine honors after a long and toilsome career of labors. — 7. Colunt. 
"They civilize." Equivalent to cultos reddunt. — 9. Agros assignant. 
"Assign fixed settlements." — Ploravere suis, &c. "Lamented that the 
favor hoped for by them was not awarded to their deserts." . 

10-16. 10. Diram qui contudit hydrant. Hercules, the conqueror of 
the Lernean hydra. — 11. Fatali labore. "By his fated labors," *. e., the 
labors imposed on him by Fate. — 12. Comperitinvidiam supremo fine do- 
mari. " Found that envy was to be overcome by death alone." A beau- 
tiful idea. Every other monster yielded to the prowess of Hercules. 
Envy alone bade defiance to his arm, and was to be conquered only upon 
the hero's surrender of existence. — 13. Urit enimfulgore suo, qui pragrd- 
vat artes, &c. " For he, who bears down by supei'ior merit the arts placed 
beneath him, burns by his very splendor," i. e., he, whose superiority is 
oppressive to inferior minds, excites envy by this very pre-eminence. 
Artes is here equivalent in effect to artifices. — 14. Exstinctus amabitur 
idem. " The same, when dead, will be an object of our love." When the 
too powerful splendor is withdrawn, our natural veneration of it takes 
place. — 15. Pratsenti tibi maturos largimur honores, &c. A happy stroke 
of flattery, and which the poet, with great skill, makes to have a direct 
bearing on his subject. According to him, the Roman people had, with 
equal justice and wisdom, heaped divine honors on Augustus while yet 
present among them, and yet this same people were so unfair in matters 
of taste as to treat the living bard, whatever his merit, with contempt, 
and to reserve their homage for those whom they dignified with the name 
of ancients. Thus the very exception to the general rule of mei'it neglect- 
ed while alive, which forms the striking encomium in the case of Augus- 
tus, furnishes the poet with a powerful argument for the support of his 
main proposition. — Maturos honores. "Living honors." — 16. Jurandas- 
que tuum per numen ponimus aras. " And we raise altars whereon men 
are to swear by thy divinity." 

18-25. 18. In uno. "In one thing alone." — '20. Simili ratione modo- 
que. "After a similar rule and manner." — 21. Suisque temporibns de- 
functa. "And to have run out their allotted periods," i. e., and already 
past. — 23. Sit: fautor veterum. " Such favorers of antiquity," i. e., such 
strenuous advocates for the productions of earlier days. The reference is 
still to the Roman people. — Tabulas peccare vetantes. "The tables for- 
bidding to transgress." Alluding to the twelve tables of the Roman law, 
the foundation of all their jurisprudence. Horace would have done well 
to*have considered if, amid the manifold improvements of the Augustan 
poets, they had judged wisely in rejecting those rich and sonorous diph- 
thongs of the tabula peccare vetantes which still sound with such strength 
and majesty in the lines of Lucretius. — 24. Quas bis quinquc viri sanxe- 
runt. " Which the decemviri enacted," i. e. x which the decemviri, being 
authorized by the people, proclaimed as laws. — Fosdera regum. Alluding 
to the league of Romulus with the Sabines, and that of Tarquinius Superb- 
us with the people of Gabii. Dionysius states (iv., 68) that the league 
made by Tarquin with the people of Gabii was extant in the temple of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 611 

Sancus, being written on a bull's hide stretched on a wooden shield. — 25. 
Vel Gabiis vel cum rigidis mquata Sabinis. In construction, cum must 
be supplied with Gabiis. Consult note on Epist. i., 11, 7. 

26, 27. 26. Pontificum libros. According to a well-known custom, 
manifestly derived from very ancient times, the chief pontiff wrote on a 
whited table the events of the year, prodigies, eclipses, a pestilence, a 
scarcity, campaigns, triumphs, the deaths of illustrious men ; in a word, 
what Livy brings together at the end of the tenth book, and in such as 
remain of the following ones, mostly when closing the history of a year, 
in the plainest words, and with the utmost brevity ; so diy that nothing 
could be more jejune. The table was then set up in the pontiff's house ; 
the annals of the several years were afterward collected in books. This 
custom obtained until the pontificate of P. Mucius, and the times of the 
Gracchi ; when it ceased, because a literature had now been formed, and 
perhaps because the composing such chronicles seemed too much below 
the dignity of the chief pontiff — Annosa volumina vatum. Alluding to 
the Sibylline oracles and other early predictions, bat particularly the 
former. — 27. Albano Musas in monte locutas. A keen sarcasm on the 
blind admiration with which the relics of earlier days were regarded, as 
if the very Muses themselves had abandoned Helicon and Parnassus to 
come upon the Alban Mount, and had there dictated the treaties and proph- 
ecies to which the poet refers. Under the terms Musas there is a particu- 
lar reference to the nymph Egeria, with whom, as it is well known, Numa 
pretended to hold secret conferences on the Alban Mountain. Egeria, be- 
sides, was ranked by some among the number of the Muses. Compare 
Dion. Hal., ii., 60. — Albano monte. The Alban Mount, now called Monte 
Cavo, had the city of Alba Longa situate on its slope, and was about 
twenty miles from Rome. 

28-33. 28. Si quia Graiorum sunt antiquissima, Sec. "If, because 
the most ancient works of the Greeks are even the best, the Roman writers 
are to be weighed in the same balance, there is no need of our saying 
much on the subject," i. e., it is in vain to say any thing further. On the 
force of vel here, consult Zumpt, § 108. — 31. Nil intra est olea, nil extra 
est in nuce duri. " There is nothing hard within in the olive, there is 
nothing hard without in the nut." The idea intended to be conveyed by 
this line, and the two verses that immediately succeed, is as follows : To ( 
assert that, because the oldest Greek writers are the best, the oldest Ro- 
man ones are also to be considered superior to those who have come after, 
is just as absurd as to say that the olive has no pit, and the nut no shell, 
or to maintain that our countrymen excel the Greeks in music, painting, 
and the exercises of the palaestra. — Unctis. Alluding to the custom of 
anointing the body previous to engaging in gymnastic exerciser 

34-49. 34. Si meliora dies, ut vina, poemata reddit, &c. " If length 
of time makes poems better, as it does wine, I should like to know how 
many years will claim a value for writings." The poet seems pleasant- 
ly to allow that verses, like wine, may gain strength and spirit by a cer- 
tain number of years. Then, under cover of this concession, he insensibly 
leads his adversary to his ruin. He proposes a term, of a reasonable dis- 
tance, for separating ancients from moderns ; and, this term being one© 



612 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

received, he by degrees presses upon his disputant, who was not on his 
guard against surprise, and who neither knows how to advance nor retreat. 
— 36. Decidit. Equivalent to mortuus est. — 38. Excludat jurgia Jinis. 
"Let some fixed period exclude all possibility of dispute." — 39. Est vetus 
atque probus, centum qui perficit annos. "We have here the answer to 
Horace's question, supposed to be given by some admirer of the ancients. 
— 40. Minor. Supply natu. "Later." — 42. An quos. Complete the el- 
lipsis as follows : An inter eos quos. — 43. Honeste. "Fairly." — 45. TJtor 
permisso, caudoeque pilos ut equina?, &c. "I avail myself of this conces- 
sion, and pluck away the years by little and little, as I would the hairs of 
a horse's tail ; and first I take away one, and then again I take away an- 
other, until he who has recourse to annals, and estimates merit by years, 
and admires nothing but what Libitinahas consecrated, falls to the ground, 
being overreached by the steady principle of the sinking heap," i. e., the 
principle by which the heap keeps steadily diminishing. "We have here 
a fair specimen of the argument in logic, termed Sorites (2wptr?7c, from 
cwpoc, " a heap"). It is composed of several propositions, very little dif- 
ferent from each other, and closely connected together. The conceding 
of the first, which, in general, can not be withheld, draws after it a conces- 
sion of all the rest in their respective turns, until our antagonist finds him- 
self driven into a situation from which there is no escape. As a heap of 
corn, for example, from which one grain after another is continually taken, 
at length sinks to the ground, so, in the present instance, a large number 
of years, from which a single one is constantly taken, is at last so dimin- 
ished that we can not tell when it ceased to be a large number. Chry- 
sippus was remarkable for his frequent use of this syllogism, and is sup- 
posed to have been the inventor. — 46. Paulatim vcllo, et demo unum, 
demo et item unum. With vello supply annos, and with each unum sup- 
ply annum. — 47. Cadat. As if he had been standing on the heap, in 
fancied security, until the removal of one of its component parts after an- 
other brings him eventually to the ground. — 48. Fastos. The Fasti Con- 
sulares are meant, which would be consulted in order to find under what 
consuls (i. e., in what year) a poet was born. — 49. Nisi quod Libitina 
sacravit. Alluding to the works of those who have been consigned to 
the tomb : the writings of former days. Consult, as regards Libitina, the 
note on Ode iii., 30, 7. 

50-53. 50. Ennius, et sapiens, et fortis, &c. "Ennius, both learned 
and spirited, and a second Homer, as critics say, seems to care but little 
what becomes of his boastful promises and his Pythagorean dreams." 
Thus far the poet has been combating the general prejudice of his time 
in favor of antiquity. He now enters into the particulars of his charge, 
and, from line 50 to 59, gives us a detail of the judgments passed upon 
the most celebrated of the old Roman poets by the generality of his con- 
temporaries. As these judgments are only a representation of the popu- 
lar opinion, not of the writer's own, the commendations here bestowed 
are deserved or otherwise, just as it chances. Horace commences with 
Ennius : the meaning, however, which he intends to convey, has been, in 
general, not very clearly understood. Ennius particularly professed to 
have imitated Homer, and tried to persuade his countrymen that the soul 
and genius of that great poet had revived in him, through the medium of 
a peacock, according to the process of Pythagorean transmigration : a fan- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 613 

tastic genealogy to which Persius alludes (6, 10, seqq). Hence the boast- 
ful promises [promissa) of the old bard, that he would pour forth strains 
worthy of the father of Grecian song. The fame of Ennius, however, ob- 
serves Horace, is now completely established among the critics of the 
day, and he appears to be perfectly at ease with regard to his promises 
and his dreams (leviter curare videtur, quo promissa cadant, &c). Pos- 
terity, in their blind admiration, have made him all that he professed to 
be. — 53. Ncevius in manibus non est, &c. " Is not Naevius in every one's 
hands, and does he not adhere to our memories almost as if he had been 
a writer of but yesterday ?" With recens supply ut. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this : But why do I instance Ennius as a proof of the 
admiration entertained for antiquity ? Is not Naevius, a much older and 
harsher writer, in every body's hands, and as fresh in their memories al- 
most as if he were one of their contemporaries 1 

55-58. 55. Ambigitur quoties. " As often as a debate arises," i. e., 
among the critics of the day. — Aufert Pacuvius docti f amain senis, Attius 
alti. " Pacuvius bears away the character of a skillful veteran, Attius of 
a lofty writer." With alti supply poetos. The term senis characterizes 
Pacuvius as a literary veteran; a title which he well deserved, since he 
published his last piece at the age of eighty, and died after having nearly 
completed his ninetieth year. — Docti. This epithet alludes to his ac- 
quaintance with the Greek poets, both epic and tragic, from whom he 
used to borrow the plots of his pieces. — 57. Dicitur Aj'rani toga convenis- 
se Menandro. " The gown of Afranius is said to have fitted Menander." 
An expression of singular felicity, and indicating the closeness with which 
Afranius, according to the critics of the day, imitated the manner and 
spirit of the Attic Menander, or, in other words, was the Roman Menan- 
der. The term toga is here employed in allusion to the subjects of Afra- 
nius's comedies, which were formed on the manners and customs of the 
Romans, and played in Roman dresses. His pieces, therefore, would re- 
ceive the appellation oicomozdia (or fabulce) togatce, as those founded on 
Grecian manners, and played in Grecian dresses, would be styled pallia- 
tee. — 58. Plautus ad exemplar Siculi properare Epicharmi. " Plautus to 
hurry onward, after the pattern of the Sicilian Epicharmus." The true 
meaning of properare, in this passage, has been misunderstood by some 
commentators. It refers to the particular genius of Plautus, whose pieces 
are full of action, movement, and spirit. The incidents never flag, but 
rapidly accelerate the catastrophe. At the same time, however, it can 
not be denied that, if we regard his plays in the mass, there is a consider- 
able, and perhaps too great, uniformity in their fables. This failing, of 
course, his admirers overlooked. 

59-62. 59. Vincere Ccecilius gravitate, Terentius arte. " Caecilius to 
excel in what is grave and affecting, Terence in the skillful construction 
of his plots." — 60. Ediscit. "Gets by heart." — Arcto theatro. "In the 
too narrow theatre," i. e., though large in itself, yet too confined to be ca- 
pable of holding the immense crowds that flock to the representation. — 62. 
Livi. Livius Andronicus, an old comic poet, and the freedman of Livius 
Salinator. He is said to have exhibited the first play, A.TJ.C. 513 or 514, 
about a year after the termination of the first Punic war. Roman litera- 
ture is considered to have commenced with Andi'onicus. Orelli remarks 



614 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

that the Romans were not so much to hlame in doing what Horace here 
censures, since after the time of Afranius and Attius the Latin dramatic 
muse had produced nothing of merit. 

63-75. 63. Interdum vulgus rectum videt, &c. From this to the 66th 
line the poet admits the reasonable pretensions of the ancient writers to 
admiration. It is the degree of it alone to which he objects : " Si veteres 
ita miratur laudatque," &c. In the next place, he wished to draw off the 
applause of his contemporaries from the ancient to the modern poets. 
This required the superiority of the latter to be clearly shown, or, what 
amounts to the same thing, the comparative defects of the ancients to be 
pointed out. These were not to be dissembled, and are, as he openly in- 
sists (to line 69), obsolete language, rude and barbarous construction, and 
slovenly composition. " Si qucsdam nimis antique^ &c. — 66. Nimis anti- 
que. "In too obsolete a manner." — Dure. "In a rude and barbarous way." 
— 67. Ignave. "With a slovenly air." — 68. Et Jove judicat cequo. "And 
judges with favoring Jove." A kind of proverbial expression, founded on 
the idea that men derive all their knowledge from the deity. Hence, 
when they judge fairly and well, we may say that the deity is favorable, 
and the contrary when they judge ill. — 69. Non equidem insector delen- 
dave carmina Livi esse reor, &c. The connection in the train of ideas may 
be stated as follows : But what then? (an objector replies) : these were 
venial faults surely, the deficiencies of the times, and not of the men ; who, 
with such deviations from correctness as have just been noted, might still 
possess the greatest talents and produce the noblest designs. This (from 
line 69 to 79) is readily admitted ; but, in the mean time, one thing was 
clear, that they were not almost finished models, ,l exactis minimum dis- 
tantia," which was the main point in dispute. For the bigot's absurdity 
lay in this : " Non veniam antiquis, sed honorem et prcemia posci."—Livi. 
Alluding to Livius Andronicus. Compare note on verse 62. — 71. Orbili- 
um. Horace had been some time at the school of Orbilius Pupillus, a na- 
tive of Beneventum, who had served as a soldier, and who, in his fiftieth 
year, the same in which Cicero was consul, came to teach at Rome. He 
is here styled plagosus, from his great severity. — Dictare. Consult note 
on Sat. i., 10, 75. — Emendata. " Correct." — 72. Exactis minimum, dis- 
tantia. " Vei*y little removed from perfection." — 73. Inter quce. Refer- 
ring to the carmina Livi. — Verbum emicuit si forte decorum. "If any 
happy expression has chanced to shine forth upon the view," i. e., has 
happened to arrest the attention. Emicare is properly applied to objects 
which, as in the present instance, are more conspicuous than those around, 
and therefore catch the eye more readily. — 75. Injuste totum ducit vendit- 
que poema. " It unjustly carries along with it, and procures the sale of the 
whole poem." By the use of ducit the poet means to convey the idea 
that a happy turn of expression, or a verse somewhat smoother and more 
elegant than oi'dinary, stamps a value on the whole production, and, under 
its protecting guidance, carries the poetical bai'k, heavily laden though it 
be with all kinds of absurdities, safe into the harbor of public approbation. 

79-85. 79. Recte necne crocum Jloresque pcrambulet, &c. "Were I to 
doubt whether Atta's drama moves amid the saffron and the flowers of 
the stage in a proper manner or not," &c. The reference here is to Titus 
Quinctius, who received the surname of Atta from a lameness in his feet, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 615 

which gave him the appearance of a man walking on tip-toe ; persons 
who, from a malformation, walked, as we term it, on their toes, being 
named, as Festus tells us, atlas. It is to this personal deformity that Hor- 
ace pleasantly alludes when he supposes the plays of Atta limping over 
the stage like their lame author. The Roman stage was sprinkled with 
perfumed waters and strewed with flowers. We may easily infer from 
this passage the high reputation in which the dramas of Atta stood among 
the countrymen of Horace. — : 81. Patres. E quivalent to seniores. — 82. Quae 
gravis JEsopus, quce doctus Roscius egit. " "Which the dignified iEsopus, 
which the skillful Roscius have performed." iEsopus and Roscius were 
two distinguished actors of the day. Cicero makes mention of them both, 
but more particularly of the latter, who attained to such eminence in the 
histrionic art that his name became proverbial, and an individual that ex- 
celled, not merely in this profession, but in any other, was styled a Roscius 
in that branch. — 84. Minoribus. Equivalent to junioribus. — 85. Perdenda. 
" Is deserving only of being destroyed." 

86-88. 86. Jam, Saliare Numce carmen qui laudat, &c. The carmen 
Saliare, here referred to, consisted of the strains sung by the Salii, or 
priests of Mars, in their solemn procession. This sacerdotal order was in- 
stituted by Numa for the purpose of preserving the sacred ancilia. There 
remain only a few words of the song of the Salii, which have been cited 
by Varro. In the time of this writer, the carmen Saliare was little, if at 
all, understood. — 87. Scire. " To understand."— 88. Ingeniis non ille fa- 
vet, &c. The remark here made is perfectly just ; for how can one, in re- 
ality, cherish an admiration for that, -the tenor and the meaning of which 
he is unable to comprehend ? 

90-92. 90. Quod si tarn Graiis novitas invisafuissset, &c. The poet, 
having sufficiently exposed the unreasonable attachment of his country- 
men to the fame of the earlier writers, now turns to examine the perni- 
cious influence which it is likely to exert on the rising literature of his 
country. He commences by asking a pei'tinent question, to which it con- 
cerned his antagonists to make a serious reply. They had magnified (line 
28) the perfection of the Grecian models. But what (from line 90 to 93) if 
the Greeks had conceived the same aversion to novelties as the Romans? 
How, then, could these models have ever been furnished to the public use ? 
The question, it will be perceived, insinuates what was before affirmed 
to be the truth of the case, that the unrivalled excellence of the Greek 
poets proceeded only from long and vigorous exercise, and a painful, un- 
interrupted application to the arts of verse. The liberal spirit of that peo- 
ple led them to countenance every new attempt toward superior literary 
excellence ; and so, by the public favor, their writings, from rude essays, 
became at length the standard and the admiration of succeeding times. 
The Romans had treated their adventurers quite otherwise, and the effect 
was answerable. This is the purport of what to a common eye may look 
like a digression (from line 93 to 108), in which is delineated the very dif- 
ferent genius and practice of the two nations ; for the Greeks (to line 
102) had applied themselves, in the intei - vals of their leisure from the toils 
of war, to the cultivation of literature and the elegant arts. The activity 
of these restless spirits was incessantly attempting some new and untried 
form of composition; and when that was brought to a due degree of per- 



616 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

fection, it turned in good time to the cultivation of some other. So that 
the very caprice of humor (line 101) assisted in this country to advance 
and help forward the public taste. Such was the effect of peace and op- 
portunity with them. Hoc paces habuere bones ventique secundi. The 
Romans, on the other hand (to line 108), acting under the influence of a 
colder temperament, had directed their principal efforts to the pursuit of 
domestic utilities, and a more dexterous management of the arts of gain. 
The consequence was, that when (to line 117) the old frugal spirit had in 
time decayed, and they began to seek for the elegances of life, a fit of 
versifying, the first of all liberal amusements that usually seize an idle 
people, came upon them. But their ignorance of rules, and want of exer- 
cise in the art of writing, rendered them wholly unfit to succeed in it. 
The root of the mischief was the idolatrous regard paid to their ancient 
poets, which checked the progress of true genius, and drew it aside into 
a vicious and unprofitable mimicry of earlier times. Hence it came to 
pass that wherever, in other arts, the previous knowledge of rules is re- 
quired to the practice of them, in this of versifying no such qualification 
was deemed necessaiy. Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim 
(Hurd, ad loc). — 92. Quod legcret tereretque, &c. ""Which general use 
would read and thumb over man by man," i. e., Which would be read and 
thumbed in common by every body. 

93-102. 93. Utprimum. "As soon as." More literally, " when first." 
— Nugari. " To turn her attention to lighter themes," i. e., to poetry, 
painting, sculpture, gymnastic exercises, &c. — Bellis. Alluding particu- 
larly to the Persian war, since from this period more attention began to 
be paid to literature and the peaceful arts. — 94. Et in vitium fortuna la- 
bier aqua. " And, from the influence of prosperity, to glide into corrup- 
tion," i. e., to abandon the strict moral discipline of earlier days. — JEqua. 
Equivalent to secunda. — Labier. Old form for labi. — 95. Studiis. "With 
an impassioned fondness for." — Equorum. Alluding to equestrian games. 
— 96. Fabros. "Artists." — 97. Suspendit picta vultum mentemque ta- 
bella. "She fixed her look and her whole soul upon the painting," i. e., 
she gazed with admiration on fine paintings, and her very soul, not mere- 
ly her eyes, hung, as it were, from the painting. The elegant use of sus- 
pendere, in this passage, is deserving of particular attention. — 98. Tibi- 
cinibus. The players on the tibia, who used to contend at the public 
games. They stand here for music in general, as tragoedis does for 
plays, the drama. — 99. Sub nutrice puella, &c. " As if, an infant girl, she 
"were sporting under a nurse, quickly cloyed she abandoned what (a mo- 
ment before) she had eagerly sought," &c. The nurse had care of the 
child till it was about three years old. Observe that mature is to be con- 
strued with plena, not with reliquit. — 102. Hoc. " This effect." — Paces 
bonce ventique secundi. " The happy times of peace, and the favoring 
gales of national pi*osperity." Compare note on verse 90. 

103-117. 103. Reclusa mane domo vigilare, &c. "To be up early in 
the morning with open doors, to explain the laws to clients, to put out 
money carefully guarded by good securities." The terms rectis nomini- 
bus have reference to the written obligation of repayment, as signed by 
the borrower, and having the name of witnesses also annexed. — 106. Ma- 
jores audire, minori dicere, &c. " To listen to the old, to teach the young." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 617 

The young listened to the old, the old, on their part, taught the young," 
&c. — 108. Mutavit mentem populus levis, &c. Such were we, says the 
poet, in the good old times, when we were almost constantly at war ; now 
see the effects of paces bonce and venti secundi. Compare note on verse 
90. — 109. Patresque severi. The epithet severi is ironical. — 110. Dictant. 
"Dictate," i. e., to their amanuenses. — 112. Parthis mendacior. The 
Parthians were a false and lying nation. Their very mode of fighting 
proved this, by their appearing to fly while they actually fought ; nor is 
the allusion a bad one in reference to a poet who renounces rhyming and 
yet continues to write. — 113. Vigil. '-Awake," i. e., leaving my couch. 
— Calamum et chartas, &c. The ancients, when they wrote on paper or 
parchment, used a reed slit and cut like our pens. — Scrinia. A kind of 
case or port-folio to hold writing materials. — 114. Ignarus navis. Supply 
agenda. — Ahrotonum. " Southern-wood." An odoriferous shrub, which 
grows spontaneously in the southern parts of Europe, and is cultivated 
elsewhere in gardens. It was used very generally in medicine before 
the introduction of chamomile. (Plin., H. N., xxi., 10.) Wine, in which 
southern-wood had been put (olvoc afipoToviT7/c), was thought to possess 
very healthful properties. — 115. Medicorum .... medici. Bentley con- 
jectured melicorum .... melici, which Sanadon, Wakefield, Voss, . and 
Bothe adopt. — 116. Promittunt. In the sense of prqfitentur. — 117. Scri- 
bimus indocti doctique poemata passim. Compare note on verse 90. 

118-124. 118. Hie error tamen, et levis hcec insania, &c. Having suf- 
ficiently obviated the popular and reigning prejudices against the modern 
poets, Horace, as the advocate of their fame, now undertakes to set forth 
in a just light their real merits and pretensions. In furtherance of this 
view, and in order to impress the emperor with as advantageous an idea 
as possible of the worth and dignity of the poetic calling, he proceeds to 
draw the character of the true bard in his civil, moral, and religious vir- 
tues ; for the muse, as the poet contends, administers in this threefold 
capacity to the service of the state. — 119. Vatis avarus non temereest ani- 
mus. " The breast of the bard is not easily swayed by avaricious feelings." 
In general, a powerful inclination for poetry mollifies and subdues all other 
passions. Engaged in an amusement which is always innocent, if not 
laudable, while it is only an amusement, a poet wishes to entertain the 
public, and usually does not give himself too much pain to raise his own 
fortune, or injure that of others. — 122. Non fraudem socio, puerove inco- 
gitat ullam pupillo. " He meditates nothing fraudulent against a part- 
ner, nor against the boy that is his ward." As regards the term socio, 
consult note on Ode iii., 24, 60. Incogitat is analogous to the Greek etrt- 
voel or £7uj3ov?i£vei. Horace appears to have been the first, if not the 
only writer, that has made use of this verb.— 123. Vivit siliquis etpanese- 
cundo. " He lives on pulse and brown bread." Siliqua is the pod or shell 
of beans, peas, &c. It is here put for those pulse themselves. — Pane se- 
cundo. Literally, "bread of a secondary quality." — 124. Malus. "Unfit." 

126-131. 126. Os tenerum pueri balbumque poetajigurat. "The poet 
fashions the tender, and lisping accents of the boy." Horace now begins 
to enumerate the positive advantages that flow from his art. It fashions 
the imperfect accents of the boy, for children are first made to read the 
works of the poets ; they get their moral sentences by heart, and are ia 



618 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

this way taught the mode of pronouncing with exactness and propriety.— 
127. Torquet ab obsccenis jam nunc sermonibus aurem. "He turns away 
his ear, even at this early period, from impure converse." Observe the 
force of jaw nunc. In a moral point of view, argues Horace, the services 
of poetry are not less considerable. It serves to turn the ear of youth from 
that early corrupter of its innocence, the seducement of loose and impure 
communication. — 128. Mox etiam pectus prasceptis format amicis. Poetry 
next serves to form our riper age, which it does with all the address and 
tenderness of friendship (amicis prceceptis), by the sanctity and wisdom 
of the lessons which it inculcates, and by correcting rudeness of manners, 
and envy, and anger. — 129. Asperitatis. " Of rudeness." — 130. Recte facta 
refert. " He records virtuous and noble actions." — Orientia tempora notis 
instruit exemplis. " He instructs the rising generation by well-known 
examples," i. e., he places before the eyes of the young, as models of imi- 
tation in after life, well-known examples of illustrious men. Literally, 
" the rising times." — 131. Jnopem solatur et agrum. The poet can relieve 
even the languor of ill health, and sustain poverty herself under the scorn 
and insult of contumelious opulence. 

132-137. 132. Castis cum pueris ignara puella mariti, Sec. An elegant 
expression for chorus castorum puerorum et castarum virginum. We 
now enter upon an enumeration of the services which the poet renders to 
religion. He composes hymns by which the favor of the gods is concilia- 
ted and their anger averted. These hymns were sung by a chorus of 
youths and virgins whose fathers and mothers were both alive. — 134. Et 
pr&sentia numina sentit. " And finds the gods propitious." — 135. Casles- 
tes implorat aquas. In times of great drought, to avert the wrath of 
heaven and obtain rain, solemn sacrifices were offered to Jupiter, called 
Aquilicia. The people walked barefoot in procession, and hymns were 
sung by a chorus of boys and girls. — Docta prece blandus. " Sweetly 
soothing in instructed prayer," i. e., in the accents of prayer as taught 
them by the bard. — 136. Avertit morbos. Phoebus, whose aid the chorus 
invokes, is a deus averruncus, aTTorpdnaioc. — 137. Pacem. "National 
tranquillity." 

139-144. 139. Agricolae prisci, fortes, parvoque beati, &c. The train of 
ideas is as follows : But religion, which was its noblest end, was, besides, 
the first object of poetry. The dramatic muse, in particular, had her birth, 
and derived her very character from it. This circumstance then leads the 
poet to give an historical deduction of the rise and progress of Latin po- 
etry, from its first rude workings in the days of barbarous superstition, 
through every successive period of its improvement, down to his own 
times. (Hurd, ad loc.) — 141. Spe finis. " Through the hope of their end- 
ing." — 143. Teilurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant. The poet here se- 
lects two from the large number of rural divinities, Tellus, or Ceres, and 
Bilvanus. — 144. Genium memorem brevis cevi. "The Genius that reminds 
us of the shortness of our existence." (Consult note on Ode iii., 17, 14.) 
Flowers, cakes, and wine were the usual offerings to this divinity : no 
blood was shed, because it appeared unnatural to sacrifice beasts to a god 
who presided over life, and was worshipped as the grand enemy of death. 
The poet says he taught his votaries to remember the shortness of life, 
because, as he was born with them, entered into all their pleasures, and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 619 

died with them, he pressed them, for his own sake, to make the hest use 
of their time. 

145-154. 145. Fescennina per hunc invecta licentia morem, &c. " The 
Fescennine licentiousness, introduced by this custom r poured forth its rus- 
tic taunts in alternate verses," i. e., in dialogue. As the Grecian holidays 
were celebrated with offerings to Bacchus and Ceres, to wbose bounty 
they owed their wine and corn, in like manner the ancient Italians pro- 
pitiated, as the poet has just informed us, their agricultural or rustic dei- 
ties with appropriate offerings ; but as they knew nothing of the Silenus 
or Satyrs of the Greeks, who acted so conspicuous a part in the rural cel- 
ebrations of this people, a chorus of peasants, fantastically disguised in 
masks cut out from the bark of trees, danced or sung to a certain kind of 
verse, which they called Saturnian. Such festivals had usually the double 
purpose of worship and recreation, and, accordingly, the verses often di- 
gressed from the praises of Bacchus to mutual taunts and railleries, like 
those in Virgil's third Eclogue, on the various defects and vices of the 
speakers, "Versibus alternis opprobria rusticafv.dit." Such verses, orig- 
inally sung or recited in the Tuscan and Latin villages, at nuptials or re- 
ligious festivals, were first introduced at Rome by histriones, who were 
summoned from Etruria to Rome in order to allay a pestilence which was 
depopulating the city. (Liv., vii., 2.) These histriones, being mounted on 
a stage, like our modern mountebanks, performed a sort of ballet, by dan- 
cing and gesticulating to the sound of musical instruments. The Roman 
youth thus learned to imitate their gestures and music, which they accom- 
panied with railing verses delivered in extemporary dialogue. Such 
verses were termed Fescennine, either because they were invented at 
Fescennia, or Fescennium, a city of Etruria, or from Fascinus, one of the 
Roman deities. The jeering, however, which had been at first confined 
to inoffensive raillery, at length exceeded the bounds of moderation, and 
the peace of private families was invaded by the unrestrained licence of 
personal invective. This exposure Of private individuals, which alarmed 
even those who had been spared, was restrained by a salutary law of the 
decemviri. — 147. Recurrentes accepta per annos. " Received through re- 
turning years," i. e., handed down with each returning year. — 148. Ama- 
biliter. " Pleasantly," i. e., causing pleasure instead of pain. — Donee jam 
saivus apertam, &c. "Until now, bitter jests began to be converted into 
open and virulent abuse." — 150. Minax. "With threatening mien." — 
151. Fuit intactis quoque cura, &c. "They, too, that were as yet unas- 
sailed, felt a solicitude for the common condition of all." — 153. Malo quae 
nollet carmine quemquam describi. " Which forbade any one being stig- 
matized in defamatory strains." — 154. Vertere modum. "Our poets 
thereupon changed their tone." Supply poetce, which is implied in Fes- 
cennina licentia. — Formidine fustis. The punishment ordained by the 
law already referred to against any one who should violate its provisions, 
was to be beaten to death with clubs. It was termed fustuarium, and 
formed also a part of the military discipline in the case of deserters. 

156,157. 156. Grmciacaptajerumvictoremcepit. " Conquered Greece 
made captive her savage conqueror." The noblest of all conquests, that 
of literature and the arts. — 157. Sic horridus ille defluxit numerus Satur- 
nius. " In this way the rough Saturnian measure ceased to flow." J5e« 



620 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

Jluxit is here equivalent to fluere desiit. The Saturnian was the most 
ancient species of measure employed in Roman poetry. It was univer- 
sally used before the melody of Greek verse was poured on the Roman 
ear, and, from ancient practice, the same strain continued to be repeated 
till the age of Ennius, by whom the heroic measure was introduced. 
(Consult Anthon's Latin Prosody, p. 199.) 

158-167. 158. Et grave virus munditice pepulere. " And purer habits 
put the noisome poison to flight," i. e., a purer and more elegant style of 
composition succeeded to the rugged numbers of the Saturnian verse, and 
put to flight the poison of rusticity and barbaiism. The force of virus, in 
this passage, is well explained by the remark of Cruquius, "Doctas aures 
enecat oratio barbara." — 160. Vestigia ruris. " The traces of rusticity." 
— 161. Serus enim Greeds admovit acumina chartis. Supply Latinus. 
"For the Roman was late in applying the edge of his intellect to the 
Grecian pages." — 162. Quietus. " Enjoying repose." — 163. Quid Sopho- 
cles, et Thespis, et ^Eschylus utile ferrent. "What useful matter Sopho- 
cles, and Thespis, and iEschylus afforded." The chronological order is 
Thespis, ^Eschylus, et Sophocles. Thespis is mentioned here merely by 
way of compliment as the founder of the drama, since there is no reason 
to suppose that the Romans were acquainted with or imitated any of his 
pieces. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 164. Tentavit quoque rem, si digne vertere pos- 
set. " He made the experiment, too, whether he could translate their 
pieces in the way that they deserved." Rem is equivalent here to in- 
ceptum, and depends on tentavit, not on vertere. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 165. Et 
placuit sibi, natura sublimis et acer. "And he felt pleased with him- 
self at the result, being by nature of a lofty and high-toned character." — 
166. Nam spirat tragicum satis et feliciter audet. " For he breathes 
sufficient of the spirit of tragedy, and is happy in his flights." Literally, 
" and dares successfully." — 167. Sed turpem putat, &c. "But he foolish- 
ly thinks a blot shameful, and (consequently) avoids it," i. e., but he thinks 
the practice of correction a degrading one, and therefore shuns it. The 
poet here censures the dramatic writers for not attending sufficiently to 
correctness and elegance of style. Litura properly means the smoothing 
out of a word on the waxen tablet with the broad end of the stylus. 

168-170. 168. Creditur, ex medio quia res arcessit, &c. " Comedy, be- 
cause it takes its subjects from common life, is believed to carry with it 
the least degree of exertion, but comedy has so much the more labor con- 
nected with itself, the less indulgence it meets with," i. e., many are apt 
to think that comedy, because it takes its character from common life, is 
a matter of but little labor ; it is in reality, however, a work of by so much 
the greater toil, as it has less reason to hope for pardon to be extended to 
its faults. Horace's idea is this : In tragedy the grandeur of the subject 
not only supports and elevates the poet, but also attracts the spectator, 
and leaves him no time for malicious remarks. It is otherwise, however, 
in comedy, which engages only by the just delineation that is made of sen- 
timents and characters. — 170. Adspice, Plautus quo pacto partes tutetur 
amantis ephebi, &c. " See in what manner Plautus supports the charac- 
ter of the youthful lover; how that of the covetous father; how that of 
the cheating pimp." Ironical. Horace, the better to show the difficulty 
of succeeding in comedy, proceeds to point out the faults which the most 
popular comic writers have committed. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 621 

173-177. 173. Quantus. "How surfeiting." Alluding- to the exag- 
gerated buffoonery of his characters, just as what follows refers to the 
mercenary carelessness with which his pieces were composed. — 174. 
Qnam non adstricto, &c. " With what a loose sock he runs over the 
stage," i. e., in what a careless and negligent manner he composes his 
pieces. — 175. Gestit enim nummum in locvlos demittere, &c. The allu- 
sion is still to Dossennus, who, according to the poet, was attentive only 
to the acquisition of gain, altogether unconcerned about the fate of his 
pieces after this object was accomplished.^-177. Quern tulit ad scenarn 
ventoso gloria curru, &c. Horace, as Hurd remarks, here ironically 
adopts the language of an objector, who, as the poet has very satirically 
contrived, is left to expose himself in the very terms of his objection. He 
has just been urging the love of money as another cause that contributed 
to the prostitution of the Roman comic muse, and has been blaming the 
venality of the Roman dramatic writers in the person of Dossennus. 
They had shown themselves more solicitous about filling their pockets 
than deserving the reputation of good poets. But, instead of insisting 
further on the excellence of this latter motive, he stops short, and brings 
in a bad poet himself to laugh at it. " What ! Is the mere love of praise 
to be our only object ? Are we to drop all inferior considerations, and 
drive away to the expecting stage in the puffed car of vainglory ? And 
why 1 To be dispirited or inflated, as the capricious spectator shall think 
fit to withhold or bestow his applause. And is this the mighty benefit of 
thy vaunted passion for fame? No; farewell the stage, if the breath of 
others is that on which the silly bard is made to depend for the contrac- 
tion or enlargement of his dimensions." To all this convincing rhetoric 
the poet condescends to interpose no objection, well knowing that no truer 
service is oftentimes done to virtue or good sense than when a knave or 
fool is left to himself to employ his idle raillery against either. 

178-182. 178. Exanimat lentus spectator, sedulus infiat. "A listless 
spectator dispirits, an attentive one puffs up." — 180. Submit ac reficit. 
" Overthrows or raises up again." — Valeat res ludicra. "Farewell to the 
stage," i. e., to the task of dramatic composition. — 181. Palma negata. 
The poet here borrows the language of the games. So, also, in reducit. 
— 182. Scepe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretque poetam, &c. The poet 
has just shown that the comic writers so little regarded fame and the 
praise of good writing as to make it the ordinary topic of their ridicule, 
representing it as the mere illusion of vanity and the infirmity of weak 
minds, to be caught by so empty and unsubstantial a benefit. Though 
were any one, he now adds, in defiance of public ridicule, so daring as 
frankly to avow and submit himself to this generous motive, yet one thing 
remained to check and weaken the vigor of his emulation. This (from 
line 182 to 187) was the folly and ill taste of the undiscerning multitude. 
These, by their rude clamors, and the authority of their numbers, were 
enough to dishearten the most intrepid genius ; when, after all his endeav- 
ors to reap the glory of a finished production, the action was almost sure 
to be broken in upon and mangled by the shows of wild beasts and gladia- 
tors, those amusements which the Romans, it seems, prized much above 
the highest pleasures of the drama. Nay, the poet's case was still more 
desperate ; for it was not the untutored rabble alone that gave counte- 
nance to these illiberal sports : even rank and quality, at Rome, debased 



622 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

themselves in showing the strongest predilection for these shows, and was 
as ready as the populace to prefer the uninstructing pleasures of the eye 
to those of the ear, " Equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas," &c. 
And because this barbarity of taste had contributed more than any thing 
else to deprave the poetry of the stage, and discourage able writers from 
studying its perfection, what follows, from line 189 to 207, is intended as 
a satire upon this madness, this admiration of pomp and spectacle, this 
senseless applause bestowed upon the mere decorations of the scene, and 
the stage-tricks of the day ; all which were more surely calculated to elicit 
the approbation of an audience, than the utmost regard, on the part of the 
poet, either to justness of design or beauty of execution. (Hurd, ad loc.) 

183-193. 183. Quod numero plures, virtute et honore minores, &c. In 
this and the succeeding line, the poet draws a brief but most faithful pic- 
ture of the Roman plebs. — 185. Eques. The Equites, as a better educated 
class, are here opposed to the plebeians. — 186. Aut ursum aut pugiles. 
This was before the erection of amphitheatres. The first amphitheatre 
was erected by Statilius Taurus, in the reign of Augustus. — 187. Veruvi 
equitis quoque jam, &c. This conniption of taste now spreads even to the 
more educated classes. — 188. Incertos oculos. "Eyes continually wan- 
dering from one object to another," i. e., attracted by the variety and splen- 
dor of the objects exhibited, so as to be uncertain on which to rest. — 189. 
Quatuor aut plures aulasa premuntur in horas. " For four hours or more 
is the curtain kept down." We have rendered this literally, and in accord- 
ance with the language of former days. In the ancient theatres, when 
the play began the curtain was drawn down under the stage. Thus the 
Romans said tollere aulcea, "to raise the curtain," when the play was 
done, and premere aulcea, when the play commenced and the performers 
appeared. Horace, therefore, here alludes to a piece which, for four hours 
and upward, exhibited one unbroken spectacle of troops of horse, com- 
panies of foot, &c. In other words, the piece in question is a mere show, 
calculated to please the eye, without at all improving the mind of the 
spectator. — 191. Regum fortuna. "The fortune of kings," i. e., unfor- 
tunate monarchs. — 192. Esseda fes tin ant, &c. "Two-wheeled war-cars, 
carriages, four-wheeled chariots, ships, hurry along (the stage)." The 
essedum (called also esseda) was a two-wheeled car, used, especially in 
war, by the Britons, Gauls, and Belgae, and also by the Germans. The 
name is said to be derived from the Celtic ess, " a carriage." The pilen- 
tum was a four-wheeled covered carriage, furnished with soft cushions, 
which conveyed the Etonian matrons in sacred processions, and in going 
to the Circensian and other games. The petorritum has already been de- 
scribed, Sat. i., 6, 104. — Naves. It is best to understand this of actual 
ships moved along by means of machines. Some, however, think that 
the allusion is to the beaks of ships placed on vehicles, and displayed as 
the ornaments of a triumphal pageant. — 193. Captivum ebur. Either 
richly- wrought articles of ivory are here meant, or else tusks of elephants 
(denies eburnei). — Captiva Corinthus. " A captive Corinth," i. e., a whole 
Corinth of precious and costly articles. Corinth, once so rich in every 
work of art, is here used as a general expression to denote whatever is 
rare and valuable. 

194-207. 194. Democritus. Democritus laughed, as Heraclitus wept, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 623 

at human affairs. Consult note on Epist. i., 12, 12. — 195. Diversum con- 
fusa genus panthera camelo. " A panther mixed with a camel, a distinct 
species," i. e., distinct from the common panther. The poet alludes to 
the camelopard or giraffe, an animal first brought to Rome by Julius 
Caesar. — 196. Elephas albus. "White elephants are as great a rarity, al- 
most, in our own days, and their possession is eagerly sought after and 
highly prized by some of the Eastern potentates. — Converteret. Supply 
in se. — 197. Spectaret populum ludis attentius ipsis, &c. " He would 
gaze with more attention on the people than on the sports themselves, as 
affording him more strange sights than the vei*y actor." Mimo is here taken 
in the general signification of histrio. — 199. Scriptores autem narrare pu- 
tarct, &c. "While he would think the writers told their story to a deaf 
ass," i. e., while, as for the poets, he would think them employed to about 
as much purpose as if they were telling their story to a deaf ass. Scrip- 
tores is equivalent here to poetcz. — 200. Nam qua pervincere voces evaluere 
sonum, &.c. " For what strength of lungs is able to surmount the din with 
which our theatres resound!" i. e., for what actor can make himself heard 
amid the uproar of our theatres 1 — 202. Garganum mngire putes nemus, 
&c. The chain of Mount Garganus, in Apulia, on the coast of the Adriatic, 
was covered with forests, and exposed to the action of violent winds. 
Hence the roaring of the blast amid its woods forms no unapt comparison 
on the present occasion. Consult note on Ode ii., 9, 7. — 203. Et artes, 
diviticeque peregrince, "And the works of art, and the riches of foreign 
lands." Artes here refers to the statues, vases, and other things of the 
kind, that were displayed in the theatrical pageants which the poet con- 
demns. — 204. Quibus oblittis actor guum stetit in scena, &c. "As soon 
as the actor makes his appearance on the stage, profusely covered with 
which, the right hand runs to meet the left," i. e., applause is given by the 
clapping of hands. The allusion in quibus, that is, in divitice, is to purple, 
precious stones, costly apparel, &c. — 207. Lana Tarentino violas imitata 
veneno. " The wool of his robe, which imitates the hues of the violet by 
the aid of Tarentine dye," i. e., his robe dyed with the purple of Taren- 
tum, and not inferior in hue to the violet. Veneno is here taken in the 
same sense that (papfiaKOV sometimes is in Greek. 

208-213. 208. Ac ne forte petes, me, quasfacere ipse recusem, &c. Here, 
observes Hurd, the poet should naturally have concluded his defence of 
the dramatic writers, having alleged every thing in their favor that could 
be urged plausibly from the state of the Roman stage, the genius of tJie 
people, and the several prevailing practices of ill taste, which had brought 
them into disrepute with the best judges ; but finding himself obliged, in 
the course of this vindication of the modern stage-poets, to censure, as 
sharply as their very enemies, the vices and defects of their poetry, and 
fearing lest this severity on a sort of writing to which he himself had 
never pretended might be misinterpreted as the effect of envy only, and 
a malignant disposition toward the art itself, under cover of pleading for 
its professors, he therefore frankly avows (from line 208 to 214) his pref- 
erence of the dramatic to every other species of poetry, declaring the 
sovereignty of its pathos over the affections, and the magic of its illusive 
scenery on the imagination, to be the highest argument of poetic excel- 
lence, the last and noblest exercise of human genius. — 209. Laudare 
maligne. " Condemn by faint praise." More literally, " praise Ulna- 



624 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

turedly," i. e., stingily, niggardly. — 210. Illeper extentum funem mihi posse 
videtur ire poeta. " That poet appears to me able to walk upon the tight 
rope," i. €., able to do any thing, to accomplish the most difficult under- 
takings in his art. The Romans, who were immoderately addicted to 
spectacles of every kind, had in particular esteem the funambuli or rope- 
dancers. From the admiration excited by their feats, the expression ire 
per extentum funem came to denote, proverbially, an uncommon degree 
of excellence and perfection in any thing. The allusion is here made 
with much pleasantry, as the poet had just been rallying his countrymen 
on their fondness for these extraordinary achievements. — 211. Meum qui 
pectus inaniter angit. " Who tortures my bosom by his unreal crea- 
tions," L e., by his fictions. According to Hurd, the word inaniter here, 
as well as the epithet falsis applied to ierroribus in the ensuing verse, 
would express that wondi-ous force of dramatic representation which com- 
pels us to take part in feigned adventures and situations as if they were 
real, and exercises the passions with the same violence in remote, fan- 
cied scenes, as in the present distresses of actual life. — 213. Ut magus. 
" Like some magician," i. e., like the magician who pretends to raise the 
dead, &c. — Et modo, &c. Not in the same piece, but in different plays. 

214. Verum age et his, qui se lectori credere malunt, &c. • As regards 
the connection in the train of ideas, compare the remarks of Hurd : " One 
thing still remained. Horace had taken upon himself to apologize for the 
Roman poets in general ; but, after an encomium on the office itself, he 
confines his defence to the writers for the stage only. In conclusion then, 
he was constrained, by the very purpose of his address, to say a word or 
two in behalf of the remainder of this neglected family; of those who, as 
the poet expresses it, had rather trust to tlie equity of the closet than sub* 
ject themselves to the caprice and insolence of the theatre. Now, as before, 
in asserting the honor of the stage-poets, he every where supposes the 
emperor's disgust to have sprung from the wrong conduct of the poets 
themselves, and then extenuates the blame of such conduct by consider- 
ing still further the causes which gave rise to it, so he prudently ob- 
serves the same method here. The politeness of his addresses concedes 
to Augustus the just offence he had taken to his brother poets, whose 
honor, however, he contrives to save by softening the occasions of it. 
This is the drift of what follows (from line 214 to 229), where he pleasant- 
ly recounts the several foibles and indiscretions of the Muse, but in away 
that could only dispose the emperor to smile at, or at most to pity, her in- 
firmities, not to provoke his serious censure and disesteem. They amount, 
on the whole, but to certain idlenesses of vanity, the almost inseparable 
attendants of wit as well as beauty, and may be forgiven in each, as im- 
plying a strong desire to please, or rather as qualifying both to please. 
One of the most exceptionable of these vanities was a fond persuasion, 
too readily taken up by men of parts and genius, that preferment is the 
constant pay of merit, and that, from the moment their talents become 
known to the public, distinction and advancement are sure to follow." 

215-227. 215. Spectatoris fastidia superbi. " The capricious humor of 
an arrogant spectator." — 216. Curam redde brevem. "Pay in turn some 
little attention." The verb reddo properly denotes the payment of that 
which is due. — Munus Apolline dignum. Alluding to the Palatine libra- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 625 

ry, established by the emperor. Consult note on Epist. i., 3, 17. — 217. 
Addere calcar. " To give a spur to," i. e., to incite. — 218. Studio. " Eag- 
erness. " — 219. Multa quidem nobis facimus, &c. Compare note on verse 
214. — 220. Ut vineta egomet coedam mea. "That I may pruue my own 
vineyards," i. e., that I may be severe against myself as well as against 
others.— 221. Quum, Imdimur, unum si quis amicorum, &c. Horace now 
touches upon the vanity of the poetical tribe. Compare note on verse 214. 
— 223. Quum locajam recitata revolvimus irrevocati. "When, unasked, 
we repeat passages already read." The allusion is to the Roman custom 
of authors' reading their productions to a circle of friends or critics, in order 
to ascertain their opinion respecting the merits of the work submitted to 
their notice. — Loca. Cicero aud duintilian always use the masculine in 
this sense. (Orelli, ad loc.) — Irrevocati. Equivalent hei'e to injussi. 
The allusion is borrowed from the Roman stage, where an actor was said 
revocari whose performance gave such approbation that he was recalled 
by the audience for the purpose of repeating it, or, as we would say, was 
encored. — 224. Non apparere. " Do not appear," i, e., are not noticed. — 
225. Et tenui deducta. poemata jilo . "And our poems spun out in a fine 
thread," i. e., and our finely-wrought verses. — 226. Eo. "To this point." 
— 227. Commodus ultro arcessas. " Thou wilt kindly, of thine own ac- 
cord, send for us." 

229-233. 229. Sed tamen est opera pretium, &c. " It is worth while, 
however, to know what kind of keepers," &c. The cedilui (iepotyvXaicer 
or veuaopoi) were a kind of sextons, who had charge of the temples, 
where they exhibited the sacred things to visitors, aud told the [ivdoL, or 
legends, connected with them. The poet therefore supposes the virtue 
of Augustus to have its temple, of which poets were to be the ceditui. 
(Keightlcy, ad loc.) The connection in the train of ideas is given as fol- 
lows by Hard: Horace now touches upon a new theme. Fond and pre- 
sumptuous, observes he, as are the hopes of poets, it may well deserve a 
serious consideration who of them are fit to be intrusted with the glory of 
princes ; what ministers are worth retaining in the service of an illustri- 
ous virtue, whose honors demand to be solemnized with a religious rev- 
erence, and should not be left to the profanation of vile and unhallowed 
hands. And, to support this position, he alleges the example of a great 
monarch, who had been negligent on this head, Alexander the Great, 
namely, who, when master of a vast empire, perceived, indeed, the im- 
portance of gaining a poet to his service, but, unluckily, chose so ill, that 
the encomiums of the bard whom he selected only tarnished the native 
splendor of those virtues which should have been presented in their fair- 
est hues to the admiration of the world. In his appointment of artists, on 
the other hand, this prince showed a more true judgment ; for he suffered 
none but an Apelles and a Lysippus to represent the form and fashion of 
his person. — 233. Chozrilus. A poet in the train of Alexander, who is 
mentioned also by Cluintus Curtius (viii., 5, 8). He was probably a na- 
tive of Iasos, in Caria. Alexander is said to have promised him a piece 
of gold for every good verse that he made in his praise. It is also stated 
that this same poet, having, by a piece of presumption, consented to re- 
ceive a blow for every line of the Panegyric on Alexander whioh should 
be rejected by the judges, suffered severely for his folly. This part of the 
story, however, appears to be merely a joke. There were several other 
Dd 



626 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE I. 

poets of the same name. — Incultis qui versions et male natis, &c. " Who 
owed to his rough and ill-formed verses the Philippi, royal coin, that he 
received." Acron, in his scholium on the 357th verse of the epistle to 
the Pisos, relates, that Alexander told Choerilus he would rather be the 
Thersites of Homer than the Achilles of Choerilus. Some commentators 
have therefore siipposed that Horace has altered the story in order the 
better to suit his argument, and that, if Alexander did bestow any sum 
of money upon Choerilus, it was on condition that he should never write 
about him again. It is most probable, however, that while Alexander 
paid Choerilus liberally for his flattery, he did not conceal his contempt for 
his poetry. — Philippos. Gold pieces, with Philip's head upon them, 
thence called Philippi. 

235-245. 235.- Sedveluti tractata notant labemque remittunt, &c. "But 
as ink, when touched, leaves behind it a mark and a stain, so writers, 
generally speaking, soil by paltry verse distinguished actions." The idea 
intended to be conveyed is this : But this was unwise in Alexander, for 
bad poets injure their subjects just as ink stains what it touches. 
{Keightley , ad loc.) — 240. Alius Lysippo. "Any other than Lysippus." 
Compare the Greek idiom uXkoc Avoitttcov, of which this is an imitation. 
— Duceret mra fortis Alexandri vultum simulantia. " Should mould in 
brass the features of the valiant Alexander." Literally, "fashion the 
brass representing the features," &c. Ducere, when applied, as in the 
present instance, to metaL means to forge, mould, or fashion out, according 
to some proposed model. — 241. Quod si-judicium subtile videndis artibus 
Mud, &c. "But wert thou to call that acute perception which he pos- 
sessed in examining into other arts to literary productions and to these 
gifts of the Muses, thou wouldst swear that he had been born in the thick 
air of the Boeotians," i. e., was as stupid as any Boeotian. Boeotian dull- 
ness was proverbial, but how justly, the names of Pindar, Epaminondas, 
Plutarch, and other natives of this country will sufficiently prove. Much 
of this sarcasm on the national character of the Boeotians is no doubt to be 
ascribed to the malignant wit of their Attic neighbors. — Videndis. He 
uses this word, as these arts are objects of sight, not, like poetry, of the 
mind alone. [Keightley, ad Zoc.)— 245. At neque dedecorant tua de seju- 
dicia, &c. As regards the connection in the train of ideas, compare the 
remarks of Hurd : The poet makes a double use of the ill judgment of Al- 
exander ; for nothing could better demonstrate the importance of poetry 
to the honor of greatness than that this illustrious conqueror, without any 
particular knowledge or discernment in the art itself, should think him- 
self concerned to court its assistance. And, then, what could be more 
likely to engage the emperor's further protection aud love of poetry, than 
the insinuation (which is made with infinite address) that, as he honored 
it equally, so be understood its merits much better ? for (from line 245 to 
248, where, by a beautiful concurrence, the flattery of his prince falls in 
with the more honest purpose of doing justice to the memory of his friends) 
it was not the same unintelligent liberality which had cherished Choerilus 
that poured the full stream of Caesar's bounty on such persons as Varius 
and Virgil. And, as if the spirit of these inimitable poets had at once 
seized him, he breaks away in a bolder strain (from line 248 to 250) to sing 
the triumphs of an art which expressed the manners and the mind in full- 
er aud more durable relief than painting or even sculpture had ever been 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.~BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 627 

able to give to the external figure, and (from line 250 to the end) apolo- 
gizes for himself in adopting the humbler epistolary species, when a 
warmth of inclination and the unrivalled glories of his prince were con- 
tinually urging him on to the nobler encomiastic poetry. 

246^270. 246. Mult a dantis cum laude. "With high praise to the 
giver." The favors so well bestowed by Augustus have won for him, ac- 
cording to the poet, deserved encomiums from the world. — 250. Apparent. 
Equivalent to exsplendescunt. — Sermones repentes per humum. The poet 
alludes to his satires and epistles. — 251. Quam res componere gestas. 
"Than tell of exploits," i. e., thy achievements.— 252. Arces montibus im- 
positas. The allusion appears to be to fortresses, which, though erected 
on lofty mountain heights by the Alpine tribes, for instance, had been re- 
duced by the valor of the generals of Augustus.- — 253. Barbara regna. 
"Barbarian realms," i. e., the many barbarian kingdoms subdued by thee. 
— 255. Claustraque custodem pads cohibentia Jarium. Augustus closed 
the Temple of Janus three times. Consult note on Ode iv., 15, 8. — 258. 
Majestas. "Greatness." — Recipit. In the sense of admitlit. — 260. Sedu- 
litas autem stulte, quern diligit, urget. " For officiousness disgusts the 
person whom it loves without discernment," i.e., excessive zeal, praising 
without discernment, only disgusts. Construe stulte with diligit. — £61. 
Quum se eommendat. " When it strives to recommend itself." — 262. Di- 
scit. Supply aliquis. Men recollect a caricature longer than the virtues 
of the original. — 264. Nil moror qflicium. " I value not that officious re- 
spect which causes me uneasiness." The idea intended to be conveyed 
is this : If, says Horace, I were in that situation which might lead any 
one to try to conciliate my favor by his praises, I would reject that offi- 
ciousness which would prove to me a burden rather than a source of honor. 
— Ac nequejicto in pejus vullu, &c. " And neither have I the wish to be 
displayed to the view in wax, with my countenance formed for the worse," 
i. e., with disfigured looks. Orelli thinks that, at this time, busts or im- 
ages of distinguished men, formed in wax, were sold at Rome, to be 
placed in libraries, &c, like our plaster-of-Paris busts. — 267. Pingui mu- 
nere. "With the stupid present," i. e., carmine pingui Minerva facto. — 
.268. Cum scriptore meo. " With my panegyrist." — Capsa porrectus aper- 
ta. "Stretched out to view in an open box." — 269. Deferar. Because 
the street referred to lay in the valley below the Forum. Horace fre- 
quently intimates that he lived in the higher parts of the city. (Keigkt- 
ley, ad loc.) — In vicum vendentem. "Into the street where they sell." 
Literally, "into the street that sells." The Vicus Thurarius is meant. — 
270. Chartis ineptis. The allusion is to writings so foolish and unworthy 
of perusal as soon to find their way to the grocers, and subserve the hum- 
bler but more useful employment of wrappers for small purchases. 



Epistle II. This epistle is also in some degree critical. Julius Floras, 
a friend of our poet's, on leaving Rome to attend Tiberius in one of his 
military expeditions, asked Horace to send him some lyric poems, and 
wrote to him afterward complaining of his neglect. The poet offers 
various excuses. One of these arose from the multitude of bad and con- 
ceited poets with which the capital swarmed. Accordingly, his justifica- 
tion is enlivened with much raillery on the vanity of contemporary authors, 



628 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

and their insipid compliments to each other, while the whole is animated 
with a fine spirit of criticism, and with valuable precepts for our instruc- 
tion in poetry. This has been parodied by Pope in the same style as the 
preceding epistle. 

1-9. 1. Flore. To this same individual, who formed part of the reti- 
nue of Tiberius, the third epistle of the first book is inscribed. — Neroni. 
Alluding to Tiberius (Claudius Tiberius Nero), the future emperor. — 3. Ga- 
biis. Consult note on Epist. i., 11, 7. — Et tecum sic agat. "And should 
treat with thee as follows." — Hie et candidus, et talos a vertice, &c. " This 
boy is both fair and handsome from head to foot." Candidus does not 
here refer to the mind, as some commentators suppose, but to the com- 
plexion, and the allusion appears to be a general one, to the bright look 
of health which the slave is said to have, and which would form so im- 
portant a featui'e in the enumeration of his good qualities. — 5. Fiet erit- 
que tuus. "He shall become, and shall be, thine." An imitation of the 
technical language of a bargain. — Nummorum millibus octo. " For eight 
thousand sesterces." About $310. — 6. Verna ministeriis ad nutus aptus 
keriles. "A slave ready in his services at his master's nod," i.e., prompt 
to understand and obey every nod of his master. Verna, which is here 
used in a general sense for serous, properly denotes a slave born beneath 
the roof of his master. — 7. Literulis Gracis imbutus. "Having some 
little knowledge of Greek." This would enhance his value, as Greek 
was then much spoken at Rome. It would qualify him also for the office 
of avayvuGTrjc, or reader. — 8. Argilla quidvis imitaberis uda. "Thou 
wilt shape any thing out of him, as out of so much moist clay," i. e., thou 
mayest mould him into any shape at pleasure, like soft clay. Horace 
here omits, according to a very frequent custom on his part, the term that 
indicates comparison, such as veluti, sicuti, or some other equivalent ex- 
pression. — 9. Quin etiam canet indoctum, sed dulce bibenti. "Besides, he 
will sing in a way devoid, it is true, of skill, yet pleasing enough to one 
who is engaged over his cup." Indoctum means properly without in- 
struction, in an artless manner. 

10-16. 10. Fidem levant. "Diminish our confidence in a person." — 
11. Extrudere. " To get them off his hands." To palm them off on an- 
other. — 12. Res urget me nulla. " No necessity urges me," i. e., induces 
me to sell him. — Meo sum pauper in cere. " I am in narrow circumstances, 
I confess, yet owe no man any thing." A proverbial expression, most 
probably. — 13. Mangonum. Mango is thought by some etymologists to 
be shortened from mangano, a derivative of fidyyavov, "jugglery," "de- 
ception," in allusion to the artifices employed by these men in effecting 
their sales. — Non temere a me quivis ferret idem. " It is not every one 
that would readily get the same bargain at my hands." The common 
language of knavish dealers in all ages. — 14. Semel hie cessavit, et, utjlt, 
&c. " Once, indeed, he was in fault, and hid himself behind the stairs, 
through fear of the pendent whip, as was natural enough." We have 
adopted the arrangement of Doring, by which in scalis latuit are joined 
in construction, and pendentis has a general reference to the whip's hang- 
ing up in any part of the house. The place behind the stairs, in a Roman 
house, was dark, and fit for concealment. — 16. Excepta nihil te si fuga 
Icedit. " If his running away and hiding himself on that occasion, which 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 629 

I have just excepted, does not offend thee." Absconding was regarded 
as so considerable a fault in the case of a slave, that a dealer was obliged 
to mention it particularly, or the sale was void. 

17-25. 17. Ille ferat pretium, panes securus, opinor. "The slave- 
dealer may after this, I think, carry off the price, fearless of any legal 
punishment." The poet now resumes. The law could not reach the 
slave-merchant in such a case, and compel him to pay damages or refund 
the purchase-money, for he had actually spoken of the slave's having once 
been a fugitive, though he had endeavored, by his language, to soften 
down the offence. — 18. Prudens emisti vitiosum ; dicta tibi est lex. " Thou 
hast purchased, with thine eyes open, a good-for-nothing slave ; the condi- 
tion of the bargain was expressly told thee," i. e., his having once been a 
fugitive. — 19. Hunc. Alluding to the slave-dealer. — 20. Dixi me pigrum 
prqficiscenti tibi, &c. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : 
Thou hast no better claim on me in the present instance than thou wouldst 
have on the slave-dealer in the case which I have just put. I told thee 
expressly, on thy departure from Rome, that I was one of indolent habits, 
and totally unfit for such tasks, and yet, notwithstanding this, thou corn- 
plainest of my not writing to thee! — 21. Talibus officiis prope mancum. 
"That I was altogether unfit for such tasks." Literally, "that I was al- 
most maimed (or deprived of one of my hands) for such tasks." A strong 
but pleasing expression. — 23. Quid turn profeci, &c. "What did I gain, 
then, when I told thee this, if, notwithstanding, thou assailest the very 
conditions that make for me?" — 24. Super hoc. "Moreover." — 25. Men- 
dax. "False to my promise." 

26-40. 26. Luculli miles, &c. "We have here the second excuse that 
Horace assigns for not writing. A poet in easy circumstances should 
make poetry no more than an amusement. — C ollecta viatica multis eerum~ 
nis. " A little stock of money which he had got together by dint of many 
hardships." The idea implied in viatica is, something which is to furnish 
the means of future support as well as of present comfort, but more par- 
ticularly the former. — 27. Ad assem. "Entirely," or, more literally, "to 
the last penny." — 30. Presidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt, &c. " He 
dislodged, as the story goes, a royal gairison from a post very strongly 
fortified and rich in many things." The allusion in regale is either to 
Mithradates or Tigranes, with both of whom Lucullus carried on war. — 
32. Donis honestis. Alluding to the torques, phalerce, &c. — 33. Accipit et 
bis dena super sestertia nummum. " He receives, besides, twenty thou- 
sand sesterces." About $775. — 34. Prator. " The general." The term 
prcstor is here used in its earlier acceptation. It was originally ap- 
plied to all who exercised either civil or military authority (Pr&tor : is 
qui prait jure et exercitu). — 36. Timido quoque. "Even to a coward." 
— 39. Post hcec ille catus, quant.umvis rusticus, inquit. "Upon this, the 
cunning fellow, a mere rustic though he was, replied." — 40. Zonam. " His 
purse." The girdle or belt served sometimes for a purse, especially with 
the soldiery. More commonly, however, the purse hung from the neck. 
Horace applies this story to his own case. The soldier fought bravely 
as long as necessity drove him to the step ; when, however, he made good 
his losses, he concerned himself no more about venturing on desperate en- 
terprises. So the poet, while his means were contracted, wrote verses 



630 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

for a support; now, however, that he has ohtained a competency, the 
inclination for verse has departed. 

41-45. 41. Romce nutriri miki contigit. Horace came to Rome with 
his father at the age of nine or ten years, and was placed under the in- 
struction of Orbilius Pupillus. — 42. Iratus Gratis quantum nocuisset 
Achilles. The poet alludes to the Iliad of Homer, which he read at school 
with his preceptor, and with which the Roman youth began their studies. 
—43. Bonce Athence. " Kind Athens." The epithet here applied to this 
celebrated city is peculiarly pleasing. The poet speaks of it in the lan- 
guage of fond and grateful recollection, for the benefits which he there 
received in the more elevated departments of instruction. — Artis. The 
term ars is here used in the sense of doctrina, " learning," and the refer- 
ence is to the philosophical studies pursued by Horace in the capital of 
Attica. — 44. Scilicet ut possem curvo dignoscere rectum. " That I might 
be able, namely, to distinguish a straight line from a curve." The poet 
evidently alludes to the geometrical studies which were deemed absolute- 
ly necessary, by the followers of the Academy, to the understanding of 
the sublime doctrines that were taught within its precincts. — 45. Silvas 
Academi. Alluding to the school of Plato. The place which the philoso- 
pher made choice of for this purpose was a public grove, called Academus, 
which received its appellation, according to some, from Hecademus, who 
left it to the citizens for the purpose of gymnastic exercises. Adorned 
with statues, temples, and sepulchres, planted with lofty plane-trees, and 
intersected by a gentle stream, it afforded a delightful retreat for philoso- 
phy and the Muses. Within this inclosure Plato possessed, as a part of 
his humble patrimony, purchased at the price of three thousand drachmas, 
a small garden, in which he opened school for the reception of those who 
might be inclined to attend his instructions. Hence the name Academy, 
given to the school of this philosopher, and which it retained long after 
his decease. 

47-52. 47. Chilis astus. " The tide of civil commotion." — 48. Ccesaris 
Augusti non responsura lacertis. "Destined to prove an unequal match 
for the strength of Augustus Caesar." — 49. Simul. For simul ac— 
Philippi. Philippi, the scene of the memorable conflicts which closed 
the last struggle of Roman freedom, was a city of Thrace, built by Philip 
of Macedon, on the site of the old Thasian colony of Crenidse, and in the 
vicinity of Mount Pangaeus. The valuable gold and silver mines in its im- 
mediate neighborhood rendered it a place of great importance. Its ruins 
still retain the name of Filibah. — 50. Decisis hurnilem pen?ds, inopemque, 
&c. " Brought low with clipped wings, and destitute of a paternal dwell- 
ing and estate," i. e., deprived of my office of militaiy tribune, and stripped 
of my patrimony. — 51. Paupertas impulit audax, &c. We must not un- 
derstand these words literally, as if Horace never wrote verses before the 
battle of Philippi, but that he did not apply himself to poetry as a profes- 
sion before that time. — 52. Sed, quod non desit, habentem, qua poterunt 
unquam satis expurgare cicutce, &c. "But what doses of hemlock will 
ever sufficiently liberate me from my phrensy, now that I have all which 
is sufficient for my wants, if I do not think it better to rest than to write 
verses," i. e., but now, having a competency for all my wants, I should be 
a perfect madman to abandon a life of tranquillity, and set up again for a 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 631 

poet, and no hemlock would be able to expel my phrensy. Commentators 
are puzzled to know how a poison, like hemlock, could ever have been 
taken as a remedy. Taken in a large quantity it is undoubtedly fatal, 
but when employed in small portions it was found to be a useful medi- 
cine. Horace speaks of it here as a frigorific. 

55-64. 55. Singula de nobis anni prmdantur euntes. " The years that 
go by rob us of one thing after another." Horace now brings forward his 
third reason for not continuing to write verses. He was at this time 
about fifty-four years of age, and considered himself too old for the task. — 
57. Tendunt extorquere poemata. "They are now striving to wrest from 
me poetry," i. e., to deprive me of my poetic powers.— Quid faciam vis ? 
"What wouldst thou have me do?" i. e., how can I help it? Compare 
Orelli : "Sed cedendum est necessitatis — 58. Denique non omnes eadem 
mirantur amantque. The difference of tastes among mankind furnishes 
Horace with a fourth excuse, such as it is, for not writing. The poet, how- 
ever, knew his own powers too well to be much, if at all, in earnest here. 
— 59. Carmine. "In Lyric strains." — 60. Bioneis sermonibus et sale ni- 
gra. " With satires written in the manner of Bion, and with the keenest 
raillery." The individual here referred to under the name of Bion is the 
same that was sumamed Borysthenites, from his native place Borysthenes. 
He was both a philosopher and a poet ; but, as a poet, remarkable for his 
bitter and virulent satire. He was a pupil of Theophrastus, and belong- 
ed to the Cyrenaic sect. — Sale nigro. The epithet nigro is here used with 
a peculiar reference to the severity of the satire with which an individual 
is assailed. In the same sense the verses of Archilochus (Epist. i., 19, 3) 
are termed atri. — 61. Tres miki convivce prope dissentire videntur. "They 
appear to me to differ almost like three guests.". The particle of compari- 
son [veluti or sicuti) is again omitted, in accordance with the frequent 
custom of Horace. Consult note on verse 8. The parties, who appear to 
the poet to differ in the way that he describes, are those whose respective 
tastes in matters of poetry he has just been describing. — 64. hvoisum. 
" Of unpleasant savor." 

65-74. 65. Prater cetera. "Above all." Equivalent to prm ceteris 
aliis. The l'eason here assigned is not, like the last, a mere pretext. 
The noise and bustle of a great city, and the variety of business transact- 
ed there, occasion such distraction of spirit as must ever greatly disturb a 
poet's commerce with the muse. — Romcene. The ne is here interrogative. 
— 67. Hie sponsum vocat. " This one calls me to go bail for him." — Au- 
ditum scripta. "To hear him read his works." Alluding to the custom 
of an author's reading his productions before friends, and requesting their 
opinions upon the merits of the piece or pieces. — 68. Cubat. "Lies sick." 
Compare Sat. i., 9, 18. — In colle Quirini hie extremo in Aventino. The 
Mons Quirinalis was at the northern extremity of the city, and the Mons 
Aventinus at the southern; hence the pleasantry of the expression which 
follows : " intervalla humane commoda." — 70. Intervalla humane commo- 
da. "A comfortable distance for a man to walk." — Verum puree sunt 
platete, &c. The poet here supposes Floras, or some other person, to 
urge this in reply : 'Tis true, it is a long way between the duirinal and 
Aventine, " but then the streets are clear," and one can meditate uninter- 
rupted by the way. — 72. Festinat calidus mulis gerulisque redemtor. 



CS2 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

The poet rejoins : Ay, indeed, the streets are very clear; " a builder, frrr 
instance, in a great heat, hurries along with his males and porters." Cctl- 
idus may be rendered, more familiarly, " puffing and blowing." — Redem- 
tor. By this term is meant a contractor or master buiJder. Compare Ode 
iii., 1, 35. — 73. Torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum. "A 
machine hoists at one moment a stone, at another a ponderous beam." 
Torquet does not here refer, as some commentators suppose, to the drag- 
ging along of the articles alluded to, but to their being raised on high, ei- 
ther by means of a windlass or a combination of pulleys. — 74. Tristia ro- 
bustis luctantur funera plaustris. Horace elsewhere takes notice of the 
confusion and tumult occasioned at Rome by the meeting of funerals and 
wagons (Sat. i., 6, 42). 

78-85. 78. Rite cliens Bacchi. "Due worshippers of Bacchus," i. e., 
duly enrolled among the followers of Bacchus. This deity, as well as 
Apollo, was regarded as a tutelary divinity of the poets, and one of the 
summits of Parnassus was sacred to him. — 80. Et cantacta sequi vestigia 
vatum? "And to tread close in the footsteps of genuine bards, until I 
succeed in coming up with them?" — 81. Ingenium, sibi quod vacuas de- 
sumsit Athenas. "A man of genius, who has chosen for himself the calm 
retreat of Athens." Ingenium quod is here put for i?ige?iiosus qui. As 
regards the epithet vacuas, consult note on Epist. i., 7, 45. The connec- 
tion in the train of ideas should be here carefully noted. It had been ob- 
jected to Horace that he might very well make verses in walking along 
the streets. He is not satisfied with showing that this notion is false, he 
will also show it to be ridiculous ; for, says he, at Athens itself, a city of 
but scanty population compared with Rome, a man of genius, who applies 
himself to study, who has run through a course of philosophy, and spent 
seven years among books, is yet sure to encounter the ridicule of the peo- 
ple if he comes forth pensive and plunged in thought. How, then, can any 
one imagine that I should follow this line of conduct at Rome ? Would 
they not have still more reason to deride me ? Horace says ingenium, 
" a man of genius," in order to give his argument the more strength ; for, 
if such a man could not escape ridicule even in Atheus, a city accustomed 
to the ways and habits of philosophers, how could the poet hope to avoid 
it at Rome, a city in every respect so different ? — 84. Hie. Referring to 
Rome. — 85. Et tempestatibus urbis. "And the tempestuous hurry of the 
city." 

87-94. 87. Auctor erat Romce consulto rhetor, &c. " A rhetorician at 
Rome proposed to a lawyer that the one should hear, in whatever the 
other said, nothing but praises of himself," i. e., that they should be con- 
stantly praising one another. Horace here abruptly passes to another 
reason for not composing verses, the gross flattery, namely, which the 
poets of the day were wont to lavish upon one another. There were, says 
he, two persons at Rome, a rhetorician and a lawyer, who agreed to be- 
spatter each other with praise whenever they had an opportunity. The 
lawyer was to call the rhetorician a most eloquent man, a second Grac- 
chus ; the rhetorician was to speak of the profound learning of the lawyer, 
and was to style him a second Mucius. Just so, observes Horace, do the 
poets act at the present day. We have adopted here the very elegant 
emendation of Withofius. The common text has Frater erat Romas con- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 633 

sulti rhetor, which has heen sought to he defended on the ground of stud- 
ied negligence, but in reality admits of no defence at all. — 89. Gracchus. 
The allusion is to Caius Gracchus, of whose powers as a public speaker 
Cicero makes distinguished mention in his Brutus, c. 33. — Mucius. Re- 
ferring to Ci- Mucius Scaevola, the distinguished lawyer, who is called by 
Cicero '• Jurisperitorum eloquentissimus et eloquentium jurisperitissimus" 
{Or., i., 3). — 90. Qui minus argutos vexat furor iste poetas 1 "In what 
respect does that madness exercise less influence upon the melodious 
poets of the day?" The epithet argutos is ironical. By juror is meant 
the desire of being lauded by others, amounting to a perfect madness. — 
91. Carmina compono, hie elegos. The poet, in order the better to laugh 
at them, here numbers himself among his brother bards, as one influenced 
by the same love of praise. If I, observes he, compose odes, and another 
one elegies, what wonders in their way, what master-pieces of skill, fin- 
ished by the very hands of the Muses themselves, do our respective pro- 
ductions appear to each other! — 92. Ccelatumque novem Musis. "And 
polished by the hands of the nine Muses." — 93. Quanto cumfastu, quanto 
cum molimine, &c. " With what a haughty look, with how important an 
air, do we survey the Temple of Apollo, open to Roman bards." A laugh- 
able description of poetic vanity. — 94. Vacuum Romanis vatibus. Equiv- 
alent to patentem poetis Romanis. The allusion is to the Temple of Apol- 
lo, where the poets were accustomed to read their productions. 

95-107. 95. Sequere. " Follow us within." Equivalent to sequere nos 
in templum. — 96. Ferat. In the sense of prqferat, i. e., recitet. — 97. Cce- 
dimur, et totidem plagis consumimus hostem, &c. " Like Samnite gladi- 
ators, in slow conflict, at early lamp-light, we receive blows and wear out 
our antagonist by as many in return." These bad poets, paying their 
compliments to each other, are pleasantly compared to gladiators fighting 
with foils. The battle is perfectly harmless, and the sport continues a long 
time [lento duello). These diversions were usually at entertainments by 
early lamp-light, and the gladiators were armed like ancient Samnites. 
Consult note on Ode ii., 13, 26. — 99. Alcceus. " An Alcseus." — Puncto il- 
lius. " By his vote," i. e., in his estimation. The allusion is to the mode 
of counting the votes at the Roman comitia, by means of dots or points. 
Compare Epist. ad Pis., 343 : " Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile 
dulci." — 101. Mimnermus. Compare Epist. i., 6, 65. — 101. Et optivo cog- 
nomine crescit. " And increases in importance through the wished-for 
appellation." As regards the epithet optivo, compare the explanation of 
Orelli : " Quodcunque nomen ei placet, hoc ei dare soleo." — 104. Finitis 
sludiis et mente recepta. " Having finished my poetical studies and re- 
covered my reason." — 105. Impune. "Boldly." Without fear of their 
resentment. — 107. Gaudent scribentes, et se venerantur, &c. The pleas- 
ure of making verses, observes Sanadon, is a great temptation, but it is a 
dangerous pleasure. Every poet, in the moment of writing, fancies he 
performs wonders ; but when the ardor of imagination has gone by, a good 
poet will examine his work in cool blood, and shall find it sink greatly in 
his own esteem. On the other hand, the more a bad poet reads his pro 
ductions over, the more he is charmed with them, se veneratur amatque. 

109-114. 109. At qui legitimum cupiet fecisse poema. Horace, after 
having described, in amusing colors, the vanity and conceit of bad poets, 
D d2 



634 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

now draws a picture of a good one, and lays down some excellent precepts 
for the guidance of Writers. This is a continuation of his reasoning. He 
has shown that a poet, foolishly pleased with his own works, draws upon 
himself ridicule and contempt, and he here speaks of the great exertion 
requisite to give value to a poem. Hence he concludes that poetry is a 
task in "which no wise and prudent man will ever engage .—Legitimum, 
poema. " A genuine poem," i. e., one composed in accordance with all 
the rules and precepts of art. — 110. Cum, tabulis animum censoris honesti. 
The idea intended to he conveyed is this, that such a writer as the one 
here described will take his waxed tablets, on which he is going to com- 
pose his strains, with the same feeling that an impartial critic will take 
up the tablets that are to contain his criticisms ; for, as a fair and honest 
critic will mark whatever faults are deserving of being noted, so a good 
poet will correct whatever things appear in his own productions worthy 
of correction. — 111. Audebit. "He will not hesitate." — 113. Movere loco. 
" To remove." We would say, in our modern phraseology, "to blot out." 
— 114. Intra penetralia Vesta;. " Within the inmost sanctuary of Vesta," 
i. e., within the recesses of his cabinet or closet. Penetralia Vestce is a 
figurative expression. None but the Vestal Virgins were allowed to en- 
ter within the inmost shrine of the Temple of Vesta, and with this sacred 
place is the poet's cabinet compared. Here his works are in a privileged 
abode, inaccessible to the criticisms of the public, and it is here that the 
poet himself should act the part of a rigid censor, retrench whatever is 
superfluous, and give the finishing hand to his pieces. 

115-124. 115. Obscurata din populo bonus eruet, &c. The order of 
construction is as follows : Bonus (poeta vel scriptor) eruet atque in hicem 
proferet populo, cui ilia diu obscurata sunt, speciosa vocabula rerum, quce, 
•memorata priscis Catonibus atque Cethegis, informis situs et deserta ve- 
tustas nunc premit. — 116. Speciosa. "Expressive." — 117. Memorata. 
"Used." Equivalent to usurpata. — Priscis Catonibus atque Cethegis. 
Cato the censor is here meant, and the epithet applied to him is intended 
to refer to his observance of the plain and austere manners of the " olden 
time." Compare Ode ii., 21, 11. The other allusion is to M. Cethegus, 
whom Ennius called " Suadce medtdla," and with whom Cicero (Brut., 
15) commences the series of Roman orators. — 118. Situs informis. "Un- 
sightly mould." — 119. Qugb genitor produxerit usus. " Which usage, the 
parent of language, shall have produced." Compare Epist. ad Pis., 71, 
seqq. — 120. Vchemens. To be pronounced, in metrical reading, vemens. — 
121. Fundet opes. " He will pour forth his treasui'es." By opes we must 
here understand a rich abundance of words and sentiments. — 122. Luxu- 
riantia compescet. "He will retrench every luxuriance." — Sano cultu. 
" By judicious culture." — 123. Levabit. " He will polish." — Virtute caren- 
tia. "Whatever is devoid of merit." — Toilet. Equivalent to dclebit. 
Consult note On Sat. i., 4, 11. — 124. Ludentis speciem dabit, et torqvebilur, 
&c. "He will exhibit the appearance of one sporting, and will keep 
turning about as he who one while dances the part of a satyr, at another 
that of a clownish cyclops." Torquebilur has here the force of the mid- 
dle voice, and is equivalent to sefiectet. A figurative allusion to the pan- 
tomimes of the day, in which they expressed by dancing, and the move- 
ment of their bodies, the passions, thoughts, and actions of any character 
they assumed ; as, for example, that of a satyr or of a cyclops. Consult 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 635 

note on Sat. i., 5, 63. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 
passage is this : that as the actor who dances the part of a satyr or a 
cyclops throws himself into different attitudes, and moves his limbs in 
various ways, so he who composes verses should transpose, vaiy, bring- 
forward, draw back, and, in general, keep shifting his words and expres- 
sions in every possible variety of way. 

126-140. 126. Praitulerim scriptor delirus inersque videri, &c. "For 
my own part, I had rather be esteemed a foolish and dull writer, provided 
my own faults please me, or at least escape my notice, than be wise and 
a prey to continual vexation." The poet means that he would rather be 
a bad poet, if he could only imagine himself the contrary, than a good one 
at the expense of so much toil and vexation. Observe the force of the 
subjunctive in prcetulerim. — 128. Ringi. The deponent ringor literally 
means, " to show the teeth like a dog," "to snarl." It is then taken in a 
figurative sense, and signifies " to fret, chafe, or fume," &c. — Fuit kaud 
ignobilis Argis, &c. The poet here gives an amusiug illustration of what 
he has just been asserting. Aristotle (de Mirab. Auscult., init.) tells a 
similar story, but makes it to have happened at Abydos, and iElian (V. 
H., iv., 25) of an Athenian named Thrasyllus. — 131. Servaret. "Dis- 
charged." In the sense of observaret or exsequeretur. — 134. Etsigno loeso 
non insanire lagenm. " And would not rave if the seal of a wine-vessel 
were broken." The ancients generally sealed the lagena, to prevent their 
slaves from stealing the wine. — 137. Elleboro. Consult note on Sat. ii., 
3, 82. — Morbum. Alluding to his madness, which the addition of bilem 
serves more cleai*ly to indicate. Hence the expression atra bills, so fre- 
quently used in the sense of insania. — 140. Et demtus, pretium mentis, 
&c. " And a most pleasing delusion, a (fair) price for reason, has been 
taken away," i. e., a pleasing delusion, the enjoyment of which one would 
consider cheaply purchased by the loss of reason. The common text has 
Et demtus per vim mentis gratissimus error, " and a most pleasing delu- 
sion of mind has been taken away by force." In place of this, we have 
adopted the singularly elegant reading {pretium) found in the edition of 
Zarot, in behalf of which Gesner remarks, " Pulcherrimam sententiam 
parit lectio Zaroti; qua pretium mentis dicitur error gratissimus: i. e., 
facile aliquis sana mente careat, ut tarn jucundo en-ore fruatur." 

141-156. 141. Nimirum sapcre est abjectis utile nugis, Sec. " (Such be- 
ing the case), it certainly is a useful course (for us) to pursue and acquire 
wisdom, trifles being laid aside, and to give up to boys a sport that is suit- 
ed to their years." By ludum is here meant verse-making, poetic com- 
position. Observe the force of nimirum here, " certainly," " doubtless." 
The poet now takes a more serious view of the subject, and this forms 
the seventh excuse. He has put it last, that he might more naturally fall 
into the vein of morality which concludes his epistle. He would convince 
us that good sense does not consist in making vei'ses, and ranging words 
in poetical harmony, but in i*egulating our actions according to the bet- 
ter harmony of wisdom and virtue. " Sed verce numerosque modosque 
ediscere vita." — 145. Quocirca mecum loquor hcec, tacitusque recorder. 
" It is for this reason that I commune as follows with myself, and silently 
revolve in my own mind." The remainder of the epistle is a conversation 
which the po^t holds with himself. This soliloquy is designed to make 



636 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

his reasons come with a better grace to his friend, and enable Horace the 
more easily to correct his ambition, avarice, and those other vices to which 
he was subject. — 146. Si tibi nulla sitim jiniret copia tympJice, &c. This 
was a way of reasoning employed by the philosopher Aristippus, as Plu- 
tarch has preserved it for us in his Treatise against Avarice. He who 
eats and drinks a great deal without allaying his appetite, has recourse 
to physicians, and wants to know his malady, and what is to be done for 
a cure ; but the man who has already five rich beds, and thirsts after 
ten; who has large possessions and store of money, yet is never satisfied, 
but still desires more, and spends day and night in heaping up ; this man 
never dreams of applying for relief, or of inquiring after the cause of his 
malady. — 150. Fugeres cvrarier. "You would give over trying to be 
cured." — 151. Audieras, cui rem di donarent, &c. The Stoics taught that 
the wise man alone was rich. But there were others who overturned 
this doctrine, and maintained the direct contrary. Horace, therefore, 
reasons against this latter position, and endeavors to show its absurdity. 
Thou hast been always told that riches banished folly, and that to be rich 
and to be wise were the same ; but thou hast satisfied thyself that the in- 
crease of thy riches has added nothing to thy wisdom, and yet thou art 
still hearkening to the same deceitful teachers. — 153. Illi decedere. E quiv- 
alent to ab eofugere. — 153. Et quum sis nihilo sapientior, ex quo plenior 
es. "And yet, though thou art nothing wiser, since thou art become 
richer." With ex quo supply tempore. — 156. Nempe. "Then indeed." 

158, 159. 158. Si proprium est, quod quis libra mercatus et cere est, &c. 
" If what one buys with all the requisite formalities is his own property ; 
on the other hand, there are certain things, in which, if thou believest the 
lawyers, use gives a full right of property." The expression quod quis 
libra mercatus et <zre est (literally, " what one has purchased with the bal- 
ance and piece of money") refers to the Roman mode of transferring prop- 
erty. In the reign of Servius Tullius money was first coined at Rome, 
and that, too, only of bronze. Previous to this every thing went by weight. 
Jn the alienation, therefore, of property by sale, as well as in other trans- 
actions where a sale, either real or imaginary, formed a part, the old Ro- 
man custom was always retained, even as late as the days of Horace, and 
later. A libripens, holding a brazen balance, was always present at these 
formalities, and the purchaser, having a brazen coin in his hand, struck 
the balance with this, and then gave it to the other party by way of price. 
— 159. Mancipat usus. To prevent the perpetual vexation of law-suits, 
the laws wisely ordained that possession and enjoyment for a certain 
number of years should confer a title to property. This is what the law- 
yers term the right of prescription, usucapio. 

160-166. 160. Qui te pascit ager, tuus est. The poet is here arguing 
against the folly of heapiDg up money with a view to purchase lands, and 
contends that they who have not one foot of ground are yet, in fact, pro- 
prietors of whatever lands yield the productions which they buy. — Orbi. 
Not Orbi, as a contraction, but the regular genitive of Orbius. The an- 
cients, down to the end of the Augustan age, wrote the genitives of sub- 
Btantivea in ius and ium with a single i. {Bentley, ad Ter., Andr., ii., 1, 
20,) The individual here alluded to appears to have been some wealthy 
person, whose steward sold annually for him large quantities of grain and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 637 

other things, the produce of his extensive possessions. — 161. Quum sege- 
tes occat. " When he harrows the fields." By segetes is here meant the 
arable land, which is getting prepared by the harrow for the reception of 
the grain. — 162. Te dominum sentit. "Feels that thou art the trae lord 
of the soil," i. e., well knows that the produce is intended for thee, and 
that, thus far, thou art, to all intents and purposes, the true owner. — 165. 
Emtum. Purchased originally by Orbius, but to which thou also hast, in 
one sense, acquired the title of proprietor ; not, indeed, by a single large 
payment, like that of Orbius, but by the constant purchase of the produce 
of the land. — 166. Quid refert, vivas numerate nuper an oliml &c. 
"What difference does it make, whether thou livest on money counted 
out just now or several years ago?" i. e., whether the articles on which 
thou art feeding were purchased just now from the lands of another, or 
whether they are the produce of lauds bought by thee many years since. 
The train of ideas in what follows is this : He who purchased, some time 
ago, possessions situate in the neighborhood either of Aricia or of Veii, 
pays, as well as thou, for the plate of herbs he sups on, though perhaps 
he fancies quite otherwise ; he boils his pot at night with wood that he 
has bought even as thou dost. And though, when he surveys his posses- 
sions, he says " this land is mine," yet the land, in fact, is not his, any 
more than it is thine ; for how can that be called the property of any one, 
which, in the short space of an hour, may change masters, and come into 
the possession of another by gift, by sale, by violence, or by death? — Nu- 
merate*. Supply nummo. 

167-172. 167. Aricini. For an account of Aricia, consult note on Sat. 
i., 5, 1. — Veientis. The city of Veii was one of the most famous in ancient 
Etruria. It lay to the northeast of Rome, but its exact position was never 
clearly ascertained until Holstenius directed the attention of antiquaries 
to the spot known by the name of I' I sola Farnese, and situate about a 
mile and a half to the uortheast of the modern post-house of La Storta. — 
170. Sed vocai usque suum, qua populus adsita, &c. "And yet he calls 
the land his own, as far as where the planted poplar prevents quarrels 
among neighbors, by means of the limit which it fixes." Usque must be 
joined in construction with qua, as if the poet had said usque eo quo. — 171. 
Refugit. The peculiar force of the perfect here is worthy of notice. Lit- 
erally, " has hitherto prevented, and still continues to prevent." — 172. Sit 
proprium. "Can be a lasting possession." — Puncto mobilis horce. "In 
a fleeting hour's space," i. e., in the short space of a single hour. 

175-182. 175. Et heres heredem alterius velut unda supervenit undam. 
"And one man's heir urges on another's, as wave impels wave." The 
Latinity of alterius, which Bentley and Cunningham have both questioned 
(the former reading alternis, and the latter ulterior), is, notwithstanding 
the objections of these critics, perfectly correct. The poet does not refer 
to two heirs merely, but to a long succession of them, and in this line of 
descent only two individuals are each time considered, namely, the last 
and the present possessor. — 177. Vici. " Farms." — Quidve Calabris salt- 
ibus adjecti Lucani ? " Or what, Lucanian joined to Calabrian pastures," 
i. e., so wide in extent as to join the pastures of Calabria. — 178. Si metit 
Orcus grandia cum parvis, &c. " If Death, to be moved by no bribe, 
mows down alike the high and the lowly."— 180. Marmor, ebur. The al- 



638 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 

lusion is to works in marble and ivory. — Tyrrhena sigilla. "Etruscan 
statuettes." These wei*e bronze images of the gods, about a foot or a foot 
and a half high, for the manufacture of which the Etrurians were celebra- 
ted. — Tabellas. "Paintings." Supply pictas. — 181. Argentum. Vases, 
and other like articles, of silver are meant. — Vestes Gaetulo murice tinctas. 
" Coverings and tapestry stained with GaBtulian purple." By vestes are 
here meant the coverings of couches (vestes stragula), and hangings for 
the walls of banqueting-rooms, &c. (peripetasmata) . — Gcetulo murice. Gae- 
tulia, a part of Africa, is here put for the whole country. Consult note on 
Ode i., 23, 10, and, as regards the people here spoken of, Ode ii., 16, 35.-— 
182. Est qui non curat habere. To show how unnecessary these things 
are, the poet says there are many people who never give themselves any 
trouble or concern about them. The indicative after est qui is an imitation 
of the Greek idiom. 

183-189. 183. Cur alter fratrum cessare, &c. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : The dispositions of men are widely at vari- 
ance with each other, and this discrepancy shows itself even in the case 
of brothers ; for it often happens that one is a careless and effeminate 
prodigal, the other a close and toiling miser. Why this is so is a secret 
known only to the Genius who presides at our birth, and guides the course 
of our existence. — Cessare et ludere et ungi. The infinitives here must 
be rendered in our idiom by nouns : " Idleness, and pleasure, and per- 
fumes." — 184. Herodis palmetis pinguibus. " To the rich palm-groves of 
Herod." These were in the country around Jericho (named the City of 
Palm-trees, Deut., xxxiv., 3), and were regarded as constituting some of 
the richest possessions of the Jewish monarch. — 185. Importunus. "Rest- 
less." — Ad uinbram lucis ab ortu. " From the dawn of day to the shades 
of evening." — 186. Silvestrem. "Overrun with underwood." — Mitiget. 
" Subdues," i. e., clears, and renders productive. — 187. Scit Genius, natale 
comes qui temperat astrum, &c. This is generally regarded as the locus 
classicus respecting the ideas entertained by the ancients relative to what 
they considered the Genius of each individual. We learn from it the fol- 
lowing particulars : 1. The Genius was supposed to accompany a person 
wherever he went. 2. He governed the horoscope of the party (natale 
temperavit astrum), exerting himself to avert any evil which one's natal 
star might portend, or to promote any good which it might indicate. 3. He 
is styled "Natures deus huma?ia;" because he lives and dies with us. 4. He 
is angry if we oppose or resist his influence, but mild and gentle if we 
submit to his sway (mutabilis, albus et ater). — Natale comes qui temperat 
astrum. "Our constant attendant, who governs our horoscope." — 188. 
Nature deus humancs, mortalis, &c. " The god of human nature, who 
dies with each individual ; mutable of aspect, benign, or offended." The 
expression mortalis in unum quodque caput is added by the poet for the 
purpose of explaining the words naturre deus liumanm, i. e., the god who, 
equally with man, is subject to the power of Death. — 189. Vultu mutabi- 
lis, albus et ater. Compare note on verse 187, toward the end. 

190-197. 190. Utar. " I will, therefore, enjoy what I at present have." 
Understand quasitis. — Ex modico acervo. " Erom my little heap." — 191. 
Nee metuam, quid de mejudicet heres, &c. " Nor will I care what opinion 
my heir may form of me, from his having found no more left to him than 



EXPLANATORY 1VOTES. BOOK II., EPISTLE II. 639 

what.is actually given," i. e., when he shall find the amount which is left 
him to be so small. — 193. Scire volam. " Will ever wish to know," i. e., 
will never forget. Gesner makes this expression equivalent to ostendam 
me scire. — QuatUitm simplex hilarisque, &c. "How much the open- 
hearted and the cheerful man differs from the spendthrift." The poet's 
maxim was to pursue the golden mean, auream medio critatem. — 197. Fes- 
tis quinquatribus. " During the holidays of Minerva." The quinquatria 
were festal days in honor of Minerva's nativity, this goddess having, ac- 
cording to mythological tradition, come into the world on the 19th day of 
March. They were five in number, being counted from the 19th, and last- 
ing until the 23d of the month. During this period there was a joyful va- 
cation for the Roman school-boys. 

199-215. 199. Pauperies immunda procul procul absit, <5cc. The poet, 
estimating happiness by the golden mean, wishes neither to glitter amid 
affluence, nor be depressed and humbled by poverty, but, as he himself 
beautifully expresses it, to be primorum extremus et prior extremis. — 201. 
Non agimur tumidis velis aquilone sccundo, &c. " We are not, it is true, 
wafted onward with sails swelled by the propitious gales of the north ; 
and yet, at the same time, we do not pursue the course of existence with 
the winds of the south blowing adverse." — 203. Specie. "In external ap- 
pearance." — Loco. " In station." — Re. " In fortune." Supply familiari. 
— 204. Extremi primorum, &c. A metaphor borrowed from races. — 205. 
Abi. " Depart," *. e., if this be true, depart ; I acquit thee of the charge. 
— Isio cum vitio. Alluding to avarice. — 208. Somnia. Horace here ranks 
dreams with magic illusions and stories of nocturnal apparitions. This is 
the more remarkable, as Augustus was of a different way of thinking, and 
paid so great an attention to them as not to overlook even what others 
had dreamed concerning him. — Miracula. The Epicureans laughed at 
the common idea about miracles, which they supposed were performed 
by the general course of nature, without any interposition on the part of 
the gods. — 209. Nocturnos Lemures. " Nocturnal apparitions." — Porten- 
taque Thessala. Thessaly was famed for producing in abundance the 
various poisons and herbs that were deemed most efficacious in magic 
rites. Hence the reputed skill of the Thessalian sorcerers. — 212. Spinis 
de pluribus una. The term spina is by a beautiful figure applied to the 
vices and failings that bring with them compunction of conscience and 
disturb our repose. — 213. Decede peritis. " Give place to those that do." 
There is a time to retire, as well as to appear. An infirm and peevish 
old age is always the object either of compassion or of raillery. It is 
therefore the height of wisdom to seek only the society of those whose 
age and temper are congenial with our own. The poet wishes to make 
Florus both wiser and happier. — Vivere recte. This means to live con- 
tented with the pleasures that are in our power, and not to mar them by 
chagrin, and the disquieting emotions that are incident to ambition, de- 
sire, and superstitious fear. — 215. JVe potum largius aequo, &c. "Lest 
that age, on which mirth and festivity sit with a better grace, laugh at 
thee, having drunk more than enough, and drive thee from the stage." 
More literally, " lest an age more becomingly frolicsome." 



EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 



This celebrated work of Horace, commonly called the Ars Poetica, is 
•usually considered as a separate and insulated composition, but may be 
more properly regarded as the third epistle of the present book, since, 
like the others, it is chiefly critical, and addressed to the Pisos in an epis- 
tolary form. These friends of the author were a father and two sons. The 
father was a senatoi - , of considerable note and distinguished talents, who 
was consul in 739. He was a man of pleasure, who passed his evenings 
at table, and slept till noon ; but he possessed such capacity for business, 
that the remainder of the day sufficed for the dispatch of those important 
affairs with which he was successively intrusted by Augustus and Tibe- 
rius. Of the sons little is accurately known, and there seems no reason 
why a formal treatise on the art of poetry should have been addressed 
either to them or to the father. As the subjects of Horace's epistles, how- 
ever, have generally some reference to the situation and circumstances 
of the individuals with whose names they are inscribed, it has been con- 
jectured that this work was composed at the desire of Piso, the father, in 
order to dissuade his elder son from indulging his inclination for writing 
poetry, for which he was probably but ill qualified, by exposing the igno* 
miny of bad poets, and by pointing out the difficulties of the art, which 
our author, accordingly, has displayed under the semblance of instructing 
him in its precepts. This conjecture, first formed by Wieland and adopt- 
ed by Col man, is chiefly founded on the argument that Horace, having 
concluded all that he had to say on the history and progress of poetry, and 
general precepts of the art, addresses the remainder of the epistle, on the 
nature, expediency, and difficulty of poetical pursuits, to the elder of the 
brothers alone, who, according to this theory, either meditated or had ac- 
tually written a poetical work, probably a tragedy, which Horace wishes 
to dissuade him from completing and publishing : 

" O major juvenum, quamvis et voce paterna," Sec. (v. 366, seqq.). 

It has been much disputed whether Horace, in writing the present work, 
intended to deliver instructions on the whole art of poetry, and criticisms 
on poets in general, or if his observations be applicable only to certain de- 
partments of poetry, and poets of a particular period. The opinion of the 
most ancient scholiasts on Horace, as Acron and Porphyrion, was, that it 
comprehended precepts on the art in general, but that these had been col- 
lected from the works of Aristotle, Neoptolemus of Paros, and other 
Greek critics, and had been strung together by the Latin poet in such a 
manner as to form a medley of rules without any systematic plan or ar- 
rangement. This notion was adopted by the commentators who flourish- 
ed after the revival of literature, as Robortellus, Jason de Nores, and the 
elder Scaliger, who concurred in treating it as a loose, vague, and desul- 
tory composition ; and this opinion continued to prevail in France as late 
as the time of Dacier. Others have conceived that the epistle under con- 
sideration comprises a complete system of poetry, and flatter themselves 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 641 

they can trace in it, from beginning to end, a regular and connected plan. 
D. Heinsius stands at the head of this class, and he maintains that, 
wherever we meet an apparent confusion or irregularity, it has been oc- 
casioned by the licentious transpositions of the copyists. The impi*oba- 
bility, however, that such a writer would throw out his precepts at ran- 
dom, and the extreme difficulty, on the other hand, of reducing it to a regu- 
lar and systematic treatise on poetry, with perfect coherence in all its 
parts, have induced other critics to believe either that this piece contains 
but fragments of what Horace designed, which was Pope's opinion, or 
that the author had only an aim at one department of poetry or class of 
poets. Of all the theories on this subject, the most celebrated in its day, 
though now supplanted by the theory of Wieland, is that which refers 
every thing to the history and progress of the Roman drama, and its actual 
condition in the author's time. Lambinus, and Baxter in his edition of 
Horace, had hinted at this notion, which has been fully developed by Hurd, 
in his excellent commentary and notes on the present epistle, where he 
undertakes to show that not only the general tenor of the work, but every 
single precept, bears reference to the drama; and that, if examined in 
this point of view, it will be found to be a i-egular, well-conducted piece, 
uniformly tending to lay open the state and remedy the defects of the Ro- 
man stage. According to this critic, the subject is divided into three por- 
tions : of these, the first (from verse 1 to 89) is preparatory to the main 
subject of the epistle, containing some general rules and reflections on 
poetry, but principally with a view to the succeeding parts, by which 
means it serves as a useful introduction to the poet's design, and opens 
it with that air of ease and negligence essential to the epistolary form. 
2d. The main body of the epistle (from verse 89 to 295) is laid out in regu- 
lating the Roman stage, and chiefly in giving rules for tragedy, not only 
as that was the sublimer species of the drama, but, as it should seem, the 
least cultivated and understood. 3d. The last portion (from verse 295 to 
the end) exhorts to correctness in writing, and is occupied partly in ex- 
plaining the causes that prevented it, and partly in directing to the use 
of such means as might serve to promote it. Such is the general plan of 
the epistle, according to Hurd, who maintains that, in order to enter fully 
into its scope, it is necessary to trace the poet attentively through all the 
elegant connections of his own method. 

Sanadon, and a late German critic, Engel, have supposed that the great 
purpose of Horace, in the present epistle, was to ridicule the pretending 
poets of his age. Such, however, it is conceived, does not appear to have 
been his primary object, which would in some degree have been in con- 
tradiction to the scope of his epistle to Augustus. (Dunlop's Roman Lit- 
erature, vol. iii., p. 270, seqq.) The same remark will apply to the theory 
of Ast, which is, in effect, identical with that of Sanadon and Engel. Ast 
supposes that Horace, in composing this epistle, had in view the Phasdrus 
of Plato, aud that, as in the Greek dialogue, the philosopher ridicules the 
rhetoricians, so Horace wishes to indulge his raillery at the worthless 
poets of his time. Doring maintains that the object of Horace, in the 
present piece, is to guard against the pernicious influence of the bad poets 
of the day, and that he therefore gives a collection of precepts, unconnect- 
ed it is true, yet having all a direct bearing on the object at which ha 
aims, and describing, as well the excellences in composition that should 



642 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

be sought after, as the errors and defects that ought to be carefully avoid- 
ed. Finally, De Bosch, in his notes to the Greek Anthology, supposes 
that the poem was not actually addressed to any of the Pisos, but that the 
poet made use of this name by way of prosopopoeia. 

We have already remarked that the theory of Wieland has supplant- 
ed Hurd's, and, as we have given an outline of the latter, it may not be 
amiss to subjoin a slight sketch of the former, the more especially as we 
intend to follow it in our Explanatory Notes on this piece. We will use 
the words of Colman. " The poet begins with general reflections address- 
ed to his three friends. In these preliminary rules, equally necessary to 
be observed by poets of every denomination, he dwells on the importance 
of unity of design, the danger of being dazzled by the splendor of partial 
beauties, the choice of subjects, the beauty of order, the elegance and pro- 
priety of diction, and the use of a thorough knowledge of the nature of the 
several different species of poetiy, summing up this introductory portion 
of his epistle in a manner perfectly agreeable to the conclusion of it. 

' Descriptas servare vices, operumque colores, 
Cur ego si nequeo ignoroque, poeta salutor 1 
Cur nescire, pudens prave, quam discere malo V (v. 86, seqq.) 
From this general view of poetiy, on the canvass of Aristotle, but entire- 
ly after his own manner, the writer proceeds to give the rules and the his- 
tory of the drama, adverting principally to tragedy, with all its constituents 
and appendages of diction, fable, character, incidents, chorus, measure, 
music, and decorations. In this part of the work, accoi-ding to the inter- 
pretation of the best critics, and indeed (I think) according to the mani- 
fest tenor of the epistle, he addresses himself entirely to the two young 
Pisos, pointing out to them the difficulty, as well as the excellence of the 
dramatic art, insisting on the avowed superiority of the Grecian writers, 
and ascribing the comparative failure of the Romans to negligence and 
the love of gain. The poet, having exhausted this part of his subject, 
suddenly drops a second, or dismisses at once no less than two of the three 
persons to whom he originally addressed his epistle, and, turning short 
on the elder Piso, most earnestly conjures him to ponder on the danger 
of precipitate publication, and the ridicule to which the author of wretch- 
ed poetry exposes himself. From the commencement of this partial ad- 
dress, O major juvenum, &c. (v. 366, seqq.) to the end of the poem, almost a 
fourth part of the whole, the second person plural, Pisones ! — Vos ! — Vos, 
O Pompilius sanguis ! &c, is discarded, and the second person singular, 
Tu, Te, Tibi, &c, invariably takes its place. The arguments, too, are 
equally relative and personal, not only showing the necessity of study, 
combined with natural genius, to constitute a poet, but dwelling on the 
peculiar danger and delusion of flattery to a writer of rank and fortune, 
as well as the inestimable value of an honest friend to rescue him from 
derision and contempt. The poet, however, in reverence to the Muse, 
qualifies his exaggerated description of an infatuated scribbler with a 
most noble encomium on the use of good poetry, vindicating the dignity of 
the art, and proudly asserting that the most exalted characters would not 
be disgraced by the cultivation of it. 

f Ne forte pudori 
Sit tibi Musa, lyrae solers, et cantor Apollo.' 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.- — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 643 

It is worthy of observation, that in the satirical picture of a frantic bard, 
with which Horace concludes his epistle, he not only runs counter to what 
might be expected as a corollary of an Essay on the Art of Poetry, but 
contradicts his own usual practice and sentiments. In his epistle to Au- 
gustus, instead of stigmatizing the love of verse as an abominable phrensy, 
he. calls it a slight madness [levis hcec insania), and descants on its good 
effects (quantas virtutes habeat, sic collige !). In another epistle, speak- 
ing of himself, and his attachment to poetry, he says, 

' TJbi quid, datur oti, 
Illudb chartis : hoc est mediocribus Mis 
Ex vitiis unum,' &c. 

All which, and several other passages in his works, almost demonstrate 
that it was not without a particular purpose in view that he dwelt so 
forcibly on the description of a man resolved 

* in spite 
Of nature and his stars to write.' 

Various passages of this work of Horace have been imitated in Vida's 
Poeticorum, in the Duke of Buckingham's Essay on Poetry, in Roscom- 
mon On Translated Verse, in Pope's Essay on Criticism, and in Boi- 
leau's Art Poetique. The plan, however, of this last production is more 
closely formed than any of the others on the model of Horace's Epistle. 
Like the first division of the Ars Poetica, it commences with some gen- 
eral rules and introductory principles. The second book touches on ele- 
giac and lyric poetry, which are not only cursorily referred to by Horace, 
but are introduced by him in that part of his epistle which corresponds to 
this portion of the present work. The third, which is the most important, 
and by much the longest of the piece, chiefly treats, in the manner of 
Horace, of dramatic poetry ; and the concluding book is formed on the last 
section of the Epistle to the Pisos, the author, however, omitting the de- 
scription of the frantic bard, and terminating his critical work with a pane- 
gyric on his sovereign. Of all the modern Arts of Poetiy, Boileau's is the 
best. It is remarkable for the brevity of its precepts, the exactness of its 
method, the perspicacity of the remarks, the propriety of the metaphors ; 
and it proved of the utmost utility to his own nation, in diffusing a just 
mode of thinking and writing, in banishing every species of false wit, and 
introducing a pure taste for the simplicity of the ancients. Boileau, at 
the conclusion of his last book, avows, and glories, as it were, in the charge, 
that his work is founded on that of Horace. 

•Pour moi, qui jusqu'ici nourri dans la Satire, 
N'ose encore manier la Trompette et la Lyre ; 
Vous me venez pourtant, dans ce champ glorieux ; 
Vous offrir ces lecons, que ma Muse au Parnasse, 
Rapporta, jeune encore, du commerce d' Horace.' " 

1-18. 1. Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam, &c. The epistle be- 
gins with the general and fundamental precept of preserving a unity in 
the subject and disposition of every piece. A poet who neglects this 
leading principle, and produces a work, the several parts of which have 
no just relation to each other or to one grand whole, is compared to a 
painter who puts on canvass a form of heterogeneous character, its mem- 



644 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

bers taken from all kinds of animals. Both are equally deserving of ridi- 
cule. — 2. Varias inducere plumas. " To spread plumage of various hues," 
i. e., parti-colored plumage. Inducere (" to spread") is well applied to the 
art of painting. — 3. Undique. "From every quarter of creation," i. e., 
from every kind of animal. — Ut turpiter atrum, Sec. " So that a beauteous 
woman above may foully terminate below in a loathsome fish." Some 
connect turpiter with atrum, but this wants spirit. — 6. Pisones. The 
father and his two sons. Compare Introductory Remarks, near the com- 
mencement. — Isti tabulcs. Referring to the picture which has just been 
described. Isti marks contempt. — 7. Cujus, velut cegri somnia, vance 
Jingenlur species. " The ideas in which, like a sick man's dreams, shall 
be formed without any regard to sober reality.'" — 9. Reddatur. " Can be 
assigned," i. e., belongs. — Pictoribus atque poetis, &c. "Painters and 
poets (some one may say) have always enjoyed an equal privilege of at- 
tempting any thing at pleasure." This is supposed to come from the 
mouth of an objector; and the poet's reply, which is immediately subjoin- 
ed, defines the use, and fixes the character of poetic licence, which unskill- 
ful writers often plead in defence of their transgressions against the law 
of unity. — Scimus, et hanc veniam, &c. The idea is this : "We know it, 
and concede the privilege, and claim the same in our turn, but still with- 
in certain limits. — 12. Sed non ut placidis coeant immitia, &c. The 
meaning is, that poetical or any other licence must never be carried so 
far as to unite things that are plainly and naturally repugnant to each 
other. — 13. Geminentur. "May be matched." — 14. Inceptis gravibus 
plerumque et magna professis, &c. " Oftentimes to lofty beginnings, 
and such as promise great things, are sewed one or two purple patches, 
in order to make a brilliant display," Sec, i. e., often, after exordiums of 
high attempt and lofty promise, we are amused with the description of a 
grove and altar of Diana, the meanders of a stream gliding swiftly through 
pleasant fields, the River Rhine, or a rainbow, like so many purple patches 
in a garment, that make, it is true, a great show, but then are not in their 
proper place. The poet here considers and exposes that particular viola- 
tion of uniformity into which young poets especially, under the influence 
of a warm imagination, are too apt to run, arising from frequent and ill- 
timed descriptions. — 18. Sed nunc non erat his locus. "But at present 
these were out of place." Observe here the use of the imperfect of the 
substantive verb, where we would employ the present. 

19, 20. 19. Et fortasse cupressum scis simulare, Sec. "And perhaps 
thou knowest how to imitate a cypress," i. e., to paint one. Horace com- 
pares the poets, whom he has just been censuring, to a painter who had 
learned to draw nothing but a cypress tree. As this painter, therefore, 
would represent the cypress in every picture he was engaged to execute, 
so these poets, altogether unequal to the management of any individual 
subject in a proper way and with a proper regard to unity of design, were 
accustomed to indulge in insulated descriptions, and in common-place 
topics, which had no bearing whatever on the main subject. — 20. Quid 
hoc, si fractis enatat exspes, Sec. "What is this to the purpose, if he, 
who is to be painted for a given price, is to be represented as swimming 
forth hopeless from the fragments of a wreck?" Persons who had lost 
their all by shipwreck were accustomed to solicit charity by carrying 
around with them a painting in which the misfortune which had befallen 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 645 

them was depicted. In the present case, therefore, Horace supposes a 
shipwrecked mariner to have employed a painter for this purpose who 
knew only how to draw a cypress, and he asks of what value such an ob- 
ject would be in the intended picture, or how it could have any effect in 
exciting the compassion of others. 

21-25. 21. Amphora coepit institui ; currente rota cur urceus exit 1 A 
bad poet opens his poem with something great and magnificent, but amus- 
es himself with trifles. A bad potter begins a large and beautiful vase, 
but produces only a pitcher. Rota is here the potter's wheel. — 23. Deni- 
que sit quidvis, simplex duntaxat et unum. " In a word, be the object 
what it may, let it only be simple and uniform." — 24. Maxima pars vatum 
decipimur specie recti, &c. "The greatest part of us poets, O father, and 
ye youths worthy of such a father, are misled by an appearance of correct- 
ness." The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : These and other 
faults, which have just been mentioned, are therefore to be carefully avoid- 
ed, but we must, at the same time, guard against passing to the other ex- 
treme. And this advice becomes the more important, since the fault it- 
self wears the appearance of a virtue, and is therefore but too apt to mis- 
lead. — 25. Brevis esse laboro, &c. " For example, I strive to be concise." 
In striving to avoid diffuseness, we often, from want of judgment, become 
obscure. 

26-37. 26. Sectantem lenia ne>-vi, &c. " Strength and sprrit fail him 
who seeks after a subdued mode of expression," i. e., smoothness and re- 
finement. — 27. Professus grandia. "He who aims at the sublime." 
Literally, "one having professed great things." Horace is thought by 
some to mean himself here. — 29. Prodigialiter. "After a marvellous 
manner," i. e., so as to amaze people. This word occurs only here and in 
Columella (iii., 3). — 32. ^Emiiium circa ludum faber unus, &c. "An art- 
ist about the jEmilian school shall, in a manner superior to all others, 
both express the nails, and imitate in brass the soft and flexible hair, yet 
will he fail in the completion of his work, because he will not know how 
to give a just proportion to the whole." The commencement of this sen- 
tence, when paraphrased, will run as follows : Among the artists who 
dwell around the iEmilian school, there will probably be some individual 
or other who, &c. According to the scholiast, ^Emilius Lepidus had a 
school of gladiators where was subsequently the public bath of Polycletes. 
In the neighborhood of this school many artists appear to have resided. — 
Unus. We have followed Bentley, Fea, and Orelli in making unus here 
equivalent to unus omnium, i. e., prceter ceteros. (Compare Epode xii., 4 ; 
Sat. i., 10, 42 ; ii., 3, 24.) Fea shows from various places of Pliny that to 
imitate the hair well was a great point of excellence. — 35. Si quid com- 
ponere curem. " If I should care to compose any thing," i. e., were I about 
to bestow labor upon any work. — 36. Naso pravo. " With a deformed 
nose," i. e., one out of shape, crooked, ugly. — 37. Spectandum. " To be 
gazed at," i. e., remarkable. 

38-47. 38. Sumite materiam vestris, &c. " Do ye who write take a 
subject equal to your powers, and consider long," &c. The poet here lays 
down another precept, which results directly from what has just preceded. 
If in the labor of literature as well as in the works of art it is all import- 



646 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE FTSOS. 

ant to produce a complete and finished whole, it becomes equally import- 
ant for us to be well acquainted with the nature and extent of our talents, 
and to select such a subject as may be proportioned to them. — 40. Poten- 
ter. "In accordance with his abilities." Equivalent to the Greek narti 
6vvajj.LV. — 41. Nee facundia deseret kunc, nee lucidus ordo. The poet 
here enumerates the advantages which result from our selecting a subject 
proportioned to our powers, namely, " eloquence of expression" (facun- 
dia), i.e., a proper command of language, and "lucid arrangement" (lu- 
cidus ordo). — 42. Ordinis hcec virtus erit et Venus, &c. "This will con- 
stitute the chief excellence and the beauty of method (or I am ranch de- 
ceived), that the writer say at the very moment those things which ought 
at the very moment to be said, that he put off most things and omit them 
for the present," i. e., that he state merely those things at present which 
are requisite for the due understanding of his intent and meaning, and re- 
serve the other ideas and images which may now be crowding into his 
mind for another and more fitting opportunity. — 45. In verbis etiam tenuis 
cautusque serendis. "Nice and cautious, too, in the employment of 
words." Tenuis here has reference to nice and delicate taste, and is 
equivalent to the Greek Tibtxtoc. — 46. Hoc amet, hoc spernat promissi car- 
minis auctor. According to the arrangement in the common editions, 
this verse and the one immediately preceding are transposed. The pro- 
priety, however, of Bentley's position of these lines, which we have fol- 
lowed in our text, all must allow. Gesner observes in its favor that it 
was customary with the copyists, when a line was misplaced by them, to 
denote such displacing by very minute marks, which might easily become 
obliterated in the lapse of time. To the same effect are the words of 
Baste (Com?nent. Paleogr., p. 858). The expressions in the text, hoc 
amet, hoc spernat, are equivalent to aliud verbum amplectatur, aliud re- 
jiciat. — 47. Callida junctura. " Some skillful arrangement." Junctura, 
observes Hurd, as here employed by the poet, is a word of large. and gen- 
eral import, and the same in expression as order or disposition in a sub- 
ject. The poet would say, " Instead of framing new words, I recommend 
to you any kind of artful management by which you may be able to give a 
new air and cast to old ones." 

49-52. 49. Indiciis monstrare recentibus abdita rerum. " To explain 
abstruse subjects by newly-invented terms." The allusion in abdita re- 
rum is to things hitherto lying concealed, and now for the first time brought 
to light, i, e., inventions and discoveries, which need, of course, newly-in- 
vented terms to enable others to comprehend them. — 50. Fingere cinctutis 
non exaudita Cethegis continget. " It will be allowed to coin words un 
heard of by the ancient Cethegi," i. e., entirely new, not known from the 
earliest periods of the language. The Cethegi are here put for the an 
cient Romans generally, and Horace, in full accordance with his subject 
and the better to mark their antiquity, makes use of an old term cinctutis. 
This epithet cinctutis properly means "girt," i. e., cinctu indutus, and 
marks the habits of the early Romans. It has a special reference to the 
Gabine cincture, which was so called when the lappet of the gown, that 
used to be thrown over the left shoulder, was passed around the back ir- 
such a manner as to come short to the breast and there fasten in a knot , 
this knot or cincture tucked up the gown, and made it shorter and strait- 
er, and consequently better adapted for active employment. — 51. Sumta 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 647 

pudenter. "If used with moderation." Literally, "modestly." — 52. Ha- 
bebunt fidcm. " Will enjoy credit," i. e., -will be well received. — Si Graeco 
fonte cadant parce detorta. " If they descend, with a slight deviation, 
from a Grecian source," i. e., if we derive them gently, and without too 
much violence, from their proper soui-ce, that is, from a language, as the 
Greek, already known and approved. The allusion is to Greek terms 
adopted with a change of termination, as Keightley correctly remarks, 
and not, as Orelli thinks, to a mere imitation of Greek structure, as in 
centimanus, tauriformis, &c. 

53-59. 53. Quid autem Ccscilio Plautoque, &c. Horace complains 
that the earlier poets, such as Caecilius, Plautus, &c, were allowed to 
coin new words, but that this same privilege was denied to writers of a 
later age, such as Virgil, &c. — 55. Acquirere pauca. Supply nova nomina. 
Weliave already called attention in the course of these notes to some of 
the terms coined by Horace. — Invideor. Consult Zumpt, § 413. Orelli 
regards the present usage of invideor, for the usual invidetur mini, as one 
of the innovations brought in by Horace, and to which he here alludes. — 
59. Signatum prcesente nota procudere nomen. " To coin a word im- 
pressed with the current stamp." Words are here compared to coin 
which bears the stamp of the reigning prince. Procudere is Bentley's 
felicitous emendation. The common text has producere, " to utter," " to 
put in circulation." 

60-63. 60. TJt silvce, foliis pronos mutantis in annos, &c. "As the 
earliest leaves of the forest, which changes in its foliage with declining 
years, fall first to the ground." With mutantis supply se. We have 
adopted the simple and elegant emendation of Wakefield. The common 
text has ut sUvgs foliis pronos mutantur in annos. Horace seems here 
to have had in view that fine similitude of Homer, in the sixth book of 
the Iliad (146, seqq.), comparing the generations of men to the annual suc- 
cession of leaves : Oin rrep tyvTiXuv yeveij, rotrjde nal uvdpcbv k. t. /I. — 
63. Sive, recepto terra Neptuno, &c. "Whether, the sea being received 
within the bosom of the land, a regal work shields navies from the northern 
blasts ; or what was long a sterile marsh, and fit only for oars, now nur- 
tures," <5cc. The allusion is to the Portus Julius, or Julian Harbor, con- 
structed by Agrippa, under the orders of Augustus, and also to the drain- 
ing of part of the Pontine Marshes, and the checking of the inundations 
of the Tiber. Agrippa made an opening in the dam which ran across the 
Sinus Puteolanus, from Baiae to the opposite shore. He also cut through, 
at the same time, the small neck of land which parted the Avernian from 
the Lucrine Lake. The Poitus Julius was in this way created, the name 
being given by Agrippa to the united waters of the Avernian and Lucrine 
Lakes, together with the fortified entrance through the dam. This har- 
bor was found large enough to hold a numerous fleet of vessels of war, 
and sufficed for the daily exercise of 20,000 seamen ; and it is to this prac- 
tice of exercising his galleys and men that Augustus is said to have been 
indebted for his victory over Sextus Pompeius. 

65-71. 65. Sterilisve diu palus aptaque remis, &c. The reference is 
to the draining of a part of the Pontine Marshes (Pomptince paludes), the 
cecond of the public works mentioned at the beginning of the previous 



648 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

note. The final syllable in palus is here shortened by poetic licence. 
Compare Servius, ad Virg., JEn., ii., 65 ; vi., 107 ; Priscian, xvii., 83. — 
67. Seu citrsum mutavit iniquum fru gibus amnis, &c. Alluding to the 
third public work, mentioned in the beginning of note on verse 63, the 
checking, namely, of the inundations of the Tiber. — 68. Mortalia facta 
peribunt, &c. " (However all this may be, still) mortal works are des- 
tined to have an end." If, argues the poet, these splendid works of pub- 
lic utility can not withstand the power of all-destroying Time, how can the 
lighter and more evanescent graces of language ever hope to escape ? — 
69. Nedum sermonum stet honos et gratia vivax. "Much less shall the 
bloom and elegance of language continue to flourish and endure." Vivax 
must be joined, in construction, with stet, and the expression stet vivax 
becomes equivalent to fioreat, maneatque. — 71. In honore. " In esteem." 
— Si volet usus, quern penes, Sec. '■' If custom shall so will it ; under whose 
sovereign control is the decision, and right, and standard of language." 

73-78. 73. Res gestae regumque ducumque, &c. From reflections on 
poetry at large, Horace now proceeds to particulars ; the most obvious 
of which being the different farms and measures of poetic composition, he 
considers, in this view (from line 75 to 86), the four great species of poetry, 
to which all others may be reduced, the Epic, Elegiac, Dramatic, and 
Lyric. — 74. Quo numero. "In what numbers," L e., in what kind of 
measure. — 75. Versibus impariter junctis. Referring to elegiac verse, 
and the alternate succession, in its structure, of hexameters and pentam- 
eters. — Querimonia primtim. The reference is to lamentations for the 
death of friends or of eminent persons, not to the complaints of despairing 
lovers. The common derivation of eXeyoc is from e e Tieyetv, "to cry 
woe ! woe !" and is defended by Hermann (Zeitschrift fur die Alter- 
thums., 1336, N. 66), who supposes the latter part of the earlier pentame- 
ters to have ended continually with the form e i /ley', i £ Xiye. Midler, 
on the other hand, regards the term ifkeyoe as not of Grecian, but Asiatic 
origin. [Hist. Gr. Lit., p. 106.) Horace, it will be perceived, follows the 
common derivation of the term. — 76. Voti sententia compos. "The 
thoughts that have attained their wished-for object," i. e., successful de- 
sires. The allusion is to erotic themes, the application of the e?ieyog to 
which was brought in by Mimuermus. Horace makes no mention of the 
protreptic or martial elegies of CalLinus and Tyrtaeus, or the didactic ones 
of Solon. — 77. Exiguos elegos. " The lowly elegiacs." So called, both 
from the nature of their subjects, as inferior in dignity and grandeur to 
epic themes, and from the shortened form of the metre. — 78. Grammatici 
certant. The grammarians here meant are the critics of the Alexandrian 
school, and the allusion appears to be slightly ironical to the comparative- 
ly frivolous inquiries that most commonly occupied their attention. The 
elegies of Callinus are generally regarded as the earliest. Their themes 
were warlike ; and he is supposed to have flourished about 730 B.C. The 
elegy was first adapted to plaintive themes by Simonides, who was born 
556 B.C. The opinion, therefore, which Horace adopts, that the iXeyoc 
was oi'iginally applied to plaintive subjects, does not appear to be correct. 

79-85. 79. Archilochum proprio rabies armavit iambo. " Rage armed 
Archilochus with his own iambus." Alluding to the satires of this poet, 
in which the iambic measure was employed, and also to the story of Ly* 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 649 

cambes and Neobule. Horace, by the use of the term proprio, expressly 
ascribes to this poet the invention of iambics. The opinion entertained 
by some critics that Archilochus merely improved this measure to such a 
degree as to remain ever after the model of it, and that he was not the 
actual inventor, may be seen urged in Schoell, Hist. Lit. Gr., vol. i., p. 199. 
— 80. Hunc socci cepere pedcm, grandesque cothurni. " This foot the sock 
and the stately buskin adopted." The soccus, or low shoe of comedy, and 
the cothurnus, or buskin of tragedy, are here figuratively used to denote 
these two departments of the drama respectively. — 81. Alternis aptum 
sermonibus, &c. "As suited for dialogue, and calculated to surmount the 
tumult of au assembled audience, and naturally adapted to the action of 
the stage." Compare Aristotle, Poet., 10 : Ma/liora Tiektlkov tuv /xerpuv 
to la/ifielov hart '• aijuelov 6e rovrov " TvTielara yap lap-fieta teyojusv kv 
ttj dtahsKTO) ttj npbc a?i?.7jKovc. — Populares vhicentem strepitus. There 
are many reasons, observes Francis, given to explain this remark. The 
cadence of iambics is more sensible, and their measures are more strongly 
marked than any other. (" Insignes percussiones eorum numerorum." 
Cic, de Oral., iii., 47 ; ) The pronunciation is more rapid, and this rapidity 
forms, according to Aristotle, a greater number of sharp sounds. Dacier 
adds, that the iambic, being less different from common-conversation, more 
easily engaged the attention of an audience. The trochaic or dancing 
measure first prevailed in tragedy, which was originally nothing more 
than a choral song. When the dialogue was introduced and formed part 
of the performance, the iambic or conversational measure came in. — 83. 
Fidibus. "To the lyre." — 84. Et pug Hem victorem, et equum certamine 
primum. Alluding to the lyric flights of Pindar. — 85. Et juvenum curas 
et libera vina. " And the love sick feelings of the young, and wine's un- 
bounded joys." The reference is to Sappho and Anacreon. 

86-92. 86. Dcscriptas servare vices operumque colores, &c. "Why am 
I greeted with the name of poet, if I am unable, and in fact know not how, 
to observe the distinctions (just mentioned) that have been marked out (by 
custom and usage), and the different characters that productions should 
have in the different species of verse?" Colores refers to both the style 
and the versification. — 89. Res comica. " A comic subject." — 90. Privalis. 
"Of a familiar cast," i. e., such as are used in describing the private life 
that forms the basis of comedy, but are unsuited for kings, heroes, and the 
other characters of tragedy. — 91. Cama Thyestaz. The celebrated "ban- 
quet of Thyestes," for example, would be offended, &c, if, for instance, it 
were related by the e^dyyeloc, who came to announce it to the audience, 
in the same kind of terms as those in which Simo narrates the funeral of 
Chrysis in the Andrian Female of Terence. (Keightley, ad loc.) The 
banquet of Thyestes is here put for any tragic subject {res tragica), the 
story of Thyestes being one of the most tragic nature. — 92. Singula qua- 
que locum teneant sortita decenter. "Let each particular species of writ- 
ing, when once it has had its proper place allotted to it, hold that place in 
a becoming manner." Literally, "having obtained its allotted place." 
The construction is singula qucBque, sortita locum, teneant eum locum de- 
center. 

93-96. 93. Vocem tollit. " Raises its voice." Compare the scholiast j 
" Grandioribus verbis utitur." The poet means that the rule just laid 
E E 



650 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

down by him is not, however, without exceptions, and he proceeds to state 
instances where comedy rises to the tragic, aud tragedy sinks to the comic 
level. — 94. Iratusque Ckrem.es tumido delitigat ore. " And angry Chre- 
mes rails in swelling strain." Alluding to the Andrian Female of 
Terence (act v., sc. 3), where the irritated Chremes breaks out against hia 
son. — 95. Et tragicus plerumque dolet sermone pedestri. "And sometimes 
the tragic poet grieves in humble style." The poet, by a common figure, 
is here made to do what he represents his characters as doing. Bentley 
insists that tragicus can not stand here alone, whether we understand 
scriptor or actor, and that, therefore, it qualifies Telephus, &c. Hence he 
removes the stop after pedestri. We have preferred following, however, 
the common punctuation and mode of explaining the verse. — 96. Telephus 
et Peleus. The stories of each of these princes became the subjects of 
tragedies. The allusion in the case of Telephus is to his wanderings in 
quest of his parents, and to the poverty in which he was involved at the 
time. Peleus, as is well known, was driven into exile from the court of 
his father iEacus for having been accessary to the murder of his brother 
Phorbas. — Uterque projicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba. " Cast each 
aside bombastic expressions and words a foot and a half long," i. e., con- 
taining a foot and "a half. These were, of course, chiefly compounds. The 
old Latin tragedians were extremely fond of using them. Aulus Grellius 
(xix., 7) gives the following examples from the Alcestis of Laevius : "Au- 
rora pudoricolor .... curis intolerantibus .... Nestor triseclisenex et dul- 
cioreloquus." To which add rudentisibilus, velivolitantibus navibus, Sec. 
The term ampulla properly denotes a species of vial or flask for holding 
oil or vinegar, having a narrow neck, but swelling out below. Hence the 
word is figuratively taken to signify inflated diction, tumid language, 
bombast, rant, &c. 

99, 100. 99. Non satis est pulchra esse poemata ; dulcia sunto. " It is 
not enough that poems be beautiful, let them also be affecting." The ref- 
erence in poemata is principally to dramatic compositions, and the idea 
intended to be conveyed is this, that the avoidance of faults and the ad- 
herence to rules, though they give beauty to a piece, will not suffice ; it 
must affect the feelings also. The following outline will give a connected 
view of the remainder of this epistle. Horace's discrimination of the sev- 
eral styles that belong to the different species of poetry leads him, as has 
before been remarked, to consider the diction of the drama, and its accom- 
modation to the circumstances and character of the speaker. A recapitu- 
lation of these circumstances carries him on to treat of the due manage- 
ment of characters already known, as well as of sustaiuing those that are 
entirely original. To the first of these the poet gives the preference, rec- 
ommending known characters as well as known subjects, and, on the men- 
tion of this joint preference, the author leaves further consideration of the 
diction, and glides into discourse upon the fable, which he continues down 
to the 152d verse. Having dispatched the fable, the poet proceeds to the 
consideration of the characters ; not in regard to suitable diction, for of 
that he has already spoken, but with reference to the manners ; and in 
this branch of his subject he has as judiciously borrowed from the Rhetoric 
of Aristotle, as in other parts of his epistle from the Poetics. He then di- 
rects, in its due place, the proper conduct of particular incidents of the 
fable, after which he treats of the chorus, from which he naturally passes 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 651 

to the history of theatrical music, which is as naturally succeeded by an 
account of the origin of the drama itself, commencing with the early dith- 
yrambic song, and carried down to the establishment of the new Greek 
comedy. From this he proceeds easily and gracefully to the Roman 
stage, acknowledging the merits of the writers, but pointing out their de- 
fects, and assigning the causes. He then subjoins a few general observa- 
tions, and concludes his long discourse on the drama, having extended it 
to 275 lines. This discourse, together with the result of all his reflections 
on poets and poetry, he then applies, in the most earnest and personal 
manner, to the elder Piso, and with a long peroration, to adopt an orator- 
ical term, concludes the epistle. 

101-112. 101. Ut ridentibus arrident, &c. From verse 101 to 118 we 
have particular directions to the actors. It is not enough, accord- 
ing to Horace, that the poet has done his part well in a drama, the actor 
also must do it justice by expressing all the passions in it. (Keightley, 
ad loc.) — 103. Lazdent. "Will affect." — 104. Male si mandata loqueris. 
" If thou shalt speak the part assigned thee badly," i. e., if thou shalt not 
act up to thy true character. The reference throughout the whole pas- 
sage is, as will be plainly perceived, to the actor on the stage. Hence 
the explanation given to mandata by Jason de Nores, " tibi a scriptore 
tradita." — 107. Ludentem lasciva. " Sportive expressions, a playful look." 
— 108. Prius. "From our very birth." Equivalent to a primo ortu. — 
109. Juvat. " She delights," i. e., makes us joyful. — 111. Post. "In pro- 
cess of time," i. e., as we advance toward maturer years. Post is here 
opposed to prius in verse 108. — 112. Si dicentis erunt fortunis absona 
dicta, &c. "If the word of the speaker shall be unsuited to his station in 
life, the Roman knights and commons will raise a loud laugh at his ex- 
pense." The expression equites peditesque is meant to comprehend the 
whole audience, as well the educated and respectable as the uneducated 
and common portion. In applying the term pedites to the common peo- 
ple, the poet adopts a playful form of speech, borrowed from military lan- 
guage, and marking a sportive opposition to the word equites. 

114-119. 114. Intererit multum, &c. "What follows is directed to the 
poet and the actor alike, as the former is to supply the language, the lat- 
ter the delivery. {Keightley, ad loc.) — Divusne loquatur an heros. Many 
MSS. and editions have Davusne, but as it is evidently tragedy alone 
which Horace has in view, this reading, referring as it does to one of the 
characters in Latin comedy, must be rejected. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 115. Ma- 
turus. "Ripe for the tomb," i. e., far advanced in years. — 116. Matrona 
potens. " A lady of rank." More literally, " of powerful family." — Sedula 
nutrix. " A sedulous nurse," i. e., careful, anxious, &c. — 117. Mercatorne 
vagus, cultorne virentis agelli. The mercator vagus is one who has trav- 
elled much, has become acquainted with the manners and customs of 
various nations, and who is not only, inconsequence of this, become more 
refined in his own habits, but also more shrewd, astute, and discerning. 
The cultor virentis agelli, on the other hand, is a plain, honest country- 
farmer, of rustic manners and simple mind. — 118. Colchus an Assyrius ; 
Thebis nutritus an Argis. The Colchians were savage and inhospitable, 
the Assyrians refined, crafty, and voluptuous. The Thebans labored un- 
der the imputation of dullness (Epist. ii., 1, 244), the Argives were high- 



652 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

spirited and proud. — 119. Autfamam sequere, aut sibi convenientia finge, 
scriptor. " Thou that writest, either follow tradition, or invent such char- 
acters as are uniformly consistent with themselves." The connection, 
observes Hurd, lies thus: "Language must agree with character, char- 
ter with fame, or at least with itself. Poets, therefore, have two kinds 
of characters to labor upon, either such as are already known, or such as 
are of their own invention. In the first they are not at liberty to change 
any thing ; they must represent Achilles, Ajax, and Ulysses, in accordance 
with poetical tradition. And as to what they invent themselves, it must 
be uniform and of a piece." 

120-127. 120. Honoratum si forte reponis Achillem. " If haply thou 
dost represent anew the honored Achilles," i. e., dost represent anew, after 
Homer, Achilles honored in the verses of that ancient bard. — 121. Impi- 
ger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer. "Let him be indefatigable, wrathful, 
inexorable, impetuous." Supply sit, and compare the description given 
of this warrior in the Iliad (xx., 401).— 123. Sit Medea ferox, invictaque. 
Horace, observes Hurd, took this instance from Euripides, where the un- 
conquered fierceness of this character is preserved in that due mediocrity 
which nature and just writing demand. — Flebilis Ino. "Let Ino be a 
weeping one." This was probably her character in the lost play of Eurip- 
ides named from her. — 124. Ixion. Both iEschylus and Euripides wrote 
plays on this subject. — Vaga. "A wanderer." She is so described in 
the Prometheus Vinctus of iEschylus. — Orestes. An allusion to the play 
of that name by Euripides. — 125. Si quid inexpertum scenes committis. 
" If thou committest to the stage any thing hitherto untried." — 126. Per- 
sonam novam. " A new character." — 127. Aut sibi constct. " Or, (if it 
undergo any change), let it be consistent (in that change) with itself." The 
common reading is et sibi constet, for which we have given the emenda- 
tion of Hurd. The change, though slight in a verbal point of view, is 
otherwise important. The rule, as Hurd remarks, appears from the 
reason of the thing, and from Aristotle, and is this: "Let a uniformity 
of character be preserved, or at least a consistency," i. e., either let the 
manners be exactly the same from the beginning to the end of the play, 
as those of Medea and Orestes, for instance, or, if any change be necessa- 
ry, let it be such as may consist with, and be easily reconciled to the man- 
ners previously attributed, as is seen in the case of Electra and Iphigenia. 
The common reading is tautological. 

128. Difficile est proprie communia dicere. " It is difficult to handle 
common topics in such a way as to make them appear our own proper- 
ty." Many commentators regard communia, in this passage, as equiva- 
lent to ignota indictaque, and as indicating new subjects, such, namely, as 
have never been handled by any previous writer, and are therefore com- 
mon to all. This, however, is decidedly erroneous. The meaning of this 
axiom of Horace should be explained according to its most obvious sense, 
which is, as we have rendered the passage above, that it is difficult to enter 
on subjects which every man can handle in such a way as to make them 
appear our own property, from the manner in which we alone are able to 
treat them. Boileau used to say that he found this explanation in Her- 
mogenes (De Gravit. apt. dicend., § 30), and he labored strenuously to sup- 
port its correctness. In the British Critic, vol. v., p. 356, the opinion of 
Gaudius to the same effect is cited by Dr. Parr. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 653 

129-135. 129. Tuque rectius Iliacum, &c. " And yet with more suc- 
cess dost thou dramatize the Iliad." More literally, "dost thou draw 
asunder the llian song into acts." Observe here the force of the connect- 
ing conjunction in tuque. The poet has just stated how difficult it is to 
handle a common subject in such a way as to make it appear like a new 
one, and our own private property. But, though he acknowledges the 
difficulty of the undertaking, he by no means dissuades from it. On the 
contrary, he recommends it as the more correct and becoming course. 
Compare the remark of Gaudius, already referred to in the preceding 
note. " Difficile est ita tractare communia ut tua propria, seu pri- 
vates, seu nova jiant. Hunc tamen ego conatum tibi suadeo." — 131. Pub- 
lica materies privati juris erit. " A common theme will become thy pri- 
vate pi'operty." The poet now proceeds to explain in what way we 
must act if we wish " proprie communia dicere." The expression pub- 
lica materies serves directly to elucidate the true meaning of the term 
communia in the 128th verse. — Si nee circa vilem patulumque moraberis 
orbem. " If thou shalt neither dwell upon a round of particulars, trite in 
their nature and open unto all." The poet lays down three rules for at- 
taining the object in view, of which this is the first, and the meaning is, 
that, in handling a common topic, we must not spend our time on the sys- 
tem or circle of fables in vogue among all poets in relation to it, but must 
strike out something new for ourselves. — 133. Nee verbum verbo curabis 
reddere, &c. The second rule : not to be translators instead of imitators. 
— 135. Nee desilies imitator in arctum, &c. The third rule : not to be 
slavish in our imitation, or advance so far as to involve ourselves in cir- 
cumstances whence we can not retreat with honor, or without violating 
the very laws we have established for the conduct of the poem. Hence 
the passage may be rendered as follows : "Nor shalt leap, as an imitator, 
into such straits, whence either a sense of shame or the rules of thy work 
may forbid thee to retreat," i. e., nor, like a servile imitator, shalt fetter 
thyself by such narrow rules as to be entangled beyond the power of re- 
treat, without violating what honor and the rules of our work demand. — 
Arctum. Understand locum. Some commentators suppose that the ref- 
erence is here to the fable of the goat in the well. 

136-141. 136. Nee sic incipics, &c. We have here a general rule with 
regard to the opening verses of a poem. Whatever we may write, our 
opening should be simple, and without pomp or pretension. — Ut scriptor 
cyclicus ohm. "Like the cyclic bard of old." By the cyclic poets are 
meant a class of bards who selected for the subjects of their productions 
things transacted as well during the Trojan war as before and after, and 
who, in treating these subjects, confined themselves within a certain 
round or cycle of fable. From the hackneyed nature of these themes, the 
term cyclicus came at length to denote a poet of inferior rank, and, indeed, 
of little or no merit. — 137. Fortunam Priami cantabo et nobile bellum. 
'Aelau TLpidfioLO tvxv v iro'Aefxov re K^eevvov. — 139. Parturiunt montes, 
&c. Alluding to the well-known fable of the mountain and the mouse, 
and applied, as a proverbial expression, to all pompous and imposing be- 
ginnings which result in nothing. — 140. Quanto rectius hie, qui nil moli- 
tur inepte. " How much more correctly does he begin who attempts noth- 
ing injudiciously." The allusion is to Homer, and Horace opposes to the 
pompous and swelling exordium of the cyclic poet the modesty and re- 



654 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

serve of Homer in the beginning of the Odyssey. — 141. Die miki, Musa, 
virum, &c. Horace here includes in two lines the three opening verses 
of the Odyssey. The Roman poet does not mean his lines as a transla- 
tion of these, in the strict sense of the term, but merely wishes to convey, 
in his native tongue, some idea of the simplicity and modesty that mark 
the Homeric exordiam. 

143-151. 143. Nonfumum ex Jul gore, &c. The meaning is that Ho- 
mer does not seek to begin with a flash and end in smoke, but out of 
smoke to bring glorious light, and surprise us with the brilliant and daz 
zling creations of his fancy. — 144. Speciosa miracula. "His brilliant won 
ders." — 145. Antipkaten, Scyllamque, ice. Antiphates was king of the Lae 
strygones, a gigantic and cannibal race, placed by some expounders of my 
thology in Sicily. (Compare Odyss., x., 80, seqq.) On Scylla and Charyb 
dis, see Odyss., xii., 85, seqq. By Cyclope is meant Polyphemus. Odyss. 
ix., 152, seqq. — 146. Nee reditum Diomedis, &c. Horace does not mean by 
the "Return of Diomede" any particular production of Homer's, but only 
wishes to give us a general idea of his manner of writing, and to show 
that he does not, like some droning cyclic poet, begin with events which 
happened long before the main action of his poem, and had no immediate 
or necessary connection with it. Antimachus, a cyclic bard, had made a 
poem on the Return of Diomede, and commenced the adventures of that 
hero from the death of his uncle Meleager, by which means he gave a 
ridiculous beginning to the action that formed the subject of his work. 
Welcker thinks that the " Return" here meant is that of Diomede to iEto- 
lia after the close of the second Theban war, and not his return from Troy. 
— 147. Nee gemino bellum, &c. Another cyclic poet began an account of 
the Trojan war with the nativity of Helen, or the story of Leda and the 
eggs. He is supposed to have been Stasinus, and the passage in ques- 
tion to have occurred in the Cyprian epics. — 148. In medias res. Horace 
means that Homer, at the outset of the Iliad, does not delay us by a pre- 
vious explanation of the causes which brought on the angry strife between 
Achilles and Agamemnon, but commences at once with an allusion to the 
wrath of Pelides (M.7jviv aetde &ed !), as if the causes that led to it were 
already known to his hearer. — 149. Non secus ac notas. "Just as if well 
known." — 150. Tractata nitescere. A metaphor taken from things polish- 
ed from the force of handling. History, and a poet's imagination, may 
furnish him with a great variety of incidents, but his own judgment must 
direct him in the choice of them. So here Homer is said to omit those 
parts of the story which could not be invested with poetic splendor. — 151. 
Atque ita mentitur, sic verafalsis remiscet, &c. "And moulds his fictions 
in such a way, so blends what is false with what is true," &c. The mean- 
ing is, that Homer so intermingles fiction with reality throughout the 
whole of his poem, and so strictly connects all the parts, as to give the 
entire production an air of probability, and make the beginning, middle, 
and end exactly correspond. 

153-157. 153. Tu quid ego, Sec. We have here some remarks on the 
necessity of marking and preserving the distinguishing characteristics of 
the four ages of man. Observe that tu refers to the scriptor. — 154. Si 
fautoris eges, &c. "If thou wantest an applauder waiting until the cur- 
tain rises," i; e., an applauding spectator who will wait until the end of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 655 

the play. Literally, " waiting for the curtain." We have rendered this 
phrase in accordance with Roman usage. If translated with reference to 
modern custom, it would be " who will wait until the curtain falls." Con- 
sult note on Epist. ii., 1, 189. — 155. Vos plaudite. All the old tragedies 
and comedies acted at Rome concluded in this manner. The phrase is 
equivalent to our modern expression, " your plaudits," or " clap your 
hands." Who the cantor was that addressed these wor/ls to the audience 
is a matter of dispute. Dacier thinks it was the whole chorus; others 
suppose it to have been a single actor, the one that spoke last ; some, the 
pi'ompter; and some, the composer. The second of these opinions is prob- 
ably the more correct one. The ancient plays were all in recitative, and 
therefore cantor may here be rendered " the actor." — 157. Mobilibusque 
decor naturis dandus et annis. "And a suitable character assigned to 
changing dispositions and years," i. e., a certain decorum or propriety 
must be observed in depicting the natures or dispositions of men, as they 
change with advancing years. 

158-165. 158. Reddere voces. " To express himself in words," i. e., 
who has now learned to speak. Literally, " to give back words," i. e., in 
reply to words spoken to him. The poet here begins with a beautiful de- 
scription of the different ages of life, based, in a great degree, upon the 
description given by Aristotle in his Art of Rhetoric. — Et pede certo, 
Sec. " And imprints the ground with a firm footstep," i. e., is able to walk 
alone. — 159. Paribus. "With his companions in years." Compare Aris- 
totle, Rhet., ii., 11 : nal (pL?.6(pi7ioi, nai (ptTieracpoi, jxaWov tuv a'k'kuv 
qhuciuv. — Et iram colligit et ponit temere. " And is quick in contracting 
and in laying aside anger." Compare Aristotle, ibid. : nal d-v/Jinoi nal 
b^vtivfioL, nai oIol ukoTiovOelv ry bp/j,rj. — 160. Et mutatur in horas. Com- 
pare Aristotle, ibid. : evfj.ETu.j3o7.oc c5e nal atptKopoi npbg rag ETudvfilag. 
— 161. Tandem custode remoto. The word tandem marks, in a very pleas- 
ing manner, the impatience of the young to be freed from restraint. — 162. 
Et aprici gramine campi. Alluding to the gymnastic exercises wont to 
be performed in the Campus Martius. — 163. Cereus in vitium fiecti. "As 
pliable as wax in being bent toward vice." With cereus compare the 
Greek Krjpivoq. — 164. Utilium tardus provisor. "A slow provider of use- 
ful things," i. e., slow in discerning his true interests, and in providing for 
the future. Compare Aristotle, ibid. : nal fiakl^ov alpovvrai txp&ttelv 
ra naha, ruv avfj.<ptp6vTuv. — Prodigus aris. Compare Aristotle, ibid. : 
<pL?.oxPV/JaTOi 6e rfKicra, 6ta to firiTru evdeiag ireTreipaodat. — 165. Subli- 
mis. " High-spirited." Compare Aristotle, ibid. : nal peya2.6ipvxoc. — 
Cupidusque. "And of eager desires." Compare Aristotle, ibid.: nal 
tcjv nepi to cti/ia ETuQvfjutiv, n&AicTa ukoXov67]tlkoc eiac ralg nepl ra 
aQpodiaia, nal anparelg ravTrjg. 

166-178. 166. Conversis studiis. " Our inclinations having undergone 
a change." — yEtas animusque virilis. "The age and spirit of manhood." 
Aristotle fixes the full vigor of the body from thirty years to thirty-five, 
and of the mind until about forty-nine. This, of course, is for the climate 
of southern regions. — 167. Inservit honori. "Bends the knee to prefer- 
ment." Literally, "is a slave" to it. — 169. Circumveniunt. "Encom- 
pass." — 170. Quarit, et inventis miser abstinet. Compare Aristotle, Rhet., 
ii., 13 : &gTE ovte i7n6vfj.7jTi.K0l, ovte TrpaKTLKol, Kara Tag E7Ti6vjulag, 



656 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

aXka Kara to nepdog '■ dib oufipovLnol (paivovrai ol tvamovtoi, ai re yap 
kTudv/ilaL aveitcaai, tcai dovAevovat rw ftepdei. — 171. V el quod res omnes 
timide gelidcque, &c. Compare Aristotle, Rhet., ii., 13 : nal deiAol nal 
Trdvra Trpo<pojJ7]TiKoi' evavriuc yap didnetvTai role veoig ■ nareipvyuevoi 
yap eiaiv ' ol de -&epjj,oL ' (ogre irpoodoTrenoir/Ke to yfjpac tt\ det/aa • nal 
yap 6 <j>6j3og tcaTaipv^ig tic sort ; — 172. Spe longus. " Slow to hope." 
Literally, "long in hope." Compare Orelli, ad loc, and Aristotle, ibid.: 
dvgeAntdsg dm tt/v kfiTcetpiav. — Avidusque futuri. "And greedy of the 
future," i. e., fond of life. Aristotle calls the old ip&o&ovc, and Sophocles 
(Frag. 64, Dind.) says of the same period of life, tov C,7jv yap ovdsic dtg d 
yTjpaanuv epa. — 173. Difficilis. "Morose." — Laudator temporis acti, Sec. 
"A praiser of by-gone times, when he was a boy, a chastiser and censurer 
of the young." Compare Aristotle, ibid. : diaTEAovci yap to. ysvofieva 
AeyovTtq - dva/ni/xynaKofiEvoi yap r/6ovrat. — 175. Anni venientes, &c. Ar- 
istotle, as already remarked (note on verse 166), considers the powers of 
the body in a state of advancement till the thirty-fifth year, and the facul- 
ties of the mind as progressively improving till the forty -ninth, from which 
periods they severally decline. This will serve to explain the anni veni- 
entes and recedentes of Horace. — 176. Ne forte seniles, &c. " We Tire al- 
ways to dwell with particular attention upon those things that are joined 
to, and proper for, each individual age, lest haply the part of age be as- 
signed to youth, the part of manhood to the boy," i. e., lest the old man 
speak like the youth, the boy like the man. 

179-188. 179. Aut agitur res in scenis aut acta refertur. "An action 
is either represented on the stage, or is there related as done elsewhere." 
The poet now proceeds to state how much of the story should be acted, 
how much related. — 182. Non tamen intus digna geri, &c. The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is this, that, though what we see done affects us 
more strongly than what we merely hear related, still (tamen) we must not 
let this principle carry us so far as to bring upon the stage things only fit to 
be done behind the scenes (intus). — 184. Quae mox narret facundia prce- 
sens. " Which the animated narrative of some actor, appearing on the 
stage, may presently relate." Facundia is equivalent here to facundus 
nuntius. Some commentators make prcesens refer to the circumstance 
of the actor's having been present at the scene which he describes. The 
acceptation in which we have taken it, however, is much more simple 
and obvious. — 185. Ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet. He gives 
as instances of the -deeds which should be related, not represented, the 
murder of her children by Medea, the eating of the flesh of his children by 
Thyestes, the transformation of Procne, Cadmus, &c. The scholiast Acron 
calls the children of Medea, Medus and Mermerus. Seneca violates the 
rule also, and represents Medea butchering her children in the face of the 
spectators, and aggravates the cruelty of the execution with all the hor- 
rors of a lingering act. — 186. Aut humana palarn coqnat exta, &c. An 
allusion to the casna Thyesta, mentioned at verse 91. — 187. In avem. Ac- 
cording to Anacreon, Virgil, Propertius, and others, she was changed into 
a nightingale; but, according to Ovid, into a swallow. — 188. Incredulus 
odi. " I view with feelings of incredulity and disgust." This refers no* 
so much to Medea and Thyestes as to Procne and Cadmus. 

189-192. 189. Neve minor neu sit quinto production- actufabula. Fm> 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 657 

ther rules for the representation. Whether there be any thing of reality 
and truth in the precept here laid down about the number of acts, may, 
observes Francis, be disputed, but the best poets, ancient and modern, 
have held it inviolable. They have considered it a just medium between 
a length which might grow languishing and tedious, and a shortness too 
much crowded with incidents. — 191. Nee deus intersit, nisi dignus vin- 
dice nodus. " Nor let any deity interfere, unless a difficulty present itself 
worthy of such a liberator," i. e., of such interposition. With vindice sup- 
ply tali. As regards the peculiar force of the term vindex, compare the 
remark of Gesner : " Vindex est, qui summo in periculo versantem subito 
liberat et eripit." Horace intends this precept as a censure upon a com- 
mon fault among the ancient tragic poets, that of having recourse to some 
deity for the unravelling of the plot, whenever they were at a loss in re- 
lation to it. He was made to descend in a species of machine ; whence 
the expression, deus ex machina. — 192. Nee quarta loqui persona laboret. 
Horace here enjoins on the Roman dramatist the practice so strictly ob- 
served among the Greeks, of confining the number of actors to three. In 
the origin of the drama the members of the chorus were the only perform- 
ers. Thespis was his own actor, or, in other words, he first introduced 
an actor distinct from the chorus. iEschylus added a second, and Sopho- 
cles a third; and this continued to be ever after the legitimate number. 
Hence, when three characters happened to be already on the stage, and 
a fourth was to come on, one of the three was obliged to retire, change his 
dress, and so return as the fourth personage. The poet, however, might 
introduce any number of mutes, as guards, attendants, &c. 

193-200. 193. Actoris partes Chorus officiumque virile defendat. "Let 
the chorus supply the place of a performer, and sustain an active part'in 
the representation." According to the rules of the ancient drama, the 
chorus was to be considered as one of the actors, and its coryphaeus, or 
head (or, if a female chorus, its coryphaea), spoke for the whole number 
composing it. As regards the expression officium virile, compare the ex- 
planatory comment of Hurd : " Officium virile means a strenuous, diligent 
office, such as becomes a person interested in the progress of the action." 
The precept is levelled against the practice of those poets who, though 
they allot the part of a persona dramatis to the chorus, yet for the most 
part make it so idle and insignificant a one that it is of little consequence 
in the representation. — 194. Neu quid medios intercinat actus, Sec. "Nor 
let it sing any thing between the acts that does not in some way conduce 
to, and connect itself aptly with the plot." This rule was strictly observed 
by .ZEschylus and Sophocles, but was often violated by Euripides and the 
later Greek poets. How necessary this same rule might be to the Latin 
writers of the Augustan age, remarks Hurd, can not certainly appear ; 
but if the practice of Seneca may give room for any suspicion, it should 
seem to have been much wanted, in whom I scarcely believe there is a 
single instance of the chorus being employed in a manner consonant to its 
true end and character. — 196. Ille bonis faveatque et consilietur amice. 
" Let it both take the side of the good, and give them friendly advice." — 
197. Et amet pacare tumentes. " And love to bring down to reason those 
who are swelling with pride." We have followed here, with Bentley 
and others, the reading of two of Pulmann's MSS. The common text has 
peccare timentes, which hardly differs from the bonis of the preceding 
E e2 



658 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

verse, and is therefore tautological. — 198. Dapes menses brevis. "The 
viands of a frugal table," i. e., temperance and content. — Salubrem justi- 
tiam. "A healthful administration of justice," i. e., giving health to a 
state. — 199. Et apertis otia portis. "And peace with open gates." — 
200. Ille tegat commissa. "Let it keep concealed whatever secrets are 
intrusted to it." The choras, being present throughout the whole repre- 
sentation, was often necessarily intrusted with the secrets of the persons 
of the drama. 

202-209. 202. Tibia non, ut nunc, See. Tragedy having been origin- 
ally nothing more than a chorus or song set to music, from which practice 
the harmony of the regular chorus in after times had its rise, the poet 
takes this occasion to pass to a history of theatrical music. — Orichalco 
vincta. " Bound with orichalcum," i. e., brass-bound. The reference is 
either to rings of metal placed around the tibia by way of ornament, or to 
those which marked the joints of the instrument. The orichalcum of an- 
tiquity (called by the Greeks dpecxahnoc, i. e., mountain bronze) seems to 
have been a factitious substance, not a natural metal. They made it on 
the same basis that we make bronze at present ; but they had several 
ways of doing it, and distinguished it into several kinds. — 203. Tenuis 
simplexque. " Of slender note and simple form." Tenuis is here op- 
posed to tubas cemula, and simplex to orichalco vincta. — 204. Adspirare et 
adesse Choris erat utilis. "Was employed to accompany and aid the 
chorus." By the term chorus, in the present passage, all the actors are 
meant ; for, in the origin of the drama, the members of the chorus were 
the only performers. — Atque nondum spissa nirnis complere sediliafiatu. 
"And to fill with its tones the seats of the theatre, that were not as yet 
too crowded," i. €., and was loud enough to be heard all over the theatre, 
as yet of moderate size. — 206. Numerabilis, utpote parvus. "Easily 
counted, as being few in number." Literally, " to be counted," &c. The 
term numerabilis is found in no writer before Horace. Orelli thinks that 
he may perhaps have formed it from the Greek Evapidfi-nTOC. The early 
audiences here referred to were very different from the immense crowds 
that flocked to the public spectacles in the poet's own day. — 207. Frugi. 
"Industrious." Frugiis generally rendered here by the term "frugal," 
but improperly. It is equivalent, in the present instance, to in rem suam 
attentus et diligens. — 208. Victor. Referring to populus in the 206th 
verse. — 209. Latior murus. "A wider circuit of wall." — Vineoque pla- 
cari Genius festis impune diebus. " And the Genius to be soothed on 
festal occasions with wine drunk freely by day," i. e., and to indulge them- 
selves freely in mirth and wine on festal days. The expressions vino 
diurno and impune have an allusion to the early Roman custom, which 
regarded it as improper to commence drinking, or entertainments, de me- 
dio die (consult note on Ode i., 1, 20), as well as to the introduction of a 
more social spirit by reason of the intercourse with other nations, and the 
increase of wealth which conquest produced. As regards the phrase pla- 
cari Genius, consult note on Ode iii., 17, 14. 

212-214. 212. Indoctus quid enim saperet, &c. "For what correct 
means of judging in such a case could an unlettered clown, and one just 
freed from labor, have, when mingled in motley group with the citizen, 
the base-born with him of honorable birth ?" There is some difference of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 659 

opinion with regard to the application of these lines. Many critics imag- 
ine that the poet refers to the rude and simple character of the early the- 
atrical music, as taking its tone from the unpolished nature of the audience 
to whom it was addressed. Others, however, with more propriety, make 
the passage under consideration have allusion to what immediately pre- 
cedes, and to be intended as a species of explanatory comment on the li- 
centia major, spoken of by Horace. — 214. Sic priscce motumqve et luxu- 
riem, Sec. " Thus the musician added both a quicker movement and 
richer modulation to the ancient art." By priscos arti is meant the an- 
cient music, the peculiar defects of which were, 1. That it moved too 
slowly; and, 2. That it had no compass or variety of notes. It was the 
office of those who played on musical instruments, in the performance both 
of tragedies and comedies, to give to the actors and audience the tone of 
feeling which the dramatic parts demanded. In tragedy the music in- 
variably accompanied the chorus. It was not, however, confined to the 
chorus, but appears to have been also used in the dialogue ; for Cicero 
tells of Roscius, that he said be would make the music play slower 
when he grew older, that he might the more easily keep up with it. (De 
Orat., i., 60.) 

215-218. 215. Traxitqtie vagus per pulpita vestem. " And, passing up 
and down, drew a lengthened train along the stage." The pulpitum was 
a wooden platform, raised on the proscenium to the height of five feet. 
This the actors ascended to perform their parts, and here all the dramatic 
representations of the Romans were exhibited, except the Mimes, which 
were acted on the lower floor of the proscenium. — Vestem. Alluding to 
the long theatrical robe, called ovpua by the Greeks, from avpu, "io 
drag" upon the ground. The present passage expresses not only the im- 
provement arisiug from the ornament of proper dresses, but also that re- 
sulting from the grace of motion ; not only the actor, whose peculiar office 
it was, but the musician himself, conforming his gestures in some sort to 
the music. — 216. Sic etidm Jidibus voces crevere severis, &c. "In this 
way, too, new notes were added to the severe lyre, and a vehemence 
and rapidity of language produced an unusual vehemence and rapidity of 
elocution in the declaimer." The poet is here speaking of the great im- 
provement in the tragic chorus after the Roman conquests, when the Latin 
writers began to inquire Quid Sophocles et Thespis et JEschylus utile 
ferrent. This improvement consisted, observes Hurd, 1. In a more in- 
structive moral sentiment ; 2. In a more sublime and animated expression, 
which, of course, produced, 3. A greater vehemence in the declamation; to 
which conformed, 4. A more numerous and rapid music than that which had 
been produced by the severe and simple tones of the early lyre. All these 
particulars are here expressed, but, as the reason of the thing required, 
in an inverted order. The music of the lyre (that being his subject, and 
introducing the rest) being placed first; the declamation, as attending 
that, next ; the language, facundia, that is, the subject of the declama- 
tion, next ; and the sentiment, sententia, the ground and basis of the lan- 
guage, last. — 218. Utiliumque sagax rerum, et divina futuri, &c. " "While 
the sentiments expressed, displaying an accurate acquaintance with things 
of a useful character, and predicting the events of the future, differed not 
in value from the oracles delivered at Delphi." The poet here, with great 
exactness, declares the specific boast and excellence of the chorus, which 



660 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

lay, as Heinsius has well observed, 1. In inculcating moral lessons ; and, 
2. In delivering useful pi'esages and monitions concerning future conduct 
with an almost oracular prudence and authority. 

220, 221. 220. Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum. From 
the tragedy of the Greeks he makes a natural transition to their Satyric 
drama, and gives the laws by which it was composed, and by which, there- 
fore, it should be judged. The Satyric drama was a species of merry after- 
piece, and the distinguishing feature in it, and from which it derived its 
name, was the chorus of Satyrs in appropriate dresses and masks. On 
the origin of tragedy, as explanatory of the language of the text, vilem 
certavit ob hircum, consult Diet. Ant., s. v. — 221. Agrestes Satyros nu- 
davit. "Brought the wild Satyrs naked on the stage," i. e., exhibited on 
the stage performers habited in skins, and resembling in appearance the 
Satyrs of fable. The inventor of the Satyric drama is said to have been 
Pratinas, a native of Phlius, and contemporary with iEschylus. The 
Cyclops of Euripides is the only Satyric drama that has come down to us. 
Of others we have merely fragments. It was customary in the poetical 
contests for each poet to exhibit three tragedies and one Satyric piece, 
and the four were called a tetralogy. — Et asper incolumi gravitate jocum 
tentavit. "And with rough sarcasm essayed the joke, though without 
abandoning the gravity of the subject." 

224-229. 224. Functusque sacris, et potus, et exlex. " Just come from 
festal rites, full of the fumes of wine, wild and ungovernable." After the 
sacrifice and the meal on the victims came the representation of the dra- 
ma. — 225. Verum ita risores, &c. "It will be expedient, however, in 
such a way to recommend the bantering, in such a way the rallying Sa- 
tyrs, to the favor of the audience, in such a way to turn things of a serious 
nature into jest, that whatever god, whatever hero shall be introduced, he 
may not, conspicuous a moment ago in regal gold and purple, descend, by 
means of the vulgar language he employs, to the low level of obscure tav- 
erns, nor, on the other hand, while he spurns the ground, grasp at clouds 
and empty space." — 229. Migret in obscuras, &c. The former of these 
faults, observes Hurd, a low and vulgar expression in the comic parts, 
humili sermone, would almost naturally adhere to the first essays of the 
Soman Satyric drama, from the buffoon-genius of the Atellanae ; and the 
latter, a language too sublime in the tragic part, nubes et inania capiat, 
would arise from not apprehending the true measure and degree of the 
tragic mixture. To correct both these, the poet gives the exactest idea 
of the Satyric drama, in the image of a Roman matron sharing in the mirth 
of a religious festival. The occasion obliged to some freedoms, and yet 
the dignity of her character demanded a decent reserve. 

231-236. 231. Indigna. "Disdaining." — 232. Ut festis matrona mo- 
veri jussa diebus. The verb moveri is here equivalent to saltare. — 233. 
Intererit. "Will mingle." — Paulum pudibunda. "With some degree 
of modest reserve." — 234. Non ego inornata, &c. " As a writer of Satyric 
pieces, O Pisos, I will not confine myself merely to nouns and verbs that 
are unadorned and prevalent (in daily use)," i. c., were I a writer of Sa- 
tyric pieces, I would not confine myself to the ordinary nouns and verbs, 
calling every thing, for instance, by its common name. Inornata means 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 661 

not figurative. — 236. Nee sic enitar, Sec. " Nor, on the other hand, will I 
strive to deviate so far from the complexion of tragedy," &c., i. e., nor, in 
my anxiety to keep clear of the style of tragedy, would I descend to the 
language of the inferior characters in comedy. [Keightley, ad loc.) — Co- 
lori. The dative by a Hellenism for a colore. 

237-240. 237. Ut nihil intersit, &c. Davus is the name of a slave in 
Terence. Pythias is the name of a female slave in the Eunuchus of the 
same author ; but the reference here is to a play of Cascilius, in which 
another Pythias has cheated her master out of a talent. — 238. Emuncto 
lucrata Simone talentum. " Having gained a talent from Simo, whom 
she has gulled.'' Emuncto is literally, " having his nose blown or wiped." 
The poet purposely employs the low comic word emuncto, as suited to, 
and in keeping with, the subject of which he treats. — 239. Silenus. The 
poets make him the governor and foster-father of Bacchus, and represent 
him as borne upon an ass, and usually in a state of intoxication. — 240. Ex 
nolo jictum carmen scquar, &c. "From a well-known subject I will pro- 
duce such a fiction that," &c. Sequar is here equivalent to exsequar. 
This precept, observes Hurd (from line 240 to 244), is analogous to that 
before given (line 219) concerning tragedy. It directs to form the Satyric 
dramas out of a known subject. The reasons are, in general, the same 
for both. Only one seems peculiar to the Satyric drama. For the cast of 
it being necessarily romantic, and the persons, for the most part, those 
fantastic beings called Satyrs, the to bfioiov, or probable, will require the 
subject to have gained a popular belief, without which the representation 
must appear unnatural. Now these subjects, which have gained a popu- 
lar belief in consequence of old tradition and their frequent celebration in 
the poets, are what Horace calls nota ; just as newly-invented subjects, 
or, which comes to the same thing, such as had not been employed by 
other writers, indicia, he, on a like occasion, terms ignota. The connec- 
tion, therefore, is as follows : Having mentioned Silenus in line 239, one 
of the commonest characters in this species of drama, an objection imme- 
diately offers itself, "but what good poet will engage in subjects and 
characters so trite and hackneyed ?" the answer is, ex noto Jictum carmen 
sequar, i. e., however trite and well known this and some other characters, 
essential to the Satyric drama, are and must be, yet will there be still 
room for fiction and genius to show themselves. The conduct and dispo- 
sition of the play may be wholly hew, and above the ability of common 
writers : tantum series juncturaque pollet. 

242-244. 242. Tantum series juncturaque pollet. " Such power do a 
proper arrangement and connection possess." Series denotes the train of 
incidents, which are mostly invented by the poet, but so blended with the 
known history, or with what tradition has already settled, as to make up 
the whole with every mark of probability by that happy connection which 
Horace here calls junctura. — 243. Tantum de -medio sumtis accedit hono- 
ris. " So much grace may be imparted to subjects taken from the com- 
mon mass," i. e., so capable are the meanest and plainest things of orna- 
ment and grace. — 244. Silvis educti caveant, me judice, Fauni, &c. 
"Fauns bred in the woods should take care, in my opinion, never either 
to sport in too tender lays, like persons brought up within the precincts 
of the city, and almost as if accustomed to the harangues of the Forum, 



662 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— -EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

nor, on the other hand, to express themselves in ohscene and abusive lan- 
guage." The common reading is deducti, "brought forward upon the 
stage," with an ellipsis oiin scenam, for which we have given educti (i. e., 
educati), the conjecture of Markland, and which Fea subsequently found 
in two of his MSS. The train of ideas is given by Hurd as follows : The 
poet, having before (line 232) settled the true idea of the Satyric style in 
general, now treats of the peculiar language of the Satyrs themselves. 
This common sense demands to be in conformity with their sylvan char- 
acter : neither affectedly tender and gallant on the one hand, nor grossly 
and offensively obscene on the other. The first of these cautions seems 
levelled at a false improvement, which, on the introduction of the Roman 
Satyric drama, was probably attempted on the simple, rude plan of the 
Greek, without considering the rustic extraction and manners of the Fauns 
and Satyrs. The latter obliquely glances at the impurities of the Atel- 
lane pieces, whose licentious ribaldry would, of course, infect the first es- 
says of Roman Satyric composition. 

245-249. 245. Innati triviis. The reference in triviis is properly to 
the cross streets and thoroughfares in cities. — Forenses. The allusion ap- 
pears to be to the forensic harangues and declamations in which the young 
Romans were accustomed to exercise themselves, and to the choice ex- 
pressions which they aimed at employing in such performances.— 246. Ju~ 
venentur. This is thought to be a word with which the poet himself en- 
riched his native tongue, and is formed after the analogy of the Greek 
veavteveadai. — 248. OffendunUcr enim, quibus est equus, &c. " For they 
are offended at this who have a steed, a father, or an estate." The allu- 
sion is to the equiles, the patricians, and the wealthier portion of the peo- 
ple ; in other words, to the more polite and educated classes. The poet, 
observes Hurd, in his endeavor to reclaim his countrymen from the taste 
obscene, very politely, by a common figure, represents that as being the 
fact which he wished to be so. — 249. Fricti ciceris et nucis erntor. " The 
purchasers of parched peas and nuts." Alluding to the lower orders, who 
purchased these articles for the purpose of consuming them during the 
representation of a piece. The nut here meant is supposed by some to 
be the chestnut. At the present day, says Keightley, women sit in the 
streets of Naples and other towns selling roasted chestnuts to the passers- 
by. Fea says that parched, or, rather, fried chick-peas (cecio fritto) are 
used both at Rome and Naples by the lower orders, and that cecio fritto 
is a common phrase of reproach applied to them. 

251-260. 251. Syllaba longa brevi subjecta, &c. The whole critique 
on the Satyric drama here concludes with some directions about the iam- 
bic verse. Not that this metre was common to tragedy and the Satyric 
drama, for, accurately speaking, the proper measure of the latter was, as 
the grammarians teach, the iambic enlivened with the tribrach : " Gau- 
dent trisyllabo pede et mazime tribrache" (Victor., 2 c. met. iamb.). Yet 
there was resemblance enough to consider this whole affair of the metre 
under the same head. — 252. Unde etiam trimetris accrescere jussit, &c. 
" Whence, also, it ordered their name to accrue to iambic trimeters, when 
it yielded six beats, from first to last like itself," i. e., the name of trime- 
ters to be given to iambics, &c. With iambeis supply versions. The 
meaning is, that though six beats were yielded, or, in other words, six 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 663 

iambi arranged in a verse, yet, owing to the rapidity of the foot, these six 
formed only three metres, i. e., a trimeter iambic line. — 254. Primus ad 
extremum similis sibi, Sec. The import of these words is, that the feet 
originally employed were all iambi, forming what is called a pure iambic 
line. — Non ita pridem. " No very long time ago." A strange way of 
speaking, as the commentators correctly remark, since the oldest Greek 
trimeters, namely, those of Archilochus, contain spondees. (Compare 
Archil. Frag., ed. Lieb., p. 57.) It can only be defended on the ground of 
a poet's carelessness of expression. Some think that Horace refers mere- 
ly to the Roman iambic poets, but the remains which we have of Livius 
Andronicus and Naevius clearly disprove this. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 255. 
Tardior ut paulo graviorque, Sec. The spondee was introduced to cor- 
rect the swiftness of the iambic verse, and make it more consistent with 
the dignity and gravity of tragic composition. — 256. Spondeos stabiles. 
Spondees are here elegantly denominated stabiles, from the circumstance 
of their not running on rapidly like the iambus, but moving along, by rea- 
son of their greater heaviness, at a slow and steady pace. — In jura pater- 
na. " Into a participation of its hereditary rights," i. e., the right, hitherto 
exclusively its own, of appearing in iambic versification. Compare note 
on verse 254. — 257. Commodus et patiens. " Obligingly and contentedly." 
• — Non ut de sede secunda, &c. " Not, however, so as to retire from the 
second or the fourth place, after the manner of friends to whom all things 
are in common." The iambus yields only the odd places to the spondee, 
the first, third, and fifth, but preserves the second, fourth, and sixth for it- 
self. — 258. Hie et in Atti nobilibus trimetris, Sec. " This (iambus in the 
second and fourth places) rarely appears in the noble trimeters of Attius 
and Ennius." Hie is here for hie pes, i. e., iambus. The expression no- 
bilibus trimetris is ironical. Horace blames Attius and Ennius for not 
observing the strict rule respecting the position of the iambus in the even 
places of the trimeter, and for making their verses, in consequence, hard 
and heavy, by the presence of too many spondees. — 260. In scenam mis- 
sus magno cum pondere versus, &c. " A verse sent upon the stage with 
a great weight (of spondees attached to it) presses hard (upon the writer) 
with the disgraceful charge of too rapid and careless a performance, or an 
ignorance of his art." According to our poet, averse sent upon the stage 
laboring beneath a heavy load of spondees reflects discredit upon its au- 
thor, and either shows that he has been too hasty, and has not given him- 
self time to fashion his poem, or else proves him to be ignorant of the rules 
of his own art. 

263-268. 263. Non quivis videt immodulaia poemata judex, Sac. " It 
is not every judge who discerns the want of harmony in poems, and an 
improper indulgence is therefore extended in this case to the Roman 
poets," i. e., who is able to discern, &c. Horace remarks that it is not ev- 
ery one who is capable of marking the want of modulation and harmony 
in a poem, and that, by reason of this, an improper licence has been ex- 
tended to the Roman poets in matters of versification. He then asks 
whether, in consequence of such a privilege being allowed, he ought to 
fall in the common track, and write in a careless, rambling manner. In 
other words, whether the negligence of other and earlier bards is deserv- 
ing of imitation. The answer is concisely given, and amounts to this, that 
accuracy of versification can never be dispensed with, since it constitutes 



664 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

so small a portion of poetical merit, and if one be without it be can hardly- 
lay claim to the appellation of poet. For suppose I think all eyes will be 
turned to any faults that I may commit in the structure of my verses, and 
am therefore on my guard against errors of this kind, what have I gained 
by so doing? I have only -avoided censure, not merited praise. — 265. Ut 
omnes vistiros peccata putem mea. " Suppose I think that every one will 
see whatever faults I may commit." Ut putem is equivalent here to fac 
meputare. — 268. Exemplaria Grceca. " The Grecian models." 

271, 272. 271. Nimium patienter utrumque, &c. It has been thought 
strange, observes Hurd, that Horace should pass so severe a censure on 
the wit of Plautus, which yet appeared to Cicero so admirable that he 
speaks of it {De Off., i., 29) as elegans, urbanum, ingeniosumj facetum. 
Nor can it be said that this difference of judgment was owing to the im- 
proved delicacy of the taste for wit in the Augustan age, since it does not 
appear that Horace's own jokes, when he attempts to divert us in this 
way, are at all better than Cicero's. The common answer, so far as it 
respects the poet, is, I believe, the true one : that, endeavoring to beat 
down the excessive veneration of the elder Roman poets, and, among the 
rest, of Plautus, he censures, without reserve, ever}' the least defect in his 
writings, though in general he agreed with Cicero in admiring him.— 272. 
Si modo ego et vos, &c. "If you and I but know how to distinguish a 
coarse joke from a smart sally of wit, and understand the proper cadence 
of a verse by the aid of our fingers and ear/' The allusion in digitis is to 
the use made of the fingers in measui-ing the quantity of the verse. 

275-280. 275. Ignotum tragicce genus, &c. " Thespis is said to have 
invented a species of tragedy before unknown to the Greeks." "With ig- 
notum supply anteliac. Horace does not mean to say that tragedy ac- 
tually commenced with Thespis, but that he was the author of a new and 
important step in the progress of the drama. The whole of this, however, 
has been shown to be an error, arising from the confounding, by those 
whom Horace follows, of the rpaycpdia of Thespis with the kujuol of Su- 
sarion, to which the moving from place to place in carts, and the smear- 
ing of the faces of the actors with wine-lees properly belonged. Thespis 
merely placed his actor upon a kind of table (eAeoc), which was thus the 
predecessor of the stage, and this was done in order that, as the chorus 
stood upon the steps of the thymele, or altar of Bacchus, the actor might 
address them from an equal elevation. This standing-place of Thespis 
was confounded subsequently with the wagon of Susarion. {Theatre of 
the Greeks, p. 42, 4th ed.) — 276. Et plaustris vexisse poemata, <5cc. The 
order of construction is, et vexisse plaustris histriones, qui, peruncti ora 
f&cibus, canerent agerentque poemata ejus. — 277. Peruncti fcecibus ora. 
In the earlier age of tragedy, observes Blomfield, the actors smeared their 
faces either with the lees of wine, or with a kind of paint called fiarpa- 
Xelov. Different actors invented different masks. Who first introduced 
them into comedy is unknown ; but ./Eschylus first used them in tragedy. 
— 278. Post hunc personce, &c. " After him, iEschylus, the inventor of 
the mask and graceful robe, both spread a stage upon beams of moderate 
size, and taught the actor to speak in lofty strain, and tread majestic in 
the buskin." Horace here briefly alludes to the improvements brought in 
by Jischylus, namely, 1. The mask, or head-piece : so constructed as to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 665 

give power and distinctness to the voice. 2. An appropriate costume 
3. A regular stage. 4. The thick-soled cothurnus, raising the stature of 
the performers to that of the heroes represented. 5. A more dignified 
and tragic expression. — 280. Docuit. The poet himself taught the actors 
their part by dictation. Compare note on verse 288. 

281-288. 281. Successit vetus his Comoedia. "With regard to the sev- 
eral changes in the Greek comedy, audits division into the Old, the Mid- 
dle, and the New, consult note on Sat. i., 4, 2. — 282. Sed in vitium, &c. 
" But freedom of speech degenerated into licentiousness, and into outrage 
deserving of being corrected by the law." — 283. Lex est accepta, &c. Ac- 
cording to Clinton {Fast. Hell., vol. xi., Introd., p. liii.), the law merely 
prohibited the comic poets from making any living person a character in 
the piece. Personal allusions were not forbidden. Horace therefore goes 
too far. It would also appear that it was the New Comedy that first dis- 
pensed with a chorus, and that chiefly on account of the expense. {Keight- 
ley, ad loc.) — 288. Vel qui prcetextas, vel qui docuere togatas. "Whether 
they have composed tragedies or comedies for the stage." Docere fabu- 
lam is analogous to the Greek expression diddaneiv 6pap.a, and properly 
means to " teach a play" {i. e., to the actors). Since, from the state of 
writing materials, the performers could not enjoy the convenience of fre- 
quent transcription of their parts, they studied them by the poet's repeat- 
edly reading them out, and the chorus was exercised the same way. This 
was more particularly the case among the Greeks. Hence we obtain the 
primitive meaning of diddoneLv Spufia (docere fabulam), and from this 
others of a more general nature result, such as, "to give a play to be act- 
ed," " to exhibit a piece," or, as in the present case, simply to " compose" 
one. — Prcetextas. With this epithet, and also togatas, understand fabu- 
las. The term togatat (sci\. fabulce) was used to denote all plays in which 
the habits, manners, and arguments were Roman ; and palliatee, those 
of which the customs and subjects were Grecian. When, however, pr&- 
text<B is set in opposition to togatce, as in the present instance, the first 
means tragedies, and the second comedies, because the prastexta was a 
robe appropriated to the higher orders, whereas the toga was the com- 
mon Roman habit. 

291-294. 291. Lima labor et mora. "The labor and delay of correc- 
tion." Literally, " of the file." — 292. Pompilius sanguis. " Descendants 
of Pompilius." Observe here the employment of the nominative for the 
vocative, and consult Zumpt, § 492. The Gens Calpurnia, to which the 
family of the Pisos belonged, derived its pedigree, according to Porphyr- 
in, from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius. — Carmen reprendite, quod 
non multa dies, &c. " Condemn that poem which many a day and many 
a blot have not corrected, and castigated ten times to perfect accuracy." 
Coercuit is here equivalent to emendando purgavit. — 294. PrcEsectum ad 
vnguem. Literally, " to the pared nail." A metaphor taken from work- 
ers in marble, who try the smoothness of the marble, and the exactness 
of the joinings, by drawing the nail over them. Compare Sat. i., 5, 32. 

295,296. 295. Ingenium misera quia forfunatius arte, &c. "Because 
Democritns believes genius more successful than wretched art, and there- 
fore excludes sane poets from Helicon." Compare note on verse 296.' 



666 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

The epithet misera is to be taken ironically, and by arte is meant learn- 
ing, study, application, &c. The connection in what here succeeds is 
given as follows by Hurd. From line 295 to 323, the poet ridicules the 
false notion into which the Honians had fallen, that -poetry and possession 
were nearly the same thing; that nothing more was required in a poet 
than some extravagant starts and sallies of thought; that coolness and re- 
flection were inconsistent with his character, and that poetry was not to 
be scanned by the rules of sober sense. This they carried so far as to af- 
fect the outward port and air of madness, and, upon the strength of that 
appearance, to set up for wits and poets. In opposition to this mistake, 
which was one great hinderance to critical correctness, he asserts wisdom 
and good sense to be the source and principle of good writing ; for the at- 
tainment of which he prescribes, 1. (From line 310 to 312), a careful study 
of the Socratic, that is, moral wisdom ; and, 2. (From line 312 to 318), a 
thorough acquaintance with human nature, that great exemplar of man- 
ners, as he finely calls it, or, in other words, a wide, extensive view of 
real, practical life. The joint direction of these two, as means of acquiring 
moral knowledge, was perfectly necessary. Both together furnish a 
thorough and complete comprehension of human life, which, manifesting 
itself in the just and affecting, forms that exquisite degree of perfection in 
the character of the dramatic poet, the want of which no warmth of genius 
can atone for or excuse. Nay, such is the force of this nice adjustment of 
manners (from line 319 to 323), that, where it has remarkably prevailed, 
the success of a play has sometimes been secured by it, without one sin- 
gle excellence or recommendation besides. — 296. Et excludit sanos Helir 
cone poetas. Consult note on Epist. i., 19, 3, and compare the following 
remark of the scholiast : " Ingenium : ait enim Democritus, poeticam na- 
tura magis quam arte constare, et eos solos poetas esse veros, qui insaniant ; 
in qua persuasione Plato est." 

298-300. 298. Balnea. There was always more or less of a crowd at 
the public baths. — 299. Nanciscetur enim pretium nomenque poeta, &c. 
" For one will certainly obtain the recompense and the name of a poet, if 
he shall never submit to the barber Licinus a head not to be cured by the 
produce of three Anticyras," i. e., one will be a poet as long as he remains 
a madman, and allows no barber to meddle with his beard. Enim, like 
scilicet, nimirum, Sec, on other occasions, is here made to answer the pur- 
poses of irony. The Licinus here alluded to is said to have been a barber, 
advanced to the dignity of senator by Julius Caesar on account of his hatred 
to Pompey, and subsequently made procurator of Gaul by Augustus. This, 
however, can hardly be, unless we suppose that at the time when the 
present epistle was written he had lost the favor of the emperor. — Pre- 
tium. Public applause, the recompense of a poet's exertions. — 300. Tribus 
Anticyris. There were only two Anticyras in the ancient world, both 
famed for producing hellebore, the well-known remedy, in former days, 
for madness. (Consult note on Sat. ii., 3, 83.) The poet, however, here 
speaks of a head so very insane as not to be cured by the produce of three 
Anticyras, if there even were three places of the name, and not merely two. 

301-308. 301. O ego lavus, qui purgor bilem, &c. "What an unlucky 
fellow am I, who am purged of bile at the approach of every spring." If 
madness, pleasantly remarks Horace, is sufficient to make a man a poet, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 667 

what an unlucky dog I am in removing the bile from my system every 
spring, for this might at least increase to the degree that would qualify 
me for making verses. — 303. Verum nil tanti est. " However, there is 
nothing in it of so much value as to be worth this price," i. e. t the loss of 
my senses. — 306. Munus et officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo. "Though 
I write nothing myself, I will, notwithstanding, teach the duty and office 
(of one who does)." By nil scribens ipse the poet refers to his not having 
composed any epic or dramatic poem. — 307. Opes. "Proper materials," 
i.e., subject-matter. — 308. Quo virtus, quo ferat error. "Whither an ac- 
curate knowledge of his art, whither an ignorance of it, leads." 

309-314. 309. Scribendi recte sapere est et principiumetfons. "Good 
sense is both the first principle and the parent-source of good writing." — 
310. Socraticce chartcs. "The precepts of Socratic wisdom." The poet 
sends us to the precepts of Socrates, as contained in the moral writings 
of Plato and others of his disciples, for Socrates wrote nothing himself. 
Chartais therefore taken here, as Doring well explains it, "pro eo quod 
in charta scriptum est." — 311. Provisam rem. "The subject, after hav- 
ing been previously and carefully reflected upon," i. e., examined in all its 
various details, so that we are become full masters of it. — 314. Quae partes 
in bellum missi ducis. "What the part of a leader sent to war," i. e., 
what part a leader sent to war should act. With partes supply sint. 

317-324. 317. Respicere exemplar vitce morumque jubebo, &c. "I will 
direct the skillful imitator to attend to the great pattern of life and man- 
ners which nature unfolds to the view, and to derive from this source the 
language of actual life," i. e., living language, such as people actually use, 
or, in other words, language that is natural. — 319. Speciosa locis morata- 
que recte fabula, &c. " A play striking in its moral topics, and marked by 
a just expression of the manners, but of no poetic beauty, without force of 
expression and skillful construction of plot." — 322. Nugaque canorce. 
"And mere melodious trifles." — 323. Graiis ingenium, Graiis dedit, &c. 
The Greeks being eminent for philosophy, the last observation naturally 
gave rise to this ; for the transition is easy from their superiority as phi- 
losophers to their superiority as poets, and the more easy as the latter 
is shown to be, in part, the effect of the former. Now this superiority of 
the Greeks in genius and eloquence (which would immediately occur on 
mentioning the Socratica chartce) being seen and confessed, we are led to 
ask whence this arises. The answer is, from their making glory, not 
gain, the object of their wishes. — Ore rotundo. "With a roundness of 
expression." Literally, " with a round mouth," i. e., a mouth from which 
every thing issues rounded and perfect. The poet does not merely refer 
to rotundity of expression, as if he were only praising the language of the 
Greeks, but to a full, and rich, and finished diction, flowing at once from a 
liberal and cultivated mind. — 324. Nullius. " Of nothing else." Supply 
alius rei. 

325-329. 329. Longis rationibus. "By long computations." — 326. Di- 
cas,Jilius Albini. "Pray, tell me, thou that art the son of Albinus." In 
illustration of what he has just asserted respecting the early studies of the 
Roman youth, the poet here gives us a short but amusing dialogue be- 
tween an instructor and his pupil, in which the former examines the lat- 



668 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

ter upon his proficiency in the art of calculation, and seeks to show hina 
off to the by-standers. Albinus was a well-known usurer of the day, 
and the expression Jilius Albini (i. e., tu qui es Jilius Albini) implies 
that the son must keep up the reputation of the family in money matters, 
and the mysteries of reckoning. — 327. Si de quincunce remota est uncia, 
quid superet ? " If an uncia be taken from a quincunx, what remains ?" 
The Roman as was divided into twelve uncice, of which the third was 
termed triens, and consisted of four uncice; the half was semis, or six 
uncice; and the quincunx was five uncice. — 328. Poteras dixisse : Triens. 
" Thou couldst once tell that : a third of a pound." The words poteras 
dixisse are supposed to be uttered by the instructor, and are the same in 
effect as saying, "Come, be quick and give an answer; you knew that 
well enough once." The instructor says this, in order to urge the boy to 
a speedy answer. The latter thereupon replies, Triens. — Eu ! rem. po- 
teris servare tuam. "Well done, my boy, thou wilt be able to take care 
of thy own." The cry of the instructor, after the scholar has given the 
answer. — 329. Redit uncia, quid Jit ? " An uncia is added, what's the 
result 1" The teacher pursues his examination, but takes care to put an 
easier question, to which the boy gives the true answer : Semis, "half 
a pound." 

330-333. 330. An, haec animos cerugo et cura peculi, &c. " "When once 
this cankering rust and care for pelf has entered deeply into our souls, do 
we expect," &c. The allusion in cerugo is to the copper as, and hence 
figuratively to money. This love of gain, observes Hurd, to which Horace 
imputes the imperfect state of the Roman poetry, has been uniformly as- 
signed by the wisdom of ancient times, as the specific bane of arts and 
letters. Longinus and duintilian account, from hence, for the decay of 
eloquence, Galen of physic, Petronius of painting, and Pliny of the whole 
circle of the liberal arts. — 332. Linenda cedro, et levi servanda cupresso. 
The ancients, for the better preservation of their manuscripts, rubbed them 
with oil of cedar, and kept them in cases of cypress. — 333. Aut prodesse 
volunt aut delectare poetce, &c. " Poets wish either to benefit or to de- 
light," i. e., the objects of poets in their dramas is either to benefit the 
auditors by ■yvu/j.ai, or moral precepts, or to delight them by the charms 
of extraordinary events, situations, &c, or else (v. 334) to unite, if possible, 
these two objects. Horace here turns to notice another obstacle which 
lay in the path of his countrymen, and impeded their success in poetry. 
This was their inattention to the entire scope and purpose of the poetic 
art, while they contented themselves with the attainment of only one of 
the two great ends which are proposed by it. For the double design of 
poetry being to instruct and please, the full aim and glory of the art can 
not be attained without uniting them both, that is, instructing so as to 
please, and pleasing so as to instruct. Under either head of instruction 
and entertainment, the poet, with great address, insinuates the main art 
of each kind of writing, which consists, 1. In instructive or didactic poetry 
(from 335 to 338), in conciseness of precept ; and, 2. In works of fancy and 
entertainment (line 338 to 341), in probability of fiction. But both these 
(line 341 to 347) must concur in a just piece. 

334-345. 334. Idonea. Equivalent to utilia. — 335. Quidquid prceci- 
pies. " Whatever precept thou shalt lay down, be brief." — 340. Neupran- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 669 

*<b Lamice vivum puerum, &c. The Lamia was a species of phantom or 
bugbear, whose name, like Mormo or Empusa, was used by nurses to 
terrify children. She was said to devour little children, like the ogress of 
our nursery tales. The scholiast describes her as follows: " Est mon- 
strum superne liabens speciem mulieris, inferne vero desinit in pedes asi- 
ninos." Horace seems to allude here to a drama of the time, in which 
the hobgoblin devoured a child entire. (Osborne, ad loc.) — 341. Centuries 
seniorum agitant expertia frugis. " The centuries of the old drive off 
pieces that are devoid of instruction." The allusion is to the centuries of 
the classes, and it is the senators that are meant. Agitant is equivalent 
here to abigunt, exsibilant. — 342. Celsi Ramnes. "The haughty equites." 
By Ramnes are here meant the whole equestrian order. Strictly speak- 
ing, however, the Ramnes were one of the three ancient tribes into which 
the Roman people were divided, when the term populus included only 
the patricii. These were the Latin element, as the Tilienses, from King 
Tatius, represented the Sabines, and Luceres the Etruscans. (Diet. Ant., 
s. v. Patricii.) — 343. Omne tulit punctum. "Gains universal applause. ' 
Literally, has "carried off every point," i. e., vote. The allusion is to the 
mode of counting the votes at the Roman comitia by means of dots or 
points (puncta). Compare Epist. ii., 2, 99. — 345. Hie liber. "Such a 
work as this," i. e., in which the author miscuit utile dulci. — Sosiis. The 
Sosii were well-known Roman booksellers. Compare Epist. i., 20, 2. — 
Et longum noto scriplori prorogat cevum. "And continues to the cele- 
brated writer a long duration of fame," i. e., prolongs his fame to distant 
ages. Prorogare is properly a term borrowed from the comitia. 

347-359. 347. Sunt delicta tamen, &c. The bad poet is supposed to 
object to the severity of the terms imposed by our author, and to urge, 
that if the critic looked for all these requisites, and exacted them with 
rigor, it would be impossible to satisfy him ; at least it was more likely 
to discourage than animate, as he proposed, the diligence of writers. To 
this the reply is (from line 347 to 360) that it was not intended to exact a 
faultless and perfect piece; that some inaccuracies and faults of less mo- 
ment would escape the most cautious and guarded writer ; and that as he, 
Horace, should condemn apiece that was generally bad, notwithstanding 
a few beauties, he could, on the other hand, admire a work that was gen- 
erally good, notwithstanding a few faults. — 349. Gravem. "Aflat." Not 
from the want of skill in the player, but from the imperfect tension in the 
6trings of the instrument. (Osborne, ad loc.) — Acutum. " A sharp." — 
352. Fudit. Equivalent to adspersit, and alluding to the maculae, or stains 
of ink on the fair paper or parchment. (Keightley, ad loc.) — 353. Quid 
ergo est? "What, then, is the conclusion that we are to draw?" — 354. 
Scriptor librarius. " A transcriber." — 357. Cessat. Equivalent to peccat. 
— Choerilus Me. " That well-known Choerilus," i. e., as stupid as another 
Choerilus. Consult note on Epist. ii. r 1, 233. — 358. Quern bis lerve bonum 
cum, risu miror. " Whom, when tolerable in two or three instances, I 
wonder at with laughter." — Et idem indignor, &c. " And I am also in- 
dignant whenever the good Homer nods." The idea is this : I am even 
angry when Homer makes slips, because I wish him to be free from these, 
and a model for others ; it must be confessed, however, that Homer is ex- 
cusable on account of the length of the poem. (Orelli, ad loc.) — 359. Quan- 
doque. Put for quandocunque. 



670 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE P1SOS. 

361-367. 361. Ut picturd, po&sis, &c. Horace here goes on (from line 
360 to 366) to observe in favor of writers, against a too rigorous criticism 
of their productions, that what were often called faults were not so in re- 
ality ; that some parts of a poem ought to be less shining or less finished 
than others, according to the light they were placed in, or the distance 
from which they were viewed ; and that, serving only to connect and lead 
to others of greater consequence, it was sufficient if they pleased once, or 
did not displease, provided that those others would please on every re- 
view. All this is said agreeably to nature, which does not allow every 
part of a subject to be equally susceptible of ornament, and to the end of 
poetry, which can not so well be attained without an inequality. The al- 
lusions to painting which the poet uses give this truth the happiest illus- 
tration. — 366. O major juvenum. " O elder of my young friends." Ad- 
dressed to the elder of the young Pisos. With major supply natu. — 367. 
Fingeris. " Thou art moulded." — Et per te sapis. "And art able of thy- 
self to form correct judgments of things." Equivalent to et per te sapien- 
ter judicas. — Hoctibidicturntollemernor,£cc. *' Yet receive the precept 
which I here give thee, and treasure it up in thy remembrance : that, in 
certain things, mediocrity and a passable degree of eminence are rightly 
enough allowed." 

370-373. 370. Abest virtute diserti Messalce, &c. "Wants the talent 
of the eloquent Messala, and possesses not the legal erudition of Cascel- 
lius Aulus." The poet, with great delicacy, throws in a compliment to 
two distinguished individuals of the day. — 372. Mediocribus. A Graecism 
for mediocres, the accusative. — 373. Columnee. "Booksellers' columns." 
Consult note on Sat. i., 4, 71. Every thing, according to Horace, declares 
against a mediocrity in poetry. Men reject it ; the gods, Apollo, Bacchus, 
and the Muses, disavow it ; and the pillars of the booksellers, that is, book- 
sellers' shops, refuse to receive it. The comment of Hurd is extremely 
apposite : " This judgment, however severe it may seem, is according to 
the practice of the best critics. We have a remarkable instance in the 
case of Apollonius Rhodius, who, though in the judgment of duintilian 
the author of no contemptible poem, yet, on account of that equal medioc- 
rity which every where prevails in him, was struck out of the list of good 
writers by such sovereign judges of poetical merit as Aristophanes and 
Aristarchus (Quinctil., x., 1)." 

374-376. 374. Ut gratas inter mensas, &c. The poet here assigns a 
very just and obvious reason for the decision which he has just made re- 
specting mediocrity in the poetic art. As the main end of poetry is to 
please, if it does not reach that point (which it can not do by stopping ever 
so little on this side of excellence) it is, like indifferent music, indifferent 
perfumes, or any other indifferent thing, which we can do without, and 
whose end should be to please, namely, offensive and disagreeable, and, 
for want of being very good, absolutely and insufferably bad. — 375. Cras- 
sum. Compare the explanation of Ddring : " Non liquidum, sed coagu- 
latum et rancidum." — Sardo cum melle papaver. Sardinia was full of 
bitter herbs (Virg., Eclog., vii., 441), whence the honey of the island was 
bitter and in bad repute. The honey of Corsica was in equally low es- 
teem, but whether it was owing to the yew trees of the island, or to some 
other cause, has been made a matter of doubt. (Compare Martyn, ad 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 671 

Virg., Eclog., ix., 30.) White poppy seed, roasted, was mingled with 
honey by the ancients, and used for the second course. — 376. Poterat 
duci. " Could have been prolonged." 

379-383. 379. Ludere qui nescit, campestribus abstinet armis, &c. The 
poet (from line 379 to 391) gives the general conclusion which he had in 
view, namely, that, as none but excellent poetry will be allowed, it should 
be a warning to writers how they engage in it without abilities, or pub- 
lish without /severe and frequent correction. But to stimulate, at the 
same time, the poet who, notwithstanding the allowances already made, 
might be somewhat struck with this last reflection, he flings out (from 
line 391 to 408) a fine encomium on the dignity and excellence of the art 
itself, by recounting its ancient honors. This encomium, besides its great 
usefulness in invigorating the mind of the poet, has this further view, to 
recommend and revive, together with its honors, the office of ancient po- 
esy, which was employed about the noblest and most important subjects, 
the sacred source from which those honors were derived. — 382. Qui nes- 
cit, versus tameu audet jingcre. "He who knows not how, yet dares to 
compose verses." — Qirid-ni? Liber et ingenuus, &c. "And why not, 
pray ? He is free, and of a good family ; above all, he is rated at an eques- 
trian fortune, and is far removed from every vice." Horace is thought, as 
Sanadon remarks, to have had in view some particular knight, who fan- 
cied he could write verses because he was well born and rich. — 383. Cen- 
sus equcstrem summam nummorum. The fortune necessary to become 
an eques was 400,000 sesterces, or about $15,000. Summam is here put 
in the accusative by a Grraecism, secundum or quod ad being understood. 

385-390. 385. Invita Minerva. " In opposition to the natural bent of 
thy genius." A proverbial form of expression. The mind can accom- 
plish nothing, unless Minerva, the goddess of mind, lend her favoring aid. 
— 386. Olim. "Ever." — 387. Maci. The allusion is to Spurius Maecius 
(or Metius) Tarpa, a celebrated critic at Rome in the days of Augustus, 
who was accustomed to sit in judgment on the dramatic productions that 
were offered for the stage. Consult note on Sat. i., 10, 38. — 388. Nonum- 
que prematur in annum. This precept, observes Colman, which, like 
many others in the present epistle, is rather retailed than invented by 
Horace, has been thought by some critics rather extravagant; but it ac- 
quires in this place, as addressed to the elder Piso, a concealed archness, 
very agreeable to the poet's style and manner. — 389. Intus. Equivalent 
to in scrinio. — 390. Nescit vox missa reverti. " A word once sent forth 
knows not the way of return." Missa for emissa. Compare Epist. i., 18, 
71, " Et semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum." 

391-399. 391. Silvestres homines. "The savage race of men." SU- 
vestres is here, in fact, equivalent to degentes in silvis. — Sacer interpres- 
que deorum. " The priest and the interpreter of the gods." Sacer is here 
for sacerdos. Compare Virgil, JEn., vi., 645, where Orpheus is called 
" Threicius sacerdos." — 392. Victufoedo. The early race of men are fa- 
bled to have lived on raw flesh, acorns, roots, &c. — 393. Dictus ob hoc 
lenire tigres, &c. Horace here gives the generally -received explanation 
of the fable of Orpheus. The wild animals, &c, whom he is said to have 
dwayed by the music of his lyre, were savage men.— 394. Dictus et Am- 



672 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

phion, &c. Consult note on Ode iii., 11, 2. — 396. Fuit Iubc sapientia 
quondam. "For this, of old, was accounted wisdom." Supply nam be- 
fore fuit. — 398. Maritis. "To those in the married state," i. e., both to 
husbands and wives, who were equally obliged by the laws to preserve 
their chastity inviolable. — 399. Leges incidere ligno. Laws were origin- 
ally written in verse. Those of Solon were cut on tablets of wood. Brazen 
plates were afterward employed both among the Greeks and Romans. 

402-406. 402. Mares animos. " Manly spirits." — 403. Dictae per car- 
mina sorles. The oracles here spoken of, remarks Hurd, are sacb as re- 
spect not private persons (whom a natural curiosity, quickened by anxious 
superstition, has ever prompted to pry into their future fortunes), but en- 
tire communities ; and for these there was little place till ambition had 
inspired great and eventful designs, and, by involving the fate of nations, 
had rendered the knowledge of futurity important. Hence, in marking 
the progress of ancient poesy, Horace judiciously postpones oracles to the 
celebration of martial prowess, as being that which gave the principal eclat 
to them. This species of poetry, then, is rightly placed ; though it be true, 
as the commentators have objected, that oracles were much more ancient 
than Homer and the Trojan war. — 404. Et vita monstrata via est. Al- 
luding to the productions of Hesiod, Theognis, and other poets, which, 
abounding in moral precepts, are elegantly said to lay open or discover 
the road of life.— Wo. Tentata. "Was sought." — Ludusque repertus, et 
longorum operum finis. " Sports were also introduced, and festive relax- 
ation after long-continued toil." Alluding particularly to exhibitions of a 
scenic nature (ludus being here equivalent to ludus scenicus), the rude 
commencement of the drama. These ludi were the finis longorum 
operum, and succeeded to the labors of harvest. — 406. Ne forte pudori sit 
tibi Musa, &c. " Let not, then, the Muse, the mistress of the lyre, and 
Apollo, the god of song, haply bring the blush to thy cheeks," i. e., blush 
not therefore, Piso, to make court to Apollo and the Muse. • 

408-417. 408. Natura fieret laudabile carmen, &c. In writing precepts 
for poetry to young persons this question could not be forgotten. Horace, 
therefore, to prevent Piso's falling into a fatal error, by too much con- 
fidence in his genius, asserts most decidedly that Nature and Art must 
both conspire to form a poet. — 409. Qucesitum est. " It has been made a 
subject of inquiry," i. e., by philosophers and critics. — Studium. " Mere 
study," i. e., mere art. — 410. Rude. Equivalent to incultum. — 411. Et 
conjurat amice. "And conspires amicably to the same end." — 412. Qui 
studet optatam, Sec. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : 
As the athlete, who aims at the prize, is compelled to undergo a long and 
rigorous training ; and as the musician, who performs at the Pythian 
solemnities, has attained to excellence in his art by the strict discipline 
of instruction ; so must he, who seeks for the name and honor of a poet, 
undergo a long and rigorous course of preparatory toil and exercise. — 
413. Puer. " From early life." The rigorous training of the ancient 
athletae is well-known. — Sudavit et alsit. " Has borne the extremes of 
heat and cold." — 414. Pythia. " The Pythian strains." Supply cantica. 
The allusion is generally supposed to be to the musical contests which 
took place at the celebration of the Pythian games. Orelli, however, says 
it is not a musical contest that is here meant, but a playing on the pipe the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 673 

victory of Apollo over the serpent Python. — 416. Nee satis est dixisse, &c. 
Horace is thought to have here had in view some ridiculous pretender of 
the day, whose only claim to the title of poet rested upon his own com- 
mendations of himself. Bentley reals nee on the authority of two MSS., 
instead of the other lection nunc ; and his reading has been very general- 
ly adopted. Nunc is meant to be ironical, but nee is more forcible. — 
417. Occupet extremurn scabies. "Plague take the hindmost." A pro- 
verbial form of expression, borrowed from the sports of the young. 

419-425. 419. Ut prceco ad merces, &c. The prcec ones were employed 
for various purposes, and, among others, for giving notice of sales by auc- 
tion. As regards the connection in the train of ideas, compare the re- 
marks of Hurd. " But there is one thing still wanting. The poet may be 
excellently formed by nature, and accomplished by art; but will his own 
judgment be a sufficient guide, without assistance from others 1 Will 
not the partiality of an author for his own works sometimes prevail over 
the united force of rules and genius, unless he call in a fairer and less in- 
terested guide 1" Doubtless it will ; and therefore the poet, with the ut- 
most propriety, adds (from line 419 to 450), as a necessary part of his instruct- 
ive monitions, some directions concerning the choice of a prudent and sin- 
cere friend, whose unbiased sense might at all times correct the preju- 
dices, indiscretions, and oversights of the author. And to impress this 
necessary care with greater force on the individual whom he addresses, 
he closes the whole with showing the dreadful consequences of being im- 
posed upon in so nice an affair; representing, in all the strength of color- 
ing, the picture of a bad poet, infatuated, to a degree of madness, by a fond 
conceit of his own works, and exposed thereby (so important had been the 
service of timely advice) to the contempt and scom of the public. — 420. As- 
sentatores jnbet ad lucrum ire poe.ta, <kc. Supply sic, or ita, before assen- 
tatores. Faithful friends, as has already been stated in the preceding note, 
are necessary in order to apprise poets of their errors. Such friends, how- 
ever, are difficult to be obtained by rich and powerful bards. Horace very 
justly compares a wealthy poet to a public crier; the latter brings crowds 
together to buy up what is exposed for sale, the former is sure to collect 
around him a set of base and venal flatterers. And if he is one who gives 
good entertainments, and whose purse is open to the needy and unfor- 
tunate, then farewell to any means, on his part, of telling a true friend 
from a false one. — 422. Unctum qui recle ponere possit. " Who can serve 
a savory banquet as it should be served." i. e., with all the sauces and 
accompaniments of plate, &c. {Osborne, ad loc.) Compare the explana- 
tion of Acron : " Unctum autem lautum convivium et tersum . . . unctum 
igitur appeilat pulmentarium bene coctum." Some less correctly trans- 
late, " who can entertain a guest well," and make ponere i*efer to the dis- 
posing of the guests on the couches around the table, and unctum (as equiv- 
alent to convivam) to the custom of perfuming before reclining guests at an 
entertainment. But ponere is more correctly said of putting the dishes on 
the table, and seldom, if ever, of arranging the guests. — 423. Et spoudere 
levi pro pavpere. " And become security for a poor man, who has little 
credit of his own." Levi, literally, "of little weight," i. c., iu the moneyed 
world. — Atris. "Vexatious." Equivalent to misere vexantibus. Liter- 
ally, " dark" or "gloomy." — 425. Beatus. " Our wealthy bard." 

F F 



674 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

426-432. 426. Donaris. For donaveris. The poet advises the elder 
Piso never to read his verses to a person on whom he has bestowed any 
present, or who expects to receive one from him. A venal friend can not 
be a good critic ; he will not speak his mind freely to his patron, but, like 
a corrupt judge, will betray truth and justice for the sake of interest. — 
429. Super his. Equivalent to insuper, or praslerea. — Etiam stillabit 
amicis ex oculis rorem. " He will even cause the dew to fall drop by 
drop from his friendly eyes." Rorem is here put for lacrymas by a pleas- 
ing figure. — 431. TJt quce conducts plorant infunere. "As the mourning 
women, who, being hired, lament at funerals," i.e., who are hired to lament 
at funerals. These were the prczficac, who were hired to sing the funeral 
song, or the praises of the deceased, and to lament their departure. — 
432. Dolentibus ex anim-o. " Than those who grieve from their hearts," 
i. e., who sincerely grieve. — Sic derisor vero plus laudatore movetur. " So 
the flatterer, who laughs at us in his sleeve, is, to all appearance, more 
wrought upon than he who praises in sincerity." 

436-451. 436. Et torquere mero. " And to put to the rack with wine." 
A bold and beautiful expression. Wine racks the heart and draws forth 
all its hidden feelings, as the torture racks the frame of the sufferer, and 
forces from him the secret of his breast. — 437. Animi sub vulpe latentes. 
" Minds lying hid beneath the fox's skin." Alluding to deceitful and crafty 
flatterers. — 438. Quintilio. duintilius Varus, to whom Horace address- 
ed the 18th ode of the first book, and whose death he laments in the 24th 
ode of the same. — Sodes. Consult note on Sat. i., 9, 41. — 439. Negares. 
Supply si. — 441. Male tomatos versus. "Thy badly-polished verses." 
A metaphor from the art of turning. Guietus proposed formatos, and 
Bentley reads ter natos, maintaining that the ancients never turned met- 
als ; but Fea refutes him by the following passage of Vitruvius (x., 12), 
"Emboli ex cere, lorno politi," and by referring to a number of metal arti- 
cles found in excavations at B,ome, and in other places of Italy. {Keiglit- 
ley, ad loc.) — 444. Sine rivali. The man who does what others are not 
willing to imitate, may well be said to be without a rival. — 445. Vir bonus 
et prudens versus re]?rehendet inertes, &c. "An honest and correct critic 
will blame verses unskillfully constructed," &c. By bonus is indicated 
his honesty, and his regard for the writer ; by prudens his correct judg- 
ment and taste. (Keigktley, ad loc.) It particularly suited Horace's pur- 
pose to paint the severe and rigid judge of composition. — 446. Incnmtis 
allinet atrum, &c. " To those that are badly wrought he will affix a black 
mark, by drawing his pen across them." — 447. Calamo. Consult note on 
Sat. ii., 3, 7. — 450. Aristarchus. A celebrated grammarian of antiquity, 
famed for his critical power, and for his impartiality as a judge of literary 
merit; hence every severe critic was styled an Aristarchus. — 451. Hcb 
nugce seria ducent in mala, &c. " These trifles will involve in serious 
mischief the man who has once been made the sport of the flatterer, and 
has met with a cold reception from the world." 

453-471. 453. TJt mala quern scabies, &c. "They, who know what 
they are about, fear to touch, and flee from a poet when the fit is upon 
him, as from one whom," &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Qui sapiunf, timent tetigisse fugiuntque vesanum poetam, ut ilium quern- 
mala scabies, &c. — Mala scabies. " A leprosy." — Morbus regius. " The 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 675 

jaundice." So called because the patient must live delicately, and like a 
king or wealthy person. — 454. Fanaticus error. " Stark staring mad- 
ness," i. e., madness like that of the priests of Bellona and Cybele. Con- 
sult Orelli, ad loc. — Iracunda Diana. As this goddess was the moon, 
lunacy was ascribed to her anger. — 456. Agitant. "Worry him." — 
457. Sublimis. "With head erect." — Ructatur, &c. "He spouts forth his 
verses." — Errat. " Roams wildly to and fro," i. e., without looking where 
he goes. — 459. Longum. " In lengthened tone." — 462. Prudens. " Of his 
own accord." — 465. Empedocles. This story about Empedocles is de- 
servedly rejected as fictitious by Strabo and other writers. — Frigidus. 
"In cold blood," i. e., deliberately. Horace, by playing on the words ar- 
dentem frigidus, would show, remarks Francis, that he did not believe 
the story, and told it as one of the traditions which poets may use without 
being obliged to vouch for the truth of them. The pleasantry continues 
when he says it is murder to hinder a poet from killing himself. — 467. Idem 
facit occidenti. " Does the same thing with one that kills him," i. e., does 
the same as kill him. Occidenti is put by a Graecism for cum occidente, 
or, more elegantly, ac occidens. This, as Orelli remarks, is the only spon- 
daic verse in Horace. — 468. Nee semel hoc fecit. " Neither is it the first 
time that he has acted thus," i. e., he has done this before, and will do it 
again. — 469. Homo. " A reasonable being," *. e., a person of sane mind. — 
Famosas. Horace every where else uses this adjective in a bad sense. — 
Ponet. " Will he lay aside." For deponet. — 470. Cur versus factitet. 
" Why he is all the time making verses." Observe the force of the fre- 
quentative. — Utrum minxerit in patrios cineres. "Whether he has de- 
filed his father's ashes." The dead and their graves were ever held sa- 
cred and inviolable among all nations, especially those of near relations. 
The meaning, then, of the whole clause will be this : Whether he has been 
visited with madness from heaven for some great enormity, or not, one 
thing at least is certain, that he is quite beside himself and perfectly in- 
sane. — 471. An triste bidental moverit incesius. "Or with unhallowed 
hands has disturbed some sad bidental." The bidental was a place that 
had been struck with lightning, and afterward expiated by the erection 
of an altar, and the sacrifice of sheep, hostiis bidentibus ; from which last 
circumstance it took its name. The removal or disturbance of this sacred 
monument was deemed sacrilege, and the very attempt a supposed judg- 
ment from heaven, as a punishment for some heavy crime. {Diet. Ant., 
s.v.) 



EXCURSUS. 



EXCURSUS. 



(FROM HENDERSON'S HISTORY OF ANCIENT AND MODERN WINES, 
p. 26, seqq.) 



EXCURSUS I. 

VINEYARDS OF THE ANCIENTS. 



The culture of the vine was an object of diligent attention with the an- 
cient writers on husbandry, and the directions which they give for the- 
training and management of the plant, in almost every possible situation, 
are very ample. That their views were occasionally erroneous may be 
readily imagined, but, considering the state of the physical sciences at the 
period when they wrote, they must be allowed to have a very full knowl- 
edge of the subject. 

Being aware how much the health of the vine and the qualities of the 
grape are liable to be affected by different soils and exposures, the an- 
cients were at great pains in choosing a proper situation for their vine- 
yards. They condemned those lands which were composed of stiff, unc- 
tuous clay, and subject to much humidity, selecting such as were not too 
thin, but light, and sufficiently porous to admit the requisite moisture, and 
allow of the free expausion of the roots. A chalky or marly loam, and a 
due admixture of mould with gravel or loose pebbles, were deemed favor- 
able ; and the advantages of soils formed of rocky debris, or resting on 
beds of flint, were not overlooked; 1 but the preference appears to have 
been given to the black, crumbling soil of the Campagna, which consists 
of decomposed tufa, and which, from its color, received the name of puller. 
A soil impregnated with bitter and saline substances was believed to im- 
pair the flavor of the wine. 2 

With respect to the comparative excellence of different exposures, the 
general voice seems to have been in favor of a southern aspect. Some 
writers, it is true, recommend the east, and others advise the placing of 
vineyards toward the north, as the quarter where the most abundant crops 
may be expected. But on this head it is well observed by Graecinus, 
that the best rule is to plant the vines toward the south in cold situ- 

1. " Quis enim vel mediocris agricola nesciat etiam durissimum tophum, vel car- 
bunculum, simul atque sunt cont'racti, ct in summo regesti, tempestatibus, geluve, 
nee minus aestivis putrescere caloribus ac resolvi, eosque pulcherrime radices vi- 
tium per aestatem refrigerarc, succumque retinere ? Est autem, ut rnea fert opinio, 
vineis amicus etiam silex, cui superpositum est modicum terrenum," &c. — Colum., 
iii, 11. 

2. " Salsa autem tellus, et qua? perhibetur amara, 

Frugibus infelix : ea nee mansuescit arando, 
Nee Baccho genus, aut pomis sua nornina servat." 

Virg., Geotg., ii., 238. 



680 EXCURSUS I. VINEYARDS OF THE ANCIENTS. 

ations, and towai'd the east in warmer regions, provided they be not too 
much exposed to the south and east winds, in which case it would be safer 
to allow them to face the north or west ; J and Florentines decides that the 
choicest wine is produced from vines planted on dry, sloping grounds, that 
look to the east or south. 2 The superior flavor of wines growing on the 
side of hills, compared with those raised on the plain, was universally 
admitted. 3 

Various mode's of planting and training the vine were in use among the 
Homans. It was propagated either by cuttings [malleoli), by layers (mer- 
gi), or by grafts, which were all selected from the best fruit-bearing 
branches. For laying out new vineyards, or recruiting the old, the Italian 
husbandman gave the preference to quicksets, as they were more hardy, 
and sooner in a condition to yield fruit than cuttings; but in the provinces, 
where no pains were taken to form nurseries of vines, the latter were em- 
ployed. 4 A favorite way of disposing the plants was in the form of a 
quincunx, with sufficient space between the rows to plough the ground in 
diagonal furrows. In lean land, five feet were deemed a sufficient inter- 
val ; but in rich soils, seven feet were allowed. The intermediate space 
was frequently employed for l-aising a crop of beans or pulse ; but this 
practice was reprobated by experienced husbandmen, as tending to de- 
prive the vine of its proper nourishment. 5 In those viueyards where the 
land was ploughed, the vine was left without support, and raised upward; 
in others, it was permitted to trail upon the ground, or it was trained upon 
poles (pedamenta), or upon squai - e frames {juga) formed of poles or reeds, 
and from four to seven feet high. This mode of distributing the branches 
of the vine was the most expensive, but it was attended with the advant- 
age of securing a more early and equal maturity of the fruit than the other 
methods. The wine obtained from vines spread along the ground, though 
very abundant, was generally of inferior quality and bad flavor. In the 
provinces, the vines without props were preferred; but they were some- 
times placed on single yokes, having their projecting branches tied to 
reeds that were fixed in the ground. 6 

The ancients, however, remarking the tendency of the vine to shoot 
aloft, and distribute its branches to a great distance from the root, became 
impressed with the notion that the most beneficial mode of training was 
to favor this natural disposition by attaching it to lofty trees ; and they 
conceived that the grapes thus grown were most likely to attain a full and 
equal maturity. The trees selected for the purpose were those which 
have single or contracted roots, such as the white poplar, or of which the 
foliage is not too much tufted, such as the elm, the black poplar, the asp, 
or the maple; but the elm was chiefly employed, because, in addition to 
its other recommendations, it is of easy growth, and the leaves furnish a 
grateful food for cattle. Of the two kinds of poplar, moreover, which have 
just been mentioned, the white was used much less frequently than the 
black. Trees thus appropriated were called arhuxta, and considerable 

1. Colum., iii., 12. 2. Geoponica, ii. 

3. ''Montibus clivisque difficnlter vineae convalescunt, sed firmum probrumque 
saporem vini praebent. Humidis et planis locis robustissimae, eed intirmi saporis 
vinuni. nee pereime faciunt." — Colum.. de Arbor., 8. 4. Colum., iii., 11. 

5. Geoponica, xi. 6. " Vitea canteriatae et caracata;." — Colum., v., 4. 



EXCURSUS II. VARIETIES OF ANCIENT VINES. 681 

care was bestowed on the planting and management of them. Their 
usual height was from thirty to forty feet, but in warm climates they were 
allowed to grow much higher; and, if we may credit Florentinus, there 
were, in some parts of Bithynia, vines trained in this manner upon trees 
sixty feet high, which, far from experiencing any degeneracy, only pro- 
duced so much the better wine. 1 It is, however, admitted, that it was 
only in very rich soils that such a practice was allowable, and that in poor 
lands it was advisable to form the trees into pollards, at the height of eight 
feet from the ground; and Columella assigns from eight to twelve feet as 
the usual height of such plantations in Gaul. 2 

If we rely on the accounts which are given of the success attending this 
mode of training, we must believe that it was not only the most convenient 
and the most productive, but that the wine obtained from grapes so raised 
was improved in quality, and was sweeter and more lasting than any other 
kind. Cato recommends that the vine should be forced as high as possi- 
ble, " quam altissimam vineam facito ;" Pliny even goes the length of 
asserting that fine vines could only be grown in this manner, " nobilia 
vina non nisi in arbustis gigni ;" 3 and Columella agrees with him in de- 
scribing the produce of the loftiest trees as the best. 4 But, on the other 
hand, it is acknowledged by the natural historian that this practice was 
unequivocally condemned by Saserna, the father and son, both celebrated 
writers on husbandry ; and that, although it was approved by Scrofa, yet 
he was disposed to limit its application to the vines of Italy ; and, in de- 
scribing the remarkable vines of his time, the same author gives an anec- 
dote of Cineas, the ambassador of Pyrrhus, who, on being shown the lofty 
elms on which the Arician vines grew, remarked that it was no wonder 
the wine was so harsh, since its parent was hung on so high a gibbet, 
"merito matrem ejus pendere in tarn alta cruce." 5 When, therefore, we 
find that such contradictory opinions prevailed with regard to the benefits 
of this mode of culture, and know that it is completely at variance with 
the more approved practice of modern times, we may infer that the advo- 
cates of the system were misled by their desire to obtain abundant crops, 
or by some accidental circumstances connected with the method in ques- 
tion, as, for instance, the freer exposure which would be afforded to the 
uppermost branches, and which would certainly promote the full ripen- 
ing of the fruit. 



EXCURSUS II. 

VARIETIES OF ANCIENT VINES. 

The varieties of the vine known to the ancients were very numerous. 
Columella and Pliny mention about fifty sorts, some of which they describe 
with sufficient minuteness to enable us to appreciate the relation in which 
they stand to our modern vines. Since those authors compiled their ac- 
count, indeed, not only the names have been, for the most part, altered, 
but the plants themselves have in all probability undergone a considera- 
ble change, from the effects of culture and transplantation, and we can not 
expect to recognize every species which they enumerate. If the garnet 

1. Geoponica, iv., 1. 2. De Re Rustica, v., 7. 3. Hist. Nat, xvii., 23. 

4. Lib. v., 6. 5. Lib. xiv., 1. 

F F 2 



682 EXCURSUS II. VARIETIES OF ANCIENT VINES. 

grape of the Rhone is found to degenerate in a few years when removed 
to the soil of Burgundy, and if the maurillon of the latter province ac- 
quires a new designation, and perhaps, also, new characters, when brought 
to Auvergne or Orleans, it would be absurd to imagine that, after a lapse 
of two thousand years, we should be able to assign the exact place, in a 
modern botanical arrangement, to the varieties that adorned the Massic 
or Surrentine hills. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed to consider the 
Vitis prcecox of Columella as corresponding to the last-mentioned modern 
variety, while the Vitis Nomentana is supposed to be the traminer, or 
fonnentin rouge ; and the Corinthian grape appears to be identified with 
the Grcecula, which, we are told, was so small as not to be worth the 
pains of cultivation, except in a very rich soil. But we can hardly be 
mistaken with respect to the characters of the Vitis apiana, which was 
so called from its liability to be attacked by bees, and which has now re- 
ceived the analogous appellation of muscat or moscadella. 1 It was in 
high repute, as producing the most luscious and durable wine. The bu~ 
masti, dactyli, duracince, &c, may be easily distinguished among our 
modern growths. In the recent classification of the Andalusian wines, 
their names have been successfully appropriated to designate certain or- 
ders or genera. 

Among these varieties of the vine, a strong predilection existed in favor 
of the Aminean, which is described as surpassing all others in the richness 
and flavor of the grape, and of which there were five sorts, distinguished 
by their botanical characters, and their greater or less hardiness and fruit- 
fulness. Next to them in excellence was ranked the Nomentan or rubel- 
lia, which was still more prolific than the Aminean, but of which the fruit 
seems to have contained an excess of mucilaginous matter, as this variety 
was also known by the name oifecinia. The Engenian, Helveolan, Spi- 
onian, and Biturican, and several others, were, in like manner, esteem- 
ed for their abundant produce, and the choice qualities of the wine which 
they yielded. That the ancients spared no pains or expense to procure 
all the best kinds for their vineyards, is proved by the account which they 
give of the effects of their transplantation ; and that they confined their at- 
tention to such as were found to answer best with particular soils, may 
be inferred from the manner in which they describe certain spots as plant- 
ed with a single species ; as, for example, the hills of Sorrento and Vesu- 
vius, which were covered with the small Aminean grape. There is, in 
fact, no part of the writings of the ancient agriculturists which is more 
deserving of being recalled to notice than those passages in which they 
declaim against the bad effects of the promiscuous culture of many varie- 
ties of the vine, and recommend the husbandman to plant only such as are 
of good and approved quality. But as all are not equally hardy, Columella 
thinks it may be well, in order to guard against a failure of the crop from 
unfavorable seasons, to keep three or four, or, at most, five sorts, which 
will be amply sufficient for the purpose. These he would dispose in 
separate divisions of the vineyard, so that the fruit of each may be kept 
apart, and gathei'ed by itself when it ripens. In this way, he observes, 
the labor and expense of the vintage will be lessened, the mixture of 
ripe and unripe grapes will be in a great measure avoided, the genuine 

1. The " Vocabulario della Crueca" gives the etymon moscado, "musk." 



EXCURSUS III. MANAGEMENT OF THE VINTAGE. 683 

flavor of each sort will be preserved entire in the must, and improve in 
the wine, until it has reached its utmost perfection.^ 



EXCURSUS III. 

MANAGEMENT OF THE VINTAGE, AND MODES OF PREPARING THE MUST. 

In warm and low situations the vintage of the ancients began toward 
the end of September, but in most places it was deferred till the follow- 
ing month. "When the tendrils of the vine were observed to fall loose 
upon the stalks ; when, on pulling a grape from the bunch, the void show- 
ed no tendency to fill up ; and when the stones had acquired a brown or 
blackish color, the fruit was deemed sufficiently ripe for gathering. As 
nothing is more prejudicial to the quality of the wine than the mixture of 
unripe with ripe grapes, it was usual to begin with those parts of the vine- 
yards where they had attained their fullest maturity, and with the early 
and black kinds in the first instance. It was deemed improper to pull 
them when they were parched by the sun or while they were covered 
with dew. Those first collected were thought to yield the largest quan- 
tity of must; but the second gathering gave the best wine, the third the 
sweetest. In some countries, as in Bithynia and Narbonne, it was the 
custom to twist the stalks of the grapes, and to strip the leaves around 
them, leaving them thus exposed to the full force of the sun's rays for a 
period of thirty days previous to the vintage ; in other places, in order to 
obtain a richer wine, the grapes, after they were gathered, were spread 
on crates to dry for three or four days in the sun.2 

In making the common wines, the grapes, as soon as collected, were 
conveyed in baskets {corbes or Jiscince) to the cellar or press-room [torcula- 
rium), where they were first trodden, and afterward subjected to the ac- 
tion of the press, the juice that issued being allowed to flow into the vat, 
or cistern (lacus), which was generally of mason-work, lined with plaster, 
and sunk into the ground. That the ancients were fully aware how much 
the quality of the wine is influenced by the expedition with which these 
operations ai'e performed, appears from the direction given by Pliny, 
namely, to press at once as much as would fill twenty culei; for which 
purpose he conceives that one press and one vat were amply sufficient 
where the size of the vineyard did not exceed twenty jugera. When the 
juice had ceased to flow from the press, some were in the practice of cut- 
ting the edges of the cake, and obtaining, by afresh pressure, a secondary 
wine, which they called vinum tortivum or circumcisitium (vin de faille), 
and which was kept apart, as it was apt to have an irony taste. The 
pressed skins were then thrown into casks, and, being fermented with a 
quantity of water, furnished an inferior liquor, called by the Greeks devre- 
pcog or d-u/J-va, and by the Romans lora {quod lota acina), which Serves 
as a beverage for the lahorers in winter, whence it was sometimes, also, 
called vinum operarium. 3 

At first the torcular, or wine-press, appears to have been of a very sim- 

1. Lib. iii., 21. 

2. PUn., H. N., xviii., 31. Pallad., De Re Rustica, x., 11. Varr., i., 54. Geopon- 
ica, vii., 18. Colum., xii., 29. 3. Cato, De Re Rustica, 25. Varr., loc. ciL 



684 EXCURSUS III. PREPARATION OF THE MUST. 

pie construction, consisting of little more than an upright frame, in which 
was fixed a long beam, or lever (prelum), commonly loaded with stones 
to give it greater weight, and having thongs and ropes attached to the 
handle, by which it could be more easily worked. 1 Another simple mode 
of pressing the grapes, if we may confide in the authority of an ancient 
painting, was by placing them in a trough, fixed in the bottom of an up- 
right square frame, in which were three cross-beams moving in grooves, 
and having a row of conical wedges between each beam, which could be 
driven in by mallets. 2 When the mechanical powers became better un- 
derstood, the screw and windlass were introduced, by which means a 
more steady and vigorous pressure was supplied ; and subsequent inven- 
tions gave a more convenient form to the rude and cumbersome appara- 
tus of early times. 

For the ordinary wines, the fermentation was suffered to continue till it 
worked itself out, or, according to Pliny, for about nine days ; and, as the 
mass was so considerable, it is evident that the process would go on with 
rapidity, and that a great portion of the aroma and alcohol of the wine 
would be dissipated before the operation was at an end, especially when 
the grapes did not abound in saccharine matter. In order to obviate this 
fault, various methods were contrived for preserving the virtues of the 
must unimpaired, and for procuring from it a richer and more durable wine, 
of which the authors so often referred to have transmitted very copious 
details. 

In the first place, the juice that flowed from the gentle pressure of the 
grapes upon one another, as they were heaped in the baskets or troughs 
previously to their being trodden, was carefully collected in the vessels in 
which it was intended to be preserved, and set aside till the following 
summer, when it was exposed during forty days to the strongest heat of 
the sun. 3 As it was procured from the most luscious grapes, and kept 
from the contact of the external air, the fermentation which it underwent 
would be very slight, and it would retain in perfection the full flavor of 
the fruit. To this liquor, which appears to have been first made at Myti- 
lene, in the island of Lesbos, 4 and which was in very high estimation, the 
ancients gave the several names of Trpoxv/ua, npodpofiog, or irpoTporcog, 
mustum sponle defluens, antequam calcentur uvcb. 

Sometimes, however, when the quantity of juice thus obtained was ei- 
ther too small, or not sufficiently saccharine to enable it to keep without 
further preparation, the must that collected in the vat, before the grapes 
were subjected to the press (mustum lixivium), -was put into an amphora, 
which was properly coated and secured by a well-pitched cork, and then 
sunk in a pond, where it was allowed to remain about a month, or till 
after the winter solstice, "When taken up, it was commonly found to have 
lost all tendency to ferment, and might be preserved unchanged during a 
whole year or more. 5 In this state it was considered as something be- 

1. The representation of a rude wine-press, as exhibited on an antique bass-relief 
found among the ruins of Hadrian's villa, has been given by Piranesi, in No. 55 of 
his Vasi, &c. 2. Pitture d'Ercolano, vol. i., p. 187. 

3. Plin., H. N., xiv., 9. 4. Atlunasus, i., 23. 

5. "Antequam prelo vinacea subjiciantur, de lacu quam recentissimum addito 



EXCURSUS III. PREPARATION OF THE MUST. 685 

tween a sirup and a wine, and was termed by the Greeks ustyXevKec, i- £•» 
semper mustum. When, instead of being placed in a fresh-water pond, 
the vessel was plunged into the sea, the liquor was thought to acquire 
very speedily the flavor of age, "quo genere prcecox fit vetustas," and the 
wine so obtained was denominated ■&a?MaaiTT]g. To this practice the 
oracle given to the fishermen, desiring them to dip Bacchus into the sea, 
may be supposed to allude. 1 

The preparation of the passum, or wine from half-dried grapes, varied 
in different places. The grapes selected were chiefly of the apian or 
muscat kind, and were allowed to i-emain on the vine until they had 
shrunk to nearly one half their original bulk, or else they were gathered 
when fully ripe, and, being carefully picked, were hung to dry in the sun, 
upon poles or mats six or seven feet from the ground, care being taken to 
protect them from the nightly dew ; but some preferred the expedient of 
immersing them in boiling oil. After they had been thus treated they 
were freed from the stalk and introduced into a barrel, and a quantity of 
the best must, sufficient to cover the whole, was thrown over them. In 
this they were allowed to soak five or six days, at the expiration of which 
they were taken out, put into a frail, and submitted to the operation of 
the press. This was the choicest sort of passum ; an inferior kind was 
obtained by adding rain water, that had been previously boiled, instead 
of must, the other parts of the process remaining the same. "When the 
apian grapes were used, they were first trodden in the cask, with a sprink- 
ling of wine to each layer as it was thrown in, and, after five days, were 
again trodden before they were squeezed. When the fermentation ceas- 
ed, the liquor was decanted into clean vessels to be stored for use. 

On other occasions, when the juice of the grapes was deemed too thin 
and watery for the production of a good wine, as was almost always the 
case in rainy seasons, it was boiled down to a greater consistence, and a 
small portion of gypsum was added to it. The Lacedaemonians, we are 
told by Democritus, were in the practice of reducing it one fifth part, and 
keeping it four years before it was drunk ; others were satisfied with the 
evaporation of a twentieth part of the bulk. 2 Sometimes, however, the 
inspissation was carried much further, and the boiling prolonged till one 
third, one half, or even two thirds of the liquor were evaporated. The 
place where this operation was performed was called the defnitarium. 
When the must was inspissated to one half, it acquired the name of do- 
frutum ; when two thirds were left, the liquor was denominated care- 
num ; and when reduced to one third, it received the appellation of sapa 
among the Romans, and oipaiov and eifjrj/Lia among the Greeks ; but the 
proportions are not always stated in the same manner, and were no doubt 
regulated, in some degree, by the original quality of the must. 3 The last- 
mentioned liquor, when obtained from rich grapes, appears to have been 
drunk as a wine, and may be regarded as corresponding to the boiled 

mustum in amphoram novam, eamque obliuito, et impicato diligenter, ne quic- 
qnam aquae introire possit. Tunc in piscinam frigidae et dulcis aquas totam am- 
phoram mergito, ita ne qua pars extet. Deinde post dies quadraginta eximito. 
Sic usque in annum dulce permanebit." — Colum., xii., 29. Cato, c. 120. 

1. Plutarch, Quaest Nat, 27 (Op., ed. Reiske, vol. ix., p. 620). 

2. Geoponica, vii., 4. 3. Colum., xii., 19. Pallad., xi., 18. Dioscor., v., 9 



686 EXCURSUS III. PREPARATION OF THE MUST. 

wines of the moderns ; but the two former were chiefly employed for cor- 
recting weak must, and for preparing various condiments, which were re- 
sorted to for the purpose of heightening the flavors of the ancient wines. 
They were, in fact, identical with the sale or raising of the French, and 
the sapa of the Italians, which are still used for culinary purposes, and 
which are made according to the same rules. 1 

Accident is said to have led to the discovery of another method of pre- 
paring the must. A slave, who had stolen part of the contents of a cask, 
adopted the expedient of filling up the deficiency with sea water, which, 
on examination, was thought to have improved the flavor of the liquor ; 
and thenceforth the practice of adding salt water to certain wines became 
very common among the Greeks. For this purpose the water was direct- 
ed to be taken up as far as possible frdin the shore, and in a calm and clear 
day, in order that it might be had of the requisite strength and purity, 
and to be boiled down to about a third part before it was added to the 
wine. Columella mentions that his uncle was in the habit of first keep- 
ing it six years, and then evaporating it for use ; and that of the liquor so 
prepared a sextarius was sufficient for an amphora, being in the proportion 
of about a pint to little more than six gallons. "Some persons," he adds, 
" throw in as much as two or three sextarii ; and I should not hesitate to do 
so also, if the wine were strong enough to bear this admixture, without be- 
traying a saline taste,'" 2 of which it must be acknowledged there was no 
small risk. Nevertheless, several of the Greek sweet wines were manufac- 
tured in this manner ; and Cato has left us particular receipts for imitating 
them, in which the allowance of sea water, or salt, is always a conspicuous 
ingredient. 3 " Hoc vinvm," he assures us, when speaking of one of these 
artificial compounds, " non erit deterius quam Coum." "Whatever the com- 
parative merits of the Coan wine may have been, there is reason to sus- 
pect that the taste of the censor was not very i*efined, and that the liquor 
which he thus extols could never have become very grateful, eveu al- 
though it was allowed to ripen four years in the sun. When Horace de- 
scribes the Chian wine, at the supper of Nasidienus, as being "maris ex- 
pers,"± he has been generally supposed to allude to its being of inferior 
quality from the want of salt water, whereas he probably meant to in- 
sinuate that it had never travelled on the sea, but was a factitious or 
home-made wine. For the more delicate wines, such as the avdoajulac, 
the proportion of sea water was only one fiftieth part. 5 

These were all the more simple preparations of the must, which appear 
to have been adopted with the view of rendering it more durable ; but, as 
several of the methods in question, instead of tending to preserve the 
vinous qualities of the liquor, were rather calculated to injure and destroy 
them, other means were devised for restoring to it a due degree of flavor 
and aroma. Considering the attention that was bestowed on the evapora- 
tion of the must, and the extensive scale on which the process was con- 
ducted, it is somewhat extraordinary that the ancients should have con- 

1. "Aujourd'hui," says Olivier de Serres, "nous appellons sabe le moust, qui par 
boullir se consume de la moitie ; duquel nous nous servons seulement pour faire 
des sauces en l'appareil des viandes." — Theatre d'Agriculture (ed. 1814), i., 297. 

2. De Re Rustica, xii., 21. 3. Cap. xxiv., 105. 
4. Serai., ii, 8, 15. 5. Athenaus, i.. 24. 



EXCURSUS III. PREPARATION OF THE MUST. 687 

tinned in ignorance of the art of separating the alcohol from the other 
component parts of the wine, the more especially as they had occasional- 
ly remarked the inflammability of the latter fluid; hut as no hint occurs 
in their writings from which it can be inferred that they had the most dis- 
tant idea of such an operation, it is clear, there could be no question of 
strengthening their liquors, according to the modern fashion, by the ad- 
mixture, namely, of a greater or less portion of ardent spirit. They were, 
therefore, obliged to have recourse to such substances as, from their fra- 
grant odor and agreeable pungency, were most likely to impart the de- 
sired properties, " ut odor vino contingat, et saporis quaedain a cumina." 
For this purpose it was not unusual to sprinkle a quantity of pounded 
pitch or rosin on the must during the first fermentation, or, after it was 
completed, to infuse the flowers of the vine, the leaves of the pine or cy- 
press, bruised myrtle-berries, the shavings of cedar wood, southern wood, 
bitter almonds, and numberless other articles of a similar nature ; L but a 
more common mode of proceeding seems to have been to mix these in- 
gredients, in the first instance, with the defrutum, or inspissated must, 
and boil the whole to a thick consistence, and then to add a small portion 
of the confection to a certain quantity of the new wine. When we peruse 
the receipts for this decoction which Columella has delivered, we can not 
but be struck with the large proportions and potency of the substances 
employed. To ninety amphorae of must, for example, which had been 
evaporated to a third, ten sextarii of liquid Nemeturican pitch, or tar, 
washed in boiled sea water, and a pound and a half of tui'pentine resin, are 
directed to be added ; and the liquor being again reduced two thirds, six 
pounds of crude pitch, in powder, are to be gradually mixed with it, to- 
gether with a liberal allowance of various aromatic herbs, such as spike- 
nard, fleur-de-lis, myrrh, cardamoms, saffron, melilot, cassia, sweet-scent- 
ed flag, &c, all well bruised and sifted. Of this farrago, Columella informs 
us that he usually allotted four ounces to two amphora?, or thirteen and a 
half gallons, when the vintage was watery, but in dry seasons three 
ounces sufficed.; and he prudently cautious the wine-dealer not to make 
the artificial savor too palpable, lest his customers should be deterred by 
it from purchasing the wine. 2 It was only for the inferior wines, how- 
ever, that such medicaments were used; for, as the same author, in a 
preceding chapter, justly remarks; " that wine which is capable of being 
preserved for years without any condiment must be reckoned the best, 
and nothiug ought to be mixed with it by which its genuine flavor may 
be corrupted and disguised ; whatever pleases by its natural qualities is 
to be deemed the most choice.'' 3 

Many of the articles which enter into the above-mentioned formula, be- 
ing of an insoluble nature, would be gradually precipitated, and may be 
considered as operating chiefly in the way of finings ; in fact, several of 
them seem to have been adopted with this intention, and would, doubt- 
less, often answer the twofold purpose of perfuming and clarifying the 
wine. But as the disorder of acescence would be apt to occur in all 
those cases where the fermentation had been allowed to exhaust itself, it 
became necessary to resort to more effectual means for checking this ten- 
dency, and giving to the wines a proper degree of durability. With this 

1. Geoponica, vii., 12, 20. 2. De Re Rustica, xii., 20. 3. ft>id., xii., 19. 



688 EXCURSUS IV. WINE-VESSELS. 

view, milk, chalk, pounded shells, toasted salt, or g-ypsuro, were employ- 
ed by some persons ; others used lighted torches, or hot irons, which they 
extinguished in the wine; and others, again, recommended the ashes of 
the vine-stalks, roasted gall-nuts or cedar-cones, burned acorns or olive- 
kernels, sweet almonds, and a variety of similar substances, which were 
generally introduced into the wine after the first fermentation was finish- 
ed, i Whether the ancients were acquainted with the operations of sul- 
phuring is uncertain. Pliny, indeed, mentions sulphur as one of the arti- 
cles used by Cato to fine his wines, " vina concinnari ;" but as that part of 
his works in which he describes its employment is lost, we have no means 
of determining whether he applied it in a solid form or in the state of 
vapor. In one place, it is true, he directs a pitched tile, with a live coal 
and various aromatics, to be suspended in the cask previously to the in- 
troduction of the wine; but this was chiefly with the design of imparting 
an agreeable perfume, and with no view to the clarifying of the liquor. 2 
A similar receipt is given by him, for removing any unpleasant odor that 
the wine may have contracted. The practice of fining with the whites of 
eggs seems to have been common, as both Palladius and Pronto give di- 
rections for it; 3 and the passage of Horace, 4 in which he alludes to the 
mending of Surrentine wine with the lees of Falernian, shows that the 
yolks of pigeon's eggs were also used for the same purpose, unless, as there 
is some reason to suspect, the poet has mistaken the yolk for the white. 



EXCURSUS IV. 

OF THE WINE-VESSELS AND WINE-CELLARS OF THE ANCIENTS. 

When the fermentation in the vat had ceased, the wine was introduced 
into those vessels in which it was destined to remain for use, or until it 
had undergone certain changes which rendered a subsequent transfusion 
advisable. As it was commonly in this stage that the medicaments de- 
scribed in the preceding excursus were added, a considerable degree of 
secondary fermentation would necessarily take place ; and this effect 
would be still further increased by the preparations which were applied 
to the inside of the vessels, and which were resorted to with the same 
view, and consisted of much the same substances as the condiments used 
for mingling with the wine. When the wine was put into a cask, care 
was taken not to fill it too full, but to allow sufficient space for the froth or 
scum which would be thrown up, and which is directed to be diligently 
removed by ladles, or with the hand, during the first five daj-s. 5 It was 
also deemed of importance to cleanse the cellar or press-room from all pu- 
trid and acescent substances, and to keep up an agreeable odor in them 
by means of fumigations. 

The most ancient receptacles for wine were probably the skins of ani- 
mals (uckoi, utres), rendered impervious by oil or resinous gums. When 
Ulysses proceeded to the cave of the Cyclops, he is described as carrying 
with him a goat-skin filled with the rich black wine he had received from 
Maron, the priest of Apollo. 6 In the celebrated festal procession of Ptole- 
my Pbiladelphus there is said to have been a car twenty-five cubits in 

1. Geoponica, vii., 12. 2. De Re Rustica, c. 113. 3. Geoponica, vii., 22. 

4. Serai., ii., 4, 55. 5. Geoponica, vi., 12. 6. Odyss., ix., 195. 



EXCURSUS IV. WINE-VESSELS. 689 

length and fourteen in breadth, in which was borne an uter made of pan- 
thers' hides, and containing three thousand amphorae of wine, which was 
allowed to flow from it slowly, as it was dragged along; 1 but, unless this 
enormous wine-skin had been protected by some solid casing, it could not 
have resisted the lateral pressure of such a body of liquor. As the arts 
improved, vessels of clay were introduced, and the method of glazing 
them being unknown, or, at least, not used for this purpose, a coating of 
pitch was applied, in order to prevent the exudation of the liquor. In some 
places where wood abounded, as in the neighborhood of the Alps and in 
Illyria, wine-casks were made of that material; but the vessels in gen- 
eral use among the Greeks and Romans were of earthen-ware; and great 
nicety was shown in choosing for their construction such clay as was least 
porous, and bore the action of the furnace best. But it was only the 
smaller sort that could be made on the wheel ; the larger were formed on 
the ground, in stoves, where a sufficient degree of heat for baking them 
could be applied. 2 They had, for the most part, a bulging shape, with a 
wide mouth, and the lips were tui-ned out in such a way as to prevent the 
ashes and pitch, with which they were smeared, from falling in when the 
cover was removed. When new, these vessels received their coating im- 
mediately on being taken out of the furnace. As such of them as were 
of auy considerable size were liable to reuts and other accidents, it was 
customary to bind them with leaden or oaken hoops, in order to preserve 
them entire. 3 Pancirollus affirms that they were occasionally capacious 
enough to hold a wagon load of wine, or one hundred and twenty am- 
phorae ;* but this is hardly credible. That they were often very large, 
however, is certain, for we read of dolia seaqmculearia, or tuns which held 
a culeus and a half, or three hogsheads and one third. Tiie culearia ap- 
pear to have been the vessels in which the ordinary wines were common- 
ly sold. 

As the Greeks gave the preference to small vessels for the preservation 
of their wines, we may infer that their casks {ttlOol) were of more moder- 
ate capacity. Their largest wine-measure was the /j,erprjT7fg, containing 
eight gallons, six pints, and a quarter ; and the Kudog, Kefju/uiov, and u/u.- 
Qopei'C 5 were earthen-ware vases which held about that quantity. Tlie 
quadrantal, or cube of the Roman foot, on the other hand, was equivalent 
to forty-eight sextarii, or twenty-seven English quarts; and the testa, ca- 
dus, diota, and amphora of the Romans were, for the most part, of that 
measure. The urna was equal to half an amphora. The last-mentioned 
vessel was generally of an elegant form, with a narrow neck, to which the 
two handles were attached, and the body taperiug toward the bottom, by 
which means it could be fixed with little trouble in the ground, and the 
sediment which was deposited by the wine could not be easuy disturbed 
by the process of decanting. Those made at Cnidos and Athens, but par- 
ticularly the latter place, were most esteemed, whence the representation 
of an amphora upon certain of the Attic coins. Sometimes the name of 
the maker, or of the place where they were manufactured, was stamped 
upon the neck. 

1. Atkenmus, v., 7. 2. Geoponica, vi., 3. 3. Cato, c. 39. 

4. Rerum Memorabilium, i., 138. 

5. By syncope, from a/xcpupopcvs, so called from the two handles attached to the 
neck, by which it was carried. The £lu)tt) had its name from a similar circumstance. 



690 EXCURSUS IV. WINE-CELLARS. 

Occasionally these vessels received a lining of plaster, which was thought 
to diminish the roughness of the wine ; but the more common preparation, 
as has been already hinted, was with pitch, mastic, oil, and various aro- 
matic substances ; and, as the quality of the wine depended on the due seas- 
oning, great care was taken to have them in proper order for the vintage. 
In some of the receipts for the process in question, wax is recommended 
as a useful addition to the other ingredients, especially if a dry wine was 
desired ; but Pliny and other writers condemn its use, as tending to cause 
acescency. 1 Before the wine was introduced, the casks, or, at least, the 
orifices and covers, were usually smeared with a composition of much the 
same nature as the condiments above described. "When the vessels were 
filled, and the disturbance of the liquor had subsided, the covei's, or stop- 
pers, were secured with plaster, or a coating of pitch mixed with the ashes 
of the vine, so as to exclude all communication with the external air. 

The casks containing the stronger wines were placed in the open air, or 
in sheds where they could receive the benefit of the sun's rays ; 2 but, in 
general, they were ranged along the walls of the wine-cellar, and sunk to 
a greater or less depth in sand. In this situation they were allowed to 
remain till the wine was judged to have acquired a sufficient maturity, 
or, after it had undergone a proper clarification, the contents were trans- 
ferred to smaller vessels. In what manner they were emptied is not veiy 
clear. The phrases descriptive of the operation would indeed imply that 
the Romans had no other mode of racking their wines 3 than by inclining 
the cask to one side, and thus pouring out the liquor; but such a method 
must have been attended with great trouble and inconvenience, especial- 
ly in those cases where the vessels had been fixed in the ground, and as 
many of them remained stationary, it may be presumed that they must 
have had other contrivances for discharging the contents. The siphon 
used by the Greeks and Romans for tasting their wines appears to have 
been merely a tube open at both ends, like the instruments still employ- 
ed for that purpose, by which a portion of wine maybe drawn, by suction, 
from any part of the cask ; but if the same term also denoted a fire-engine, 
by which water might be forced to a considerable height,* we may fairly 
conclude that the use of the piston was occasionally resorted to for the 
purpose of emptying the larger tuns. 

For the wine-cellar [cella vinaria), the writers on rural economy gener- 
ally advise a northern aspect, and one not much exposed to the light, in or- 
der that it may not be liable to sudden vicissitudes of temperature ; and they 
very properly inculcate the necessity of placing it at a distance from the 
furnaces, baths, cisterns, or springs of water, stables, dunghills, and every 
sort of moisture and effluvia likely to affect the wine. Pancirollus is of 
opinion that the ancients -were not in the practice of having repositories 
of wine under ground, like our modern cellars ; 5 and, unquestionably, there 
is no direct evidence in their works of the existence of those " extended 

1. Geoponica, vi., 5, 6. Plin., H. N., xiv., 20. 

2. '• Campaniae nobilissima exposita sub dio cadis verberari sole, luna, imbre, 
ventis, aptissimum videtur." — Plin., H. N., xiv., 21. 

3. "Non ante verso lene merum cado." — Horat., Cann. iii., 29, 2. 

4. See Hesychius, in voce 2i(pwv. Beckmann's Geschichte der Erfindungen, jr., 
p. 430. 5. Rer. Memorab., i., 2, 8. 



EXCURSUS IV. WINE-CELLARS. 691 

vaults of different dimensions" which Barry has figured to himself; but, 
as they were so careful to secure the benefit of a cool and equable atmos- 
phere for their wines, we can hardly suppose that they would overlook 
the advantages to be derived from this mode of building. The directions 
given by Palladius for the construction of a wine-cellar show that it was, 
at least in part, excavated ; for he recommends that it should be three or 
four steps below the level of the calcatorium, or place where the grapes 
were trodden, so that the liquor that collected in the vats could be drawn 
off into the casks, as they stood ranged against the walls, by means of 
conduits or earthen tubes. 1 When the quantity of wine made was great- 
er than the casks could conveniently hold, a row of tuns (cupa) was dis- 
posed along the middle of the floor, on raised stands, so as to leave a free 
passage between them and the casks ; or, if these were buried in the 
ground, with a gang-way over them. 

In these cellars, which may be considered as analogous to the celliers 
of the French, the lighter wines, or such as lasted only from one vintage 
to another, were kept ; but the stronger and more durable kinds were 
transferred to another apartment, which by the Greeks was called tnroOij- 
K7] or ttlOuv, and which, among the Romans, was generally placed above 
the fumarium, or drying kiln, in order that the vessels might be exposed 
to such a degree of smoke as was calculated to bring the wines to an early 
maturity. 2 This, however, was an invention of the later ages. When 
Telemachus goes to draw the necessary supply of wine for his voyage, he 
is represented as descending to his father's high-roofed chamber (vtpopooov 
du/M/xov evpvv), which seems to have been a sort of treasury or store- 
house, where, with jars of fragrant oil, and chests containing gold, and 
brass, and raiment, 

" Many a cask with season'd nectar fill'd, 

The grape's pure juice divine, beside the wall 

Stood waiting, orderly arranged ;" 3 

and he desires to fill him twelve amphorae with the wine next in richness 
to that which was i - eserved for his sire's return, and to adapt fit stoppers 
to the whole. 4 From this account, it is manifest that, in the earliest times, 
there was no separate repository for wines, but that it was kept in large 
vessels, and in a vaulted apartment, along with other articles of value, and 
was drawn off into amphorae as it was wanted for use. 

From some allusions in the classics, 5 it has been contended that the an- 

1. " Basilicas ipsius forma, calcatorium loco habeat altiore constructurn ; ad quod 
inter duos lacus, qui ad excipienda vina bine inde depressi sint, gradibus tribua 
fere aut quatuor ascendatur. Ex bis lacubus canales structi, vel tubi fictiles circa 
extremos parieres currant, et subjectis lateri suo doliis per vicinos meatus manantia 
vina defundant." — De Re Rustica, i., 18. 

2. " Apothecae recte superponenturhis]ocis,undeplerumquefumus (balnearum) 
exoritur, quouiam vina celerius veterascunt, quas fumi quodam tenore praecocem 
maturitatem trabunt." — Cohan., i., 6. 

3. 'Ep St ttWoi oipoio T:a\aiou ^5vtt6toio 
EGTaoav aKprjTov, S-ttov ttot6v, evtoS exovteS, 
i&lrii iron toIxov api'ipoTES.—Odyss., ii., 340. 

4. AuSsica <5' enirXriaov Kal nunaoiv apaov a-navras. — Odyss., ii., 353, 

5. Hor., Carm., ii., 3. 



692 EXCURSUS V. FUMARIUM. 

cients were fully aware of the advantages of having both outer and inner 
cellars, and that they devoted the latter to the reception of their more val- 
uable wines. Assuredly, if their repositories, as Horace insinuates, were 
capable of containing a thousand amphorae at a time, 1 we may easily con- 
ceive that they might have been divided into different cells, and that the 
innermost would be reserved for the best vintages. But, in the passage 
above referred to, the phrase "interiore nota" may merely imply that the 
wine in question came from the remotest end of the cellar, and was there- 
fore the oldest and choicest, or that it was part of the stock which had 
been put aside for festal occasions. The " hundred keys" of the cellars in 
which the precious Caecuban vintages are said to have been stored, can 
be considered only as a poetical amplification. 

Previously, however, to depositing the amphorae in the apotheca, it was 
usual to put upon them a label or mark indicative of the vintages, and of 
the names of the consuls in authority at the time, in order that, when they 
were taken out, their age and growth might be easily recognized. 2 With 
the luxuriant Romans this became a point of great importance ; so that, 
to particularize a choice sample, it was sufficient to mention the year in 
which it was placed in the cellar, as is abundantly proved by numerous 
passages of their poets ; and the term nota was very commonly employed 
in reference to the quality of the liquor, as iu the line of Horace above 
cited. Pliny affirms that this mode of designating wines originated from 
the frequent adulterations that were practiced in the manufacture, so that 
they could only be distinguished by the cellar marks. 3 Sometimes these 
marks were obliterated by the smoke to which the vessels had been ex- 
posed, as Juvenal alleges to have been the case with regard to some very 
old Setine wine; 4 and the custom of placing implicit faith in such a crite- 
rion must have given birth to numberless impositions, as nothing could be 
more easy than to substitute one consul's name for another, or to give the 
semblance of age to a new label. 



EXCURSUS V. 

FUMARIUM. 

The application of the fumarium to the mellowing of wines was bor- 
rowed from the Asiatics, who were in the habit of exposing their wines 
to the heat of the sun on the tops of their houses, and afterward placing 
them in apartments warmed from below, in order that they might be more 
speedily rendered fit for use. 5 As the flues by which the ancient dwell- 
ings were heated were probably made to open into the apotheca, it is ob- 
vious that a tolerably steady temperature could be easily supplied, and 

1. Hor., Serm., ii., 3, 115. 

2. Among the amphorae lately found on the site of the ancient Leptis, and now 
deposited in the British Museum, is one with the following inscription in vermilion: 

L. CASSIO 

C. MARIO 

COS. 

It had, consequently, been filled with the vintage of the year 647 A.U.C., when 

Lucius Cassius Louginus and Caius Marias Nepos were consuls, and when Marius 

himself was contending with Jugurtha for the possession of the adjacent province. 

3. Hist. Nat, xxiii., 1. 4. Sat., v., 34. 5. Galen, Simpl., iv., 14. 



EXCURSUS V. INSPISSATED WINES. 693 

that the vessels would be more fully exposed to the action of the smoke. 
Although the tendency of this procedure may, according to our modern 
notions, appear very questionable, yet, when attentively considered, it 
does not seem to differ much from that of the more recent method of mel- 
lowing Madeira, and other strong wines, by placing them in a hot-house, 
or in the vicinity of a kitchen fire or baker's oven, which is found to assist 
the development of their flavor, and to bring them to an early maturity. 
As the earthen vases in which the ancient wines were preserved were 
defended by an ample coating of pitch or plaster, it is not likely that the 
smoke could penetrate so as to alloy and vitiate the genuine taste and 
odor of the liquor; but the warmth which was kept up by its means 
would have the effect of softening the harshness of the stronger wines, 
and probably of dissipating, to a certain extent, the potent aroma of the 
condiments with which they were impregnated. Although Tibullus gives 
the epithet "smoky" to the Falernian wines thus prepared, 1 and Horace 
speaks of the amphora with which he proposed to celebrate the calends 
of March as having been laid up " to imbibe the smoke" during the con- 
sulship of Tullus, 2 they are not to be understood as alluding to the flavor 
of the liquor, but merely to the process by which it was brought to a high 
degree of mellowness. The description of Ovid, however, may be con- 
sidered as more correct, for he applies the term only to the cask in which 
the wine was inclosed. 3 At the same time, it must be acknowledged 
that the practice in question was liable to great abuse; and we may 
readily conceive that, from the success attending the experiment as ap- 
plied to the first-rate growths, it might happen that many inferior wines, 
though not at all adapted for the operation, would nevertheless be made 
to undergo it, in the vain hope of bettering their condition ; that, from an 
anxiety to accelerate the process, the wines would be sometimes exposed 
to a destructive heat; or that, from inattention to the corking of the ves- 
sels, the smoke might enter them, and impart a repulsive savor to the 
contents. As these forced wines were in great request at Rome and in 
the provinces, the dealers would often be tempted to send indifferent 
specimens into the market; and it is not, perhaps, without reason, that 
Martial* inveighs so bitterly against the produce of the fumaria of Mar- 
seilles, particularly those of one Munna, who seems to have been a noto- 
rious offender in this line, and whom the poet humorously supposes to have 
abstained from revisiting Rome lest he should be compelled to drink his 
own wines. 



EXCURSUS VI. 

INSPISSATED WINES AND VARIETIES OF ANCIENT WINES. 

One certain consequence of the long exposure of the amphorae to the 
influence of the fumarium must have been, that a portion of the contents 
■♦vould exhale, and that the residue would acquire a greater or less degree 
of consistence; for, however well the vases might have been coated and 
lined, or however carefully they might have been closed, yet, from the 
nature of the materials employed in their composition, from the action of 
the vinous fluid from within, and the effect of the smoke and heat from 
without, it was quite impossible that some degree of exudation should not 

L Eleg., il, 1. 2. Carm., iii., 8, 9. 3. Fast, v., 317. 4. Epig., x., 36. 



694 EXCURSUS VI.- — INSPISSATED WINES. 

take place. As the more volatile pai-ts of the must were often evaporated 
by boiling, and as various solid or viscid ingredients were added to the 
wine previously to its introduction into the amphorae, it is manifest that a 
further exhalation must have reduced it to the state of a sirup or extract. 
In the case of the finer wines, it is true, this effect would be in some meas- 
ure counteracted by the influence of the insensible fei-mentation ; and a 
large proportion of the original extractive matter, as well as of the hetero- 
geneous substances suspended with it, would be precipitated on the sides 
and bottoms of the vessels, in the form of lees ; but in other instances, the 
process of inspissation would go on, without much abatement from this 
cause. Hence it comes that so many of the ancient wines have been de- 
scribed as thick and fat, and that they were not deemed ripe for use un- 
til they had acquired an oily smoothness from age. Hence, too, the prac- 
tice of employing strainers [cola vinaria) to clarify them, and free them 
from their dregs. In fact, they often became consolidated to such a de- 
gree that they could no longer be poured from the vessels, and it was 
necessary to dissolve them in hot water before they could be drunk. We 
learn from Aristotle that some of the stronger wines, such as the Arcadian, 
were reduced to a concrete mass when exposed in skins to the action of 
the smoke; 1 and the wine-vases, discovered among the ruins of Hercu- 
laneum and Pompeii, have generally been found to contain a quantity of 
earthy matter. It is cleat-, then, that those wines which were designed 
for long keeping could not have been subjected to the highest temperature 
of the fumarium without being almost always reduced to an extract. In- 
deed, Columella warns the operator that such might be the issue of the 
process, and recommends that there should be a loft above the apotheca 
into which the wines could be removed, " ne rursus nimia suffitione med- 
icaid sint." 

For the more precious wines the ancients occasionally employed ves- 
sels of glass. The bottles, vases, cups, and other articles of that material, 
which are to be seen in every collection of antiquities, prove that they had 
brought the manufacture to a great degree of perfection. We know that, 
for preserving fruits, they certainly gave the preference to glass jars ; and 
at the supper of Trimalcio, so admirably depicted by Petronius, even am- 
phorae of glass are said to have been introduced. 2 Whether they were 
of the full quadrautal measure does not appear ; but, in all pi'obability, 
they were of more moderate dimensions, for we are told by Martial that 
the choicest Falernian was kept in small glass bottles, 3 and neither the 
number of the guests nor the quality of the liquor, supposing it to have 
been genuine, would have justified the use of full-sized anaphoras on the 
occasion above alluded to. 

The ancients were careful to rack their wines only when the wind was 
northerly, as they had observed that they were apt to be turbid when it 
blew in an opposite direction. The weaker sorts were transferred, in the 
spring, to the vessels in which they were destined to remain ; the stronger 
kinds during summer ; but those grown on dry soils were not drawn off un- 
til after the winter solstice.* According to Plutarch, wines were most af- 
fected by the west wind ; and such as remained unchanged by it were 

1. Meteorolog., iv., 10. 2. Satyric, 34. 3. Epig., ii-, 40. 4. Geoponica, vii., 6. 



EXCURSUS VI. VARIETIES OF ANCIENT WINES. 695 

pronounced likely to keep well. Hence, at Athens, and in other parts of 
Greece, there was a feast in honor of Bacchus on the eleventh day of the 
month Anthesterion, when the westerly winds had generally set in, at 
which the produce of the preceding vintage was first tasted. i In order to 
allure customers, various tricks appear to have been practiced by the an- 
cient wine-dealers ; some, for instance, put the new vintage into a cask 
that had been seasoned with an old and high-flavored wine ; others placed 
cheese and nuts in the cellar, that those who entered might be tempted 
to eat, and thus have their palates blunted before they tasted the wine. 
The buyer is recommended by Florentinus to taste the wines he proposes 
to purchase during a north wind, when he will have the fairest chance of 
forming an accurate judgment of their qualities. 2 

VARIETIES OF ANCIENT WINES. 

The ancient wines were, for the most part, designated according to the 
places where they grew; but occasionally they borrowed the appellation 
of the grapes from which they were made ; and the name of the vine, or 
vineyard, stood indiscriminately for that of the wine. When very old, 
they received certain epithets indicative of that circumstance, as o<nzpl- 
ag, consulare, Opimianum. But as it sometimes happened that by long 
keeping they lost their original flavor, or acquired a disagreeably bitter 
taste, it was not unusual to introduce into them a portion of must, with 
the view of correcting these defects : wine thus cured was called vinum 
recentatum. The wine presented to persons of distinction was termed 
yepovcuog, 3 or honorarium. Such was the rich sweet wine> of which 
Ulysses had twelve amphorae given him by Maron, and which was so 
highly valued by the donor that he kept it carefully concealed from all 
his household, save his wife and the intendant of his stores, as its attrac- 
tions were not easily resisted. 

None of the more generous wines were reckoned fit for drinking before 
the fifth year, and the majority of them were kept for a much longer 
period. The thin white wines are stated by Galen to have ripened 
soonest, acquiring, first, a certain degree of sharpness, which, by the time 
they were ten years old, gave place to a grateful pungency, if they did 
not turn acid within the first four years. Even the strong and dry white 
wines, he remarks, notwithstanding their body, were liable to acescency 
after the tenth year, unless they had been kept with due care ; but if they 
escaped this danger, they might be preserved for an indefinite length of 
time. Such was the case more especially with the Surrentine wine 
which continued raw and harsh until about twenty years old, and after- 
ward improved progressively, seldom contracting any unpleasant bitter- 
ness, but retaining its qualities unimpaired to the last, and disputing the 
palm of excellence with the growths of Falernum. 4 The tramarine wines 
which were imported into Italy were thought to have attained a moderate 
age in six or seven years ; and such as were strong enough to bear a sea 
voyage were found to be much improved by it. 5 

The lighter red wines [vina horna, j'ugacia) were used for common 

1. Sympos., iii., quseet. 7. 2. Geoponica, vii., 7. 3. II., iv., 259. 

4. Oribas., Coll. Med., v., 6. 5. Plin., Nat. Hist., xiv., 18. 



696 EXCURSUS VI.- — VARIETIES OF ANCIENT WINES. 

drinking, and would seldom endure longer than from one vintage to an- 
other, hut in good seasons they would sometimes be found capable of 
being preserved beyond the year. Of this description we may suppose 
that Sabine wine to have been which Horace calls upon his friend to 
broach when four years old,* although in general the proper age of the Sa- 
binum was from seven to fifteen years ; and the poet has abundantly 
shown, in other parts of his works, that he knew how to value old wine, 
and was seldom content with it so young. The stronger dark-colored 
wines, when long kept, underwent a species of decomposition (cariem 
vetustabis), from the precipitation of part of the extractive matter which 
they contained. This, and the pungency [acumen) which such wines ac- 
quired, were justly esteemed the proofs of their having arrived at their 
due age. The genuine flavor of the vintage was then fully developed, 
and all the roughness of its early condition was removed. From the mode, 
however, in which the ancient wines were preserved, a greater or less in- 
spissation took place, and, if we may depend on the statement of Pliny, 
this was most observable in the more generous kinds, and the taste be- 
came disagreeably bitter, obscuring the true flavor of the liquor. Wine 
of a middle age was therefore to be preferred, as being the most whole- 
some and grateful ; 2 but in those days, as well as ours, it was the fashion 
to place the highest value on whatever was rarest, and an extravagant 
sum was often given for wines which were literally not drinkable. Such 
seems to have been the case with the famous vintage of the year in which 
L. Opimius Nepos was consul, being the 633d from the foundation of the 
city, when, from the great warmth of the summer, all the productions of 
the earth attained an uncommon degree of perfection. Velleius Patercu- 
lus, who flourished 150 years afterward, denies that any of it was to be 
had in his time ; 3 but both Pliny and Martial, who were considerably pos- 
terior to that historian, describe it as still inexhausted at the time when 
they wrote. The former, indeed, admits that it was then reduced to the 
consistence of honey, and could only be used in small quantities for flavor- 
ing other wines, or mixing with water. 4 Reckoning the original price to 
have been one hundred nvmmi, or sixteen shillings and sixpence for the 
amphora, he calculates that, according to the usual rate of Roman inter 
est, a single ounce of this wine, at the time of the third consulate of Ca- 
ligula, when it had reached its 160th year, must have cost at least one 
nummus, or twopence, which would make the price of the quart amount 
to six shillings and sixpence English. 5 

As the ordinai-y wines of Italy were produced in great abundance, they 
were often sold at very moderate prices. Columella's reduced estimate 
would make the cost about fourpence per gallon ; but we find from Pliny 
that, when Licinius Crassus and Julius Caesar were consuls, an edict was 
issued by them, prohibiting the sale of Greek and Aminean wine for eight 
ases the amphora, which would be less than one penny a gallon ; and the 
same author asserts, on the authority of Varro, that, at the time of Metel- 
lus's triumph, the congius, a somewhat smaller measure than our gallon, 
was to be bought for a single as, or about three farthings English. With 
these very low prices, however, it is not easy to reconcile the statement 

1. Carm., i., 9, 7. 2. Hist. Nat, xxiii., 1. 

3. Hist. Rom., ii., 7. 4. Hist. Nat., xiv., 4. 

5. LangwitlCs Observations on Arbuthnot's Tables of Ancient Coins, &c, p. 37. 



EXCURSUS VII. GREEK WINES. 697 

9f Cicero as to the rate of duties that were occasionally levied on wines, 
f hus one of the charges of maladministration brought against M. Fon- 
ieius was that he had raised an undue sum of money in this manner ; but 
Cicero proves the practice to have been by no means unusual, and men- 
tions, among other instances, that of Titurius, who had exacted not less 
than sixteen sestertii, or two shillings and sevenpence English for the 
amphora, on the entry of wines into Toulouse, i which would be upward 
of four times the amount of the prices last quoted. 



EXCURSUS VII. 

GREEK WINES. 

Among the Greek wines, the earliest of which we have any distinct'' 
account is the Maronean, probably the production of the territory of that 
name on the coast of Thrace, or of Ismarus, near the mouth of the Hebrus, 
where Ulysses received the supply which he carried with him on his voy- 
age to the land of the Cyclops. It was a black, sweet wine ; and from 
the evident delight with which Homer enlarges on its virtues, we may 
presume it to have been of the choicest quality. He describes it as "rich, 
unadulterate, and fit drink for gods," and as so potent that it was usually 
mixed with twelve measures of water. 2 Pliny mentions the growths of 
Maronea as being still in high estimation in his time, and of so strong a 
nature that they were commonly drunk much diluted, namely, with eight 
parts of water to one of wine ; and we collect from Dr. Sibthorpe's obser- 
vations that one of the species of grapes now cultivated in the island of 
Zante is called maronites ,- 3 the color, however, is white. Other parts 
of Thrace were famous for their wines, but Ismarus seems to have long- 
est maintained its credit. 4 The black wine of Sciathos, mentioned by one 
of the poets, must have been of a much lighter quality, as it was drunk 
with only an equal measure of water. 

The Pramnian, which was a red, but not a sweet wine, appears to 
have been of equal antiquity; for we find Hecamede, under the direction 
of Nestor, preparing a copious draught of it for Machaon when he receiv- 
ed the wound in his shoulder. 5 According to certain writers, the Pram- 
nian, was derived from the island Icaria, where there was a rocky hill of 
that name ; others describe it as the growth of Ephesus or Lesbos ; while 
some, again, suppose that the appellation was intended to express its 
durable quality, quasi TrapafievLog, or denoted a particular grape from 
which it was made. 6 Be this as it may, we have sufficient authority for 
pronouncing it to have been a strong, hard, astringent liquor, and perhaps 
we shall not err much if we compare it to our common Port wine. It was 
neither sweet nor thick, but austere, and remarkably potent and durable ; 
in all which particulars it perfectly resembled the modem growth to which 
we have ventured to assimilate it. Like Port, too, it was much commend- 
ed for its medicinal uses, and on that account was sometimes called phar- 
macitcs. The Athenians, however, would seem to have had no relish for 
a beverage of this character; for Aristophanes tells us " that they disliked 

1. Hist. Nat., xiv., 4 ; xviii., 3. 2. Od., ix., 248. 

3. Walpole's Collection, i., 293. 4. Ovid, Fast., iii., 409. Virg., Georg., ii., 35. 

5. II., xi., 780. 6. Athmams, i., 24. 

Gg 



{]\Jb EXCURSUS VII. GREEK WINES. 

those poets who dealt in the rough and horrible as much as they abom- 
inated the harsh Pramnian wine, which shrivelled the features and ob- 
structed the digestive organs." But in these respects it was far exceed- 
ed, if we may rely on the testimony of Alexis, by the Corinthian, wine, 
which to drink, he says, was actual torture. 1 In the age of Pliny, the 
Pramnian was still a noted growth of the vicinity of Smyrna. 

It was in the luscious sweet wines that the Greeks surpassed all other 
nations, and to this class the commendations of their later poets must be 
regarded as chiefly applying. They were, for the most part, the products 
of the islands of the Ionian and jEgean Seas, where the cultivation of the 
vine was assiduously practiced, and where the finest climate, and the 
choicest soils and exposures, gave to its fruit an uncommon degree of ex- 
cellence. Lesbos, Chios, and Thasos in particular, seem each to have 
contended for the superiority of its growths ; but several of the other isl- 
ands, such as Corey ra, Cyprus, Crete, Cnidos, and Rhodes, yielded wines 
which were much esteemed for their sweetness and delicacy, and it was 
from them that the greater part of Europe was supplied, till a compara- 
tively recent period, with the richest sweet wines. 

It has been already observed that these wines were not white, in the 
proper acceptation of the term, but rather of a straw or amber color, ac- 
cording to their greater or less age. This hue they would naturally derive 
from their beiDg fermented along with the skins of the grapes, which 
were used in their ripest state, or after they had become partially dried, 
and which, being generally of the muscat sort, would impart a grateful 
perfume to the liquor, a quality on which the Greeks placed a due value, 
as may be seen from the frequent allusions to it by their poets. The ex- 
quisite aroma of the Saprian, which was probably Chi an wine matured 
by great age, has been noticed in the preceding excursus. The Lesbian 
wine would seem to have been less odorous, but to have possessed a de- 
licious flavor, for it is said to have deserved the name of ambrosia rather 
than of wine, and to have been like nectar when old. 2 Horace terms the 
Lesbian an "innocent" wine, 3 but it was the prevailing opinion among 
the ancients that all sweet wines were less injurious to the head, and 
less apt to cause intoxication, than the strong dry wines. By Pliny, how- 
ever, the growths of Chios and Thasos are placed before the Lesbian, 
which, he affirms, had naturally a saltish taste ; but the Clazomenian, 
which came from the coast of Ionia, and which was less adulterated with 
sea water, is said to have been preferable to all the others, on account of 
its purer flavor. The Thasian was a generous sweet wine, ripening 
slowly, and acquiring by age a delicate odor of the apple. The Chian, 
again, is, by some writers, described as a thick, luscious wine ; and that 
which grew on the craggy heights of Arinsium, extending three hundred 
stadia along the coast, is extolled by Strabo as the best of all Greek wines.* 
From Athenaeus we learn that the produce of the Ariusian vineyards was 
usually divided into three distinct species, a dry wine, a sweetish wine, 
and a third sort of a peculiar quality, thence termed avTonparov. 5 All of 
them seem to have been excellent of their kind, and they are frequently 

1. 'O yap Kopivdtos [iaaavioy.bi ion. — Atkenceus, i., 24. 2. Atkenceus, i., 22. 

3. Carm. i., 17, 21. 4. Lib. xiv., c. 1. 5. Lib. i., 25. 



EXCURSUS VII. GREEK WINES. 609 

alluded to in terms of the highest commendation. i The Phanean, which 
is extolled by Virgil as the king of wines, was also the product of the 
same island. The wines of Naxos, Rhodes, and Cos, on the other hand, 
were still more liable to the censure passed on the Lesbian in Pliny's time ; 
and those of Zacynthus and Leucadia had the character of ibeing heady. 
As the latter were prepared with gypsum, they were probably of a drier 
nature and more potent quality than the wines of the other islands. 

Among the lighter wines, the Mendean, which most likely took its name 
from Mende, a town in Thrace, was a white wine, and of such moderate 
strength, that it bore dilution with only three parts of water. For the 
manufacture of it, the grapes, while still hanging on the vine, are said to 
have been sprinkled with elaterium, which was supposed to impart a pe- 
culiar softness to the wine. The Argitis, celebrated by Virgil for its ex- 
traordinary durability, and procured from a small grape abounding in juice, 
is also believed to have been a white wine. 2 If this conjecture be well 
founded, we may discover some analogy between it and the best growths 
of the Rhine, which are obtained from a small white grape, and are re- 
markable for their permanency. A little rough wine, named Omphacites, 
was procured in Lesbos and Thasos from a particular species of grape, 
which was gathered before it had attaiued its full maturity, and exposed 
to the sun three or four days previously to pressure. After the first fer- 
mentation was over, the casks were kept in a sunny situation till the 
wine was sufficiently ripened. 3 

The above ai - e all the principal wines of Greece to which it is possible 
to assign distinctive characters. But, besides these indigenous growths, 
the Greeks were familiar with the produce of the African and Asiatic 
wines, of which several enjoyed a high reputation, and may be consider- 
ed as the parent stocks from which the first Grecian vineyards were sup- 
plied. According to Florentinus, some of the Bithynian wines, but espe- 
cially that procured from a species of grape called mersites, were of the 
choicest quality. 4 The wines of Byblos, in Phoenicia, on the other hand, 
vied in fragrancy with the Lesbiau ; and, if we may confide in the report 
of Athenseus, the white wines of Mareotis and Taenia, in Lower Egypt, 
were of almost unrivalled excellence. The former, which was sometimes 
called Alexandrean, from the neighboring territory, was a light, sweetish 
white wine, with a delicate perfume, of easy digestion, and not apt to af- 
fect the head, though the allusion of Horace to its influence on the mind 
of Cleopatra would seem to imply that it had not always preserved its in- 
nocuous quality. s The wine of Meroe, however, which was produced at 
the feast given to Caesar by that voluptuous female, would appear to have 
been in still higher estimation, and to have borne some resemblance to 
the Falernian. 6 The Tasniotic, on the other hand, which derived its name 
from the narrow strip where it grew, was a gray or greenish wine (viro- 
X^cjpog), of a greater consistence and more luscious taste than the Mare- 
otic, but accompanied with some degree of astringency, and a rich aro- 
matic odor. The wine of Antylla, also the produce of the vicinity of Alex- 
andres was the only remaining growth, from among the numerous vine- 

1. Eclog., v., 71. Sil. Ital, vii., 210. 2. Georg., ii., 99. 

3. Dioscorides, v., 12. 4. Geoponica, v., 2. 

5. Carm. i., 37, 14. 6. Lucan., Phara, x., 163. 



700 EXCURSUS VIII. PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 

yards which flourished in Egypt, that attained any degree of celebrity. 1 
Pliny commends the Sebennytic wine, which he describes as made from 
three kinds of grapes, but without affording the means of determining its 
peculiar quality. 

On the mountain Tmolus, inLydia, a brown sweet wine was produced, 
which is classed by Virgil and Galen among the first-rate growths, but 
described by Pliny as too luscious to be drunk by itself, and as chiefly 
used for flavoring and correcting the harshness of other wines. The Scy- 
bellites, so called from the place of its growth in G-alatia, is only noticed 
by Galen on account of its thickness and extreme sweetness. The Abates, 
which was a wine of Cilicia, appears from his report to have been a sweet- 
ish wine of a red color. The Tibenum, Arsynium, and Titucazenum, are 
enumerated by the same author among the lighter growths of his native 
country : the two first were probably dry red wines ; the latter is de- 
scribed as a sweet wine, but not very rich or high-colored. They ripen- 
ed the soonest of all the Asiatic wines. 



EXCURSUS VIII. 

PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 

During the early ages of the republic, it is doubtful whether the Ro- 
mans were much accustomed to the use of wine ; for the constant preda- 
tory warfare with the neighboring states, in which they were engaged, 
must have prevented them from giving that attention to their vineyards 
which was necessary for bringing the produce to any degree of perfection. 
Romulus directed milk to be used for the libations to the gods ; and a post- 
humous law of Num a forbade the sprinkling of the funeral pile with wine, 2 
merely, as Pliny conceives, on account of its scarcity. That the vine, 
however, was partially cultivated in those times, may be inferred from 
the fact of Mezentius, king of Etruria, having been paid in wine for the 
succor which he afforded the Rutilians in their war against the inhabit- 
ants of Latium. It was not till the six hundredth year of the city, if the 
assertion of the author just quoted be correct, that the Italian wines came 
into such vogue as to be deemed superior to those of all other countries. 

Few parts of Italy proved unfriendly to the vine ; but it flourished most 
in that portion of the southwestern coast, to which, from its extraordinary 
fertility and delightful climate, the name of Campania felix was given. 
Concerning the extent of the territory in question, there is some difference 
of opinion among ancient authors, in consequence of the various boundaries 
that were successively assigned to it; 3 but Pliny and Strabo, who have 
given the fullest account of its geography, confine the appellation to the 
level country reaching from Sinuessa to the promontory of Sorrento, and 
including the Campi Laborini, from which the present name Terra di 
Lavoro is derived. The exuberant produce of the rich and inexhaustible 
soil of the whole of this district, which is so happily exposed to the most 
genial breezes, while it is sheltered by the Apennines from all the colder 

1. Lucan., Phars., x., 161. 2. " Vino rogum ne respergito." — H. N., xiv., 12. 

3. " C. Peregrini Diss, de pluribus Campaniis veterum," in Grav., Thes. Antiq. 
Ital.. ix.. 2. 



EXCURSUS VIII. PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 701 

winds, has called forth the eulogies of every writer who has had occasion 
to mention it. There the earth yields its choicest fruits almost unbidden, 
"ipsa volentia rura," refusing not even the growths of the torrid zone; 1 
and if the inhabitants too often remain insensible to the advantages of 
their situation, the traveller can not fail to be charmed with the luxuriant 
display of vegetable life which bursts upon his sight. From this district, 
then, the Romans obtained those vintages which they valued so highly, 
and of which the fame extended to all parts of the world. In ancient 
times, indeed, the hills by which the surface is diversified seem to have 
formed one continued vineyard; and every care was taken to maintain 
the choice quality of the produce. "With respect to the locality and des- 
ignation of particular celebrated spots, much controversy has arisen 
among critics. Floi-us speaks of Falernus as a mountain, 2 and Martial 
describes it under the same title ; 3 but Pliny, Polybius, and others denom- 
inate it a field or territory (ager) ; and as the best growths were styled 
indiscriminately Massicum and Falernum, Peregrini concurs with Vibius 
in deciding that Massicus was the proper appellation of the hill which 
rose from the Falernian plain. By a similar mode of reasoning it might 
be inferred from the term " arvis," which occurs in conjunction with "Mas- 
sicus," in the splendid description of the Falernian vineyards given by 
Silius Italicus, that the epithet Massicus was applicable to more level 
grounds. 

The truth seems to be, that the choicest wines were produced on the 
southern declivities of the range of hills which commence in the neighbor- 
hood of the ancient Sinuessa, and extend to a considerable distance inland, 
and which may have taken their general name from the town or district 
of Falernvm ; but the most conspicuous or the best exposed among them 
may have been the Massicus ; and as, in process of time, several inferior 
growths were confounded under the common denomination of Falernian, 
correct writers would choose that epithet which most accurately denoted 
the finest vintages. If, however, it be allowable to appeal to the analogy 
of modern names, the question as to the locality will be quickly decided ; 
for the mountain that rises from the Rocca di Mondragone, which is gen- 
erally allowed to point to the site of ancient Sinuessa, is still known by 
the name of Monte Massico. That the Massic wines were grown here is 
sufficiently proved by the testimony of Martial, who describes them as 
the produce of the Sinuessan vineyards. At a short distance to the east, 
and on the elope of the adjacent ridge, are two villages, of which the up- 
per is called Falciano a monte, and the lower Falciano a basso. Here 
was the ancient Fauslianum, of which Falciano is a corruption. 

The account which Pliny has furnished of the wines of Campania is the 
most circumstantial, and, as no one had gr-eater opportunities of becoming 
familiar with the principal growths of his native country, doubtless the 
most correct. " Augustus, and most of the leading men of his time," he 
informs us, " gave the preference to the Setine wine that was grown in 
the vineyards above Forum Appii, as being of all kinds the least apt to 

1. Cotton has been cultivated on the plain of Sorrento with so much success 
as to furnish in one year (1812) to the amount of 60,000 bales.— Chateauvieux, Let 
tres ecrites d'ltalie, torn, ii., p. 59. 

2. Lib. i., c. 16. 3. Epig. xii., 57. 



702 EXCURSUS VIII. PRINCIPAL WINES OF THL ROMANS. 

injure the stomach. Formerly, the Ccscuban, which came from the poplar 
marshes of Ainyclae, was most esteemed ; but it has lost its repute, partly 
from the negligence of the growers, and partly from the limited extent of 
the vineyard, which has been nearly destroyed by the navigable canal that 
was begun by Nero from Avemus to Ostia. The second rank used to be 
assigned to the growths of the Falernian territory, and, among them, 
chiefly to the Faustianum. The territory of Falemum begins from the 
Campanian bridge, on the left hand as you go to Urbana, which has been 
recently colonized and placed under the jurisdiction of Capua by Sylla; 
the Faustian vineyards, again, are situated about four miles from the vil- 
lage, in the vicinity of Cedias, which village is six miles from Sinuessa. 
The wines produced on this soil owe their celebrity to the great care and 
attention bestowed on their manufacture ; but latterly they have some- 
what degenerated from their original excellence, in consequence of the 
rapacity of the farmers, who are usually more intent upon the quantity 
than the quality of the vintages. They continue, however, in the great- 
est estimation, and are, perhaps, the strongest of all wines, as they burn 
when approached by a flame. They are of three kinds, namely, the dry, 
the sweet, and the light Falernian. Some persons class them somewhat 
differently, giving the name of Gauranum to the wine made on the tops 
of the hills, of Faustianum to that which is obtained from the middle re- 
gion, and reserving the appellation of Falernian for the lowest growths. 
It is worthy of remark that none of the grapes which yield these wines 
are at all pleasant to the taste." 1 

With respect to the first of the above-mentioned wines, it is surprising 
that, notwithstanding the high commendation of Augustus, the Setinum 
is never once mentioned by Horace, although he has expatiated with all 
the fervor of an amateur on the other first-rate growths of his time. Per- 
haps he took the liberty of differing from the imperial taste in this partic- 
ular, as the Setine was a delicate light wine, and he seems to have had 
a predilection for such as were distinguished by their strength. Both 
Martial and Juvenal, however, make frequent mention of it; and Silius 
Italicus declares it to have been so choice as to be reserved for Bacchus 
himself, "ipsius mensis reposta Lyccei." Galen commends it for its innoc- 
uous qualities. It was grown on the heights of Sezza, 2 and, though not a 
strong wine, possessed sufficient firmness and permanency to undergo the 
operation of the fumai'ium ; for we find Juvenal alluding to some which 
was so old that the smoke had obliterated the mark of the jar in which it 
was contained.3 

The Ccecuban, on the other hand, is described by Galen as a generous, 
durable wine, but apt to affect the head, and ripening only after a long 
term of years. 4 In another place he remarks that the Bithynian white 
wine, when very old, passed with the Romans for Csecuban, bat that in 
this state it was generally bitter and unfit for drinking. 5 From this anal- 
ogy we may conclude that, when new, it belonged to the class of rough, 
sweet wines. It appears to have been one of Horace's favorite wines, of 
which he speaks, in general, as reserved for important festivals. 6 After 

1. Hist. Nat, xiv., 6. 2. Mart., Epig., x., 74. 3. Sat., v., 34. 

4. Athenaus, i., 27. 5. Oribasius, v., 6. 

6, Carm., i., 37 ; Epod., ix., 1 ; Carm., iii., 28. 



EXCURSUS VIII. — -PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 703 

the breaking- up of the principal vinej^ards which supplied it, this wine 
would necessarily become very scarce and valuable, and such persons as 
were fortunate enough to possess any that dated from the Opimian vint- 
age would preserve it with extraordinary care. 1 In fact, we are told by 
Pliny, in a subsequent book, that it was no longer grown, " Ccecuba jam 
non gignuntur," and he also alludes to the Setine wine as an article of 
great rarity. 2 The Fundanum, which was the produce of the same ter- 
ritory, if, indeed, it was a distinct wine, seems to have partaken of the 
same characters, being, according to Galen's report, strong and full-bodied, 
and so heady that it could only be drunk in small quantity. 

There can be little doubt that the excellence of these wines is to be at- 
tributed chiefly to the loose volcanic soils on which they were produced. 
Much also depended on the mode of culture ; and it is more than probable 
that the great superiority of the growths of the Falernian vineyards was, 
in the first instance, owing to the vines there being trained on juga, or 
low frames formed of poles, 3 instead of being raised on poplars, as was 
the case in several of the adjacent territories. Afterward, when the pro- 
prietors, in consequence of the increasing demand for their wines, became 
desirous to augment the quantity, they probably adopted the latter prac- 
tice, and, forcing the vines to a great height, sacrificed the quality of the 
fruit. Two facts bearing on this point, and deserving of particular atten- 
tion, as they show in the clearest manner how much the characters of 
wine may be modified by slight variations of the seasons, are noticed by 
Galen. "There are," he observes, "two sorts of Falernian, the dry and 
the sweetish, which latter is produced only when the wind continues in 
the south, during the vintage ; and from the same cause it also becomes 
of a deeper hue (//.eXavrepoc;) ; but in other circumstances the wine obtain- 
ed is dry, and of a yellowish color (avar^pbg nal r<p xP&iiclti /u^/Jof)."* 
The operation of the same causes will be found to effect a similar change 
in the character of several of our modern vintages. 

No wine has ever acquired such extensive eelebrity as the Falernian, 
or more truly merited the name of "immortal" 5 which Martial has con- 
ferred upon it. At least, of all ancient wines, it is the one most generally 
known in modern times ; for, while other eminent growths are overlooked 
or forgotten, few readers will be found who have not formed some ac- 
quaintance with the Falernian; and its fame must descend to the latest 
ages, along with the works of those mighty masters of the lyre who have 
sung its praises. But, although the name is thus familiar to every one, 
scarcely any attempt has been made to determine the exact nature and 
properties of the liquor ; and little more is understood concerning it, than 
that the ancients valued it highly, kept it until it became very old, and 
produced it only when they wished to regale their deai'est friends. At 
this distance of time, indeed, and with the imperfect data we possess, no 
one need expect to demonstrate the precise qualities of that or any other 
wine of antiquity ; though, by collating the few facts already stated with 
some other particulars which have been handed down to us respecting the 
Falernian vintages, the hope may reasonably be indulged of our being 

1. Mart., Epig., iii., 26. 2. Hist Nat., xxiii., 1. 

3. Varro, De Re Rustica, i., 8. 4. Athenaus, I, 21. 5. Epig., ix., 95. 



704 EXCURSUS VIII.— PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 

able to make some approach to a more correct estimate of their true char- 
acters, and of pointing out, at the same time, those modern growths to 
which they have the greatest resemblance. 

In the first place, all writers agree in describing the Falernian wine as 
very strong and durable, and so rough in its recent state that it could noS 
be drunk with pleasure, but required to be kept a great number of years 
before it was sufficiently mellow. Horace even terms it a "fiery" wine, 
and calls for water from the spring to moderate its strength^ and Persius 
applies to it the epithet " indomitum" probably in allusion to its heady 
quality. 2 From Galen's account, it appears to have been in best condition 
from the tenth to the twentieth year; afterward it was apt to contract an 
unpleasant bitterness ; yet we may suppose that,, when of a good vintage, 
and especially when preserved in glass bottles, it would keep much longer 
without having its flavor impaired. Horace, who was a lover of old wine, 
proposes, in a well-known ode r 3 to broach an amphora which was coeval 
with himself, and which, therefore, was probably not less than thirty -thiree 
years old, as Torquatus Manlius was consul in the six hundred and eighty- 
ninth year from the foundation of the city, and Corvinus,in honor of whom 
the wine was to be drawn, did not obtain the consulate till 723 A.U.C. As 
he bestows the highest commendation on this sample, ascribing to it all 
the virtues of the choicest vintages, and pronouncing it truly worthy to be 
produced on a day of festivity, we must believe it to have been really of 
excellent quality. In general, however, it probably suffered, more or less, 
from the mode in which it was kept ; and those whose taste was not per- 
verted by the rage for high-dried wines, preferred it in its middle state. 
Thus Cicero* when animadverting on the style of the orations which Thu- 
eydides has introduced in his History,, and which, he conceives, would 
have been more polished if they had been composed at a later period, 
takes occasion to illustrate the subject of his discourse by a reference to 
the effects of age upon wine. " Those orations," he remarks, " I have al- 
ways been disposed to admire ; but I neither would imitate them if I could, 
nor could I if I would, being in this respect like one who delights in Faler- 
nian wine, but chooses neither that which is so new as to date from the 
last consuls, nor that which is so old as to take the name of Annician or 
Opimian. Yet the wines so entitled are, I believe, in the highest repute ; 
but excessive age neither has the suavity which we require, nor is it even 
bearable." 4 The same writer, supping one evening with Damasippus, 
had some indifferent wine presented to him, which he was pressed to 
drink, " as being Falernian forty years old." On tasting it, he pleasantly 
observed " that it bore its age uncommonly well." 5 

Among our present wines, we have no hesitation in fixing upon those 
of Xeres and Madeira as the two to which the Falemian offers the most 
distinct features of resemblance. Both are straw-colored wines, assuming 
a deeper tint from age, or from particular circumstances in the quality or 
management of the vintage. Both of them present the several varieties 
of dry, sweet, and light. Both of them are exceedingly strong and dura- 
ble wines, being, when new, very rough, harsh, and fiery, and requiring 

1. Carm., ii., 11. 2. Sat, iii., 3. 3. Carnx, iii^au 

4. Brut, 83. 5. Macrob., Saturnal., ii., 3* 



EXCURSUS VIII. PRINCIPAL WINES OF THE ROMANS. 705 

to be kept about tbe same length of time as the Falernian, before tbey at- 
tain a due degree of mellowness. Of tbe two, however, the more palpa- 
ble dryness and bitter-sweet flavor of the Sherry might incline us to de- 
cide that it approached most nearly to the wine under consideration ; and 
it is worthy of remark, that the same difference in the produce of the fer- 
mentation is observable in the Xeres vintages as that which Galen has 
noticed with respect to the Falernian, it being impossible always to pre- 
dict with certainty whether the result will be a dry wine, or a sweetish 
wine resembling Paxarete. But, on the other hand, the soil of Madeira 
is more analogous to that of the Campagna Felice, and thence we may 
conclude that the flavor and aroma of its wines are similar. Sicily, which 
is also a volcanic countiy, supplies several growths, which an inexperi- 
enced judge would very readily mistake for those of the former island, and 
which would, in all probability, come still nearer to them in quality, if 
more pains were bestowed upon the manufacture. Another point of co- 
incidence is deserving of notice. Both Xeres and Madeira are, as is well 
known, infinitely improved by being transported to a hot climate ; and 
latterly it has become a common practice, among the dealers in the island, 
to force the Madeira wines by a pi'ocess which is absolutely identical with 
the operation of the fumaritim. It may, perhaps, be objected, that the in- 
fluence of heat and age upon these liquors, far from producing any disa- 
greeable bitterness, only renders them sweeter and milder, however long 
they may be kept ; but, then, in contrasting them with the superannuated 
wines of the Romans, we must make allowance for the previous prepara- 
tions, and the effect of the different sorts of vessels in which they are pre- 
served. If Madeira or Sherry, but paiticularly the latter, were kept in 
earthen jars until it was reduced to the consistence of honey, there can 
be little doubt that the taste would become so intensely bitter, that, to 
use the expression of Cicero, we should condemn it as intolerable. 

The Surrentine wines, which were the produce of the Aminean grapes, 
were, in like manner, of very durable quality, "firmissima vina," as Vir- 
gil designates them ; and, on account of their lightness and wholesome- 
ness, were much commended for the vise of convalescents. They are 
stated by Pliny to have been grown only in vineyards, and consequently 
the vines which yielded them could not have been high-trained. Their 
exemption from the fault of bitterness, which most of the other wines ac- 
quired by long keeping, has already been stated. 1 But Athenaeus, upon 
the authority of Galen, observes, that they remained always thin and 
weak, and never ripened thoroughly, from the want of sufficient body. In 
their early state they appear to have been very harsh and sharp to the 
taste ; and Tiberius used to allege that the physicians had conspired to 
raise their fame, but that, in his opinion, they only merited the name of 
generous vinegar. In these respects they may be compared to some of 
the secondary growths of the Rhiue, which, though liable at first to the 
imputation of much acidity, will keep a long time, and continue to improve 
to a certain extent, but never attain the oily smoothness that characterizes 
the first-rate wines. The wine of Capua resembled the Surrentine. ^ 

Such were the wines of the Campania Felix and adjacent hills, of which 

1. Excurs. vi. 2. Athen., i., 21. 

Gg2 



706 EXCURSUS IX. DILUTION OF ANCIENT WINES. 

most frequent mention is made, and concerning which the fullest particu- 
lars have been transmitted. Respecting certain other growths, as the 
Calenum, Caulinum, and Spatanum, our information is of a more imper- 
fect nature. We only know that the vintages of Cales are much praised 
by Horace, and described by Galen as lighter, and more grateful to the 
stomach than the Falernian, while those of the latter territories are pro- 
nounced to have been little, if at all, inferior to that celebrated wine. 

As the soils of the Campania of Rome partake of the same nature, and 
present many excellent exposures for the vine, some good wines were 
there produced, but none of them equal in quality to those which we have 
just been reviewing. The Albanum, which grew upon the hills that rise 
to the south, in view of the city, is ranked by Pliny only as a third-rate 
wine ; but, from the frequent commendation of it by Juvenal and Horace, 
we must suppose it to have been in considerable repute, especially when 
matured by long keeping. 1 It was sweet and thick when new, but be- 
came dry when old, seldom ripening properly before the fifteenth year. 
The wine of Labicum occupied the middle station between the Falernian 
and the Alban. The Signinum, on the other hand, is said to have been 
so rough and astringent that it was chiefly used as a medicine. All these 
were apparently white wines. 

Among the lighter growths of the Roman territory, the Sabinum, Norn- 
entanum, and Vcnafranum were among the most agreeable. The first 
seems to have been a thin table-wine, of a reddish color, attaining its ma- 
turity in seven years., The Nomentan, however, which was also a deli- 
cate claret wine, but of a fuller body, is described as coming to perfection 
in five or six years. The wine of Spoletum, again, which was distinguish- 
ed by its bright golden color, was light and pleasant. 

In the arrangement of Pliny, a fourth class of wines was formed by the 
Sicilian vintages. Of these, the Mamertinum, which came from the 
neighborhood of Messina, and is said to have been introduced at public 
entertainments by Julius Caesar, was a light and slightly astringent wine; 
but the wines of Tauromenium, being of a similar quality, were often 
substituted for it. The Pollium, or Pollceum, of Syracuse, which was of 
the sweet class, is noticed by several authors as a first-rate wine, being 
the produce of a particular grape called biblia, so named from the town of 
Bibliae, in Thrace. Of the wines of the southwestern part of the island, 
whence the best growths are now supplied, no mention appears to be 
made among the ancient writers. 



EXCURSUS IX. 

DILUTION OF ANCIENT WINES. 

Amphictyon is said to have issued a law, directing that pure wine 
should be merely tasted at the entertainments of the Athenians ; but that 
the guests should be allowed to drink freely of wine mixed with water, 
after dedicating the first cup to Jupiter the Saviour, to remind them of the 
salubrious quality of the latter fluid. However much this excellent rule 

1. Hor., Carm. iv., 11. Juv., xiii., 214. 



EXCURSUS IX. DILUTION OP ANCIENT WINES. 707 

may have been occasionally transgressed, it is certain that the prevailing 
practice of the Greeks was to drink their wines in a diluted state. Hence 
a common division of them into noTiVfopoi, or strong wines, which would 
bear a large admixture of water, and bTuyo^opoi, or weak wines, which 
admitted of only a slight addition. To drink wine unmixed was held dis- 
reputable, and those who were guilty of such excess were said to act like 
Scythians (sTriaKvdiadai). To drink even equal parts of wine and water, 
or, as we familiarly term it, half and half, was thought to be unsafe, and, 
in general, the dilution was more considerable, varying, according to the 
taste of the drinkers and the strength of the liquor, from one part of wine 
and four of water, to two of wine and four, or else five parts of water, 
which last seems to have been the favorite mixture. 

From the account which Homer gives of the dilution of the Maronean 
wine with twenty measures of water, and from a passage in one of the 
books ascribed to Hippocrates, directing not less than twenty-five parts 
of water to be added to one part of old Thasian wine, 1 some persons have 
inferred that these wines possessed a degree of strength far surpassing 
any of the liquors with which we are acquainted in modern times, or of 
which we can well form an idea. But it must be remembered that the 
wines in question were not only inspissated, but also highly seasoned 
with various aromatic ingredients, and had often contracted a repulsive 
bitterness from age, which rendered them unfit for use till they had been 
diffused in a large quantity of water. If they had equalled the purest 
alcohol in strength, such a lowering as that above described must have 
been more than enough ; but the strong heterogeneous taste which they 
had acquired would render further dilution advisable, and, in fact, they 
may be said to have been used merely for the purpose of giving a flavor 
to the water. In the instance cited from Hippocrates' works, the mixture 
with Thasian wine is prescribed for a patient in fever, and can therefore 
be regarded as nothing more than a mild diluent drink. 

Since water, then, entered so largely into the beverages of the ancients, 
neither labor nor expense was spared to obtain it in the purest state, and 
to insure an abundant supply from those fountains and streams which 
were thought to yield it of the most grateful and salubrious quality. In 
order more effectually to dissolve those wines which had become inspis- 
sated by age, the water was sometimes purified by boiling, and, when the 
solution was completed, the liquor was strained through a cloth, in order 
to free it from any impurities which it might have contracted. 2 As this 
operation, however, was apt to communicate an unpleasant taste, or, at 
least, to deprive them of their natural flavor, such persons as were nice 
in the management of their wines adopted the expedient of exposing 
them to the night air, which was thought to assist their clarification with- 
out impairing their other virtues. 3 That the liquors which had undergone 
these processes would be rendered more potable and grateful than before, 
may be readily conceived ; but we are not prepared to fall in with the 
opinion of Bacci, who pronounces them to have been superior in color, in 
brightness, and in richness to our modern Malmsies and other sweet 

1. Tovro tie, Qaaiov olvov iraXatov ■n'tvTi ical zXkooiv vdaroS koI Iva oivov diSov. — 
De Morb., in., 30. 2. Mart., Epig. xii., 61 3. Hor., Serm. ii., 4, 



708 EXCURSUS IX. DILUTION OP ANCIENT WINES. 

wines. 1 Such methods were by no means calculated to enhance any &f 
those qualities in good wine, and it is obvious that the repeated transfu- 
sions and changes of temperature must have tended to deaden and dissi- 
pate a great portion of the aroma, on the retention of which the excel- 
lence of all wines so materially depends. 

As the wines thus diluted were frequently drunk warm, hot water be- 
came an indispensable article at the entertainments of the ancients* 
Whether the Greeks and Romans were in the habit of taking draughts 
of hot water by itself at their meals, is a point which, though of no greafe 
importance, has been much discussed by grammarians, without ever be- 
ing satisfactorily determined. When we find the guests at an entertain- 
ment, or the interlocutors in an ancient drama, calling for hot and tepid 
water (fi-ep/Libv nal fiETUKepag 2 }, it does not follow that this was to be 
drunk unmixed ; the water so required might be merely for diluting their 
wines, or for the purposes of ablution. So far, indeed, was mere hot wa- 
ter from being considered a luxury by the Romans, as some have absurd- 
ly imagined to be the fact, that we find Seneca speaking of it as fit only 
for the sick, and as quite insufferable to those who were accustomed to 
the delicacies of life. 3 In certain conditions of the stomach, however, as 
in that which arises from too free indulgence in the pleasures of the table, 
or from the use of gross and indigestible food, it can not be denied that hot 
water will allay the uneasy feelings more effectually than cold ; and, as 
the Romans were notorious for their intemperance in eating, we shall 
probably find in this circumstance the true explanation of their frequent 
calls for that sort of beverage. 

Such of the citizens as had no regular establishment were dependent 
for their daily supply of hot water on the thermopolia, or public houses, in 
which all kinds of prepared liquors were sold. 4 These places of enter- 
tainment, which were frequented in much the same way as our modern 
coffee-houses, appear to have existed in considerable number even during 
the republic, as we meet with frequent allusions to them in the comedies 
of Plautus. In the reign of Claudius they attracted the attention of the 
government, having probably become obnoxious by the freedom of conver- 
sation which prevailed in them ; for an edict was issued ordering the sup- 
pression of taverns, where people met together to drink, and forbidding 
the sale of hot water and boiled meats under severe penalties.s This 
mandate, however, like many of the other arbitrary acts of that emperor, 
would seem to have been little regarded, and was probably soon repeal- 
ed ; for, in a subsequent age, we find Ampelius, the prefect of Rome, sub- 
jecting these places of public resort to new regulations, according to which 
they were not allowed to be opened before ten o'clock of the forenoon, 
and no one was to sell hot water to the common people ; but it is evident 
that the rage for warm drinks continued as prevalent as ever ; for the his- 
torian who relates the above-mentioned circumstance observes, in another 
place, when speaking of the luxurious habits and capricious conduct of the 
higher classes, that, " When they have called for hot water, if a slave has 
been tardy in his obedience, he is instantly chastised with three hundred 

1. De Naturali Vinorum Hist., Romae, 1596, p. 92. 2. Athenaus, iii., 96. 

3. Epist. 79. 4. Plautus, PseudoL, ii., 4. 

5. Dio Cassius, lx., 6, vol. ii., p. 945, ed. Reimar. 



EXCURSUS X. ICED LIQUORS. 709 

lashes ; but, should the same slave commit a willful murder, the master 
will mildly observe that he is a worthless fellow, bat that, if he repeat the 
offence, he shall not escape punishment." 1 



EXCURSUS X. 

ICED LIQUORS. 

The ancients were also accustomed to have their beverages cooled and 
iced in various ways. Both Galen and Pliny have described the method 
which is still employed in tropical climates to reduce the temperature of 
water, by exposing it to evaporation, in porous vessels, during the night- 
time; and a simile in the Book of Proverbs 2 seems to warrant the con- 
clusion that the custom of preserving snow for summer use must have 
prevailed among Oriental nations from the earliest ages. That it was 
long familiar to the Greeks and Romans is abundantly certain. "When 
Alexander the Great besieged the town of Petra in India, he is reported 
to have ordered a number of pits to be dug, and filled with snow, which, 
being covered with oak branches, remained for a long time undissolved. 3 
A similar expedient is noticed by Plutarch, with this difference, that straw 
and coarse cloths are recommended instead of oaken boughs.* The Ro- 
mans adopted the same mode of preserving the snow which they col- 
lected from the mountains, and which, in the time of Seneca, had become 
an important article of merchandise at Rome, being sold in shops appro- 
priated to the purpose, and even hawked about the streets. 

At first the only mode of employing snow was by fusing a portion of it in 
the wine or water which was to be cooled ; and this was most convenient- 
ly effected by introducing it into a strainer [colum nivarium), which was 
usually made of silver, and pouring the liquor over it. But as the snow 
had generally contracted some degree of impurity during the carriage, or 
from the reservoirs in which it was kept, the solution was apt to be dark 
and muddy, and to have an unpleasant flavor from the straw ; hence those 
of fastidious taste preferred ice, which they were at pains to procure from 
a great depth, that they might have it as fresh as possible. A more ele- 
gant method of cooling liquors came into vogue during the reign of Nero, 
to whom the invention was ascribed ; namely, by placing water which 
had been previously boiled in a thin glass vessel surrounded with snow, 
so that it might be frozen without having its purity impaired. It had, 
however, been long a prevailing opinion among the ancients, as we may 
collect from Aristotle, Galen, and Plutarch, that boiled water was most 
speedily converted into ice ; and the experiments of modern chemists 
would seem to prove that this doctrine was not altogether without founda- 
tion. At all events, the ice so obtained would be of a more compact sub- 
stance than that procured. from water which had not undergone the pro- 
cess ; and this was sufficient to justify the preference. 

1. Ammian. Marcellin,, xxviii., 4. 2. Ch. xxv., ver. 13. 

3. Athenaus, iii., 35. 4. Sympos., vi., qusest. 6. 



INDEX 



OP 



PROPER NAMES. 



[Carm. denotes the Odes, and Serm. the Satires. The other abbreviations need no 
explanation.] 



Academi silvae, Epist. ii„ 2, 45. 

Achcemenes dives, Carm. ii., 12, 21. 

Achcernenius. Achsemenium costum, 
Carm. iii., 1, 44. Achsemenio nardo, 
Epod.. xih., 8. 

Achaicus ignis, Carm. i., 15, 35. Acha- 
ico curru, Carm. iv., 3, 5. 

Acheron. Acheronta perrupit Hercu- 
leus labor, Carm. i., 3, 36. Quirinus fu- 
git, Carm. iii., 3, 16. 

Acherontia. Acherontiae celsas nidus, 
Carm. iii., 4, 14. 

Achilles (Phthius). Trojae prope altse 
victor, Carm. iv., 6, 4 ; iratus, Epist. ii., 
2, 42. Achillei classis iracunda, Carm. 
i., 15, 34 ; pervicacis ad pedes rex (Pri- 
amus) procidit, Epod.. xvii., 14. Achillem 
insolentem, Carm. ii., 4, 4; clarum cita 
mors abstulit, Carm. ii., 16, 29 ; animosum, 
Serm. i., 7, 12 ; honoratum, Epist. ad Pis., 
120. Achille, Serm. ii., 3, 193. 

Achivus. Achivi, Epist. i., 2, 14. Achi- 
vos pugnaces, Carm. hi., 3, 27. Achi- 
vis servatis, Serm. ii., 3, 194 ; unctis, 
Epist h., 1, 33 ; flammis, Carm. iv., 6, 
18. 

Acrisius virginis abditse custos pavi- 
dus, Carm. in., 16, 5. 

Actius. Actia pugna, Epist. i., 18, 61. 

Adria, vid. Hadria. 

Macus. iEaci genus, Carm. iii., 19, 3. 
JEacum vidimus judicantem, Carm. ii., 
13, 22 ; ereptum Stygiis fluctibus, Carm. 
iv., 8, 25. 

Mgaeus. iEgseum mare, Epist. i., 11, 
16; in iEgeeo patenti, Carm. h., 16, 1. 
iEgseos tumultus, Carm. iii., 29, 63. 

AEmilius. iEmilium ludum, Epist. ad 
Pis., 32. 

Mneas pius, Carm. iv., 7, 15. iEnese 
rebus, Carm. iv., 6, 23. iEnea ab alto 
demissum genus, Serm. ii., 5, 63. 

JEolides Sisyphus, Carm. ii., 14, 20. 

Molius. iEolia puella (Sappho), Carm. 
iv., 9, 12. iEolium carmen, Carm. iii., 
30, 13, Carm. iv., 3, 12. ./Eoliis fidibus, 
Carm. ii., 13, 24. 

JEschylus personam pallseque repertor 
honestse, Epist. ad Pis., 279 ; eum imita- 
ti sunt Latini, Epist. ii., 1, 163. 



jEsopus gravis, Epist. ii., 1, 32. iEso- 
pi Alius, Serm. ii., 3, 239. 

&stas interitura ver proterit, Carm. 
iv., 7, 9. 

Msula. JEsulae declive arvum, Carm. 
hi., 29, 6. 

JEthiops, Carm. hi., 6, 14. 

JEtna. iEtnen impositam ignis non 
peredit, Carm. hi., 4, 76. iEtna in Si- 
cana, Epod., xvh., 31. 

JEtolus. ^Etolis plagis, Epist. i., 18, 46. 

Afer dirus (Hannibal), Carm. iv., 4, 42. 
Afra cochlea, Serm. ii., 4. 58. Arris ser- 
pentibus, Serm. ii., 8, 95. Afra (Numid- 
ica) avis, Epod., ii., 53. Afro (Tyrio) mu- 
rice, Carm. ii., 16, 35. 

Afranius. Afrani toga, Epist. ii., 1, 57. 

Africa ferax frumenti, Serm. ii., 3, 87 ; 
fertilis, Carm. hi., 16, 31. Africa ultima 
recisas columnas, Carm. ii., 18, 5 ; domi- 
ta, Carm. iv., 8, 18. 

Africanus (Scipio Africanus, Africa- 
nus Major). Africanum, cui Villus su- 
per Carthaginem sepulchrum condidit, 
Epod., ix., 25. 

Africus protervus, Epod., xvi., 22. Af- 
ricum Icariis fluctibus luctantem, Carm. 
i., 1, 15 ; prsecipitem, Carm. i., 3, 12 ; pes- 
tilentem, Carm. hi., 23, 5. Africo celeri, 
Carm. i., 14, 5. Africis procelhs, Carm. 
hi., 29, 57. 

Agamemnon. Agamemnona, Carm. 
iv., 9, 25. 

Agaue, Serm. ii., 3, 303. 

Agrippa (M. Vipsanius), Serm. ii., 3, 
185. Agrippas porticus, Epist. i., 6, 26 ; 
fructibus Siculi, Epist. i., 12, 1 ; virtus, 
ibid., 26 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 6. 

Agyieus. Levis Agyieu, Carm. iv., 6, 28. 

Ajax (Telamonius) ab Agamemnone 
sepultures honore prohibitus, Serm. ii., 
3, 187 ; insanus, ibid., 201 ; immeritos oc- 
cidit agnos, ibid., 211 ; heros ab Achille 
secundus, ibid., 193. Ajacem, ibid., 187 ; 
movit forma Tecmessse, Carm. h., 4, 5. 
Ajax (Oileus). Ajacis impiae rates, 
Epod., x„ 14. Ajacem celerem sequi, 
Carm. i., 15, 19. 

Albanus. Albani (sc. vini) plenus ca-- 
dus, Carm. iv., 11, 2. Albanam, Serm. 
ii., 8, 16. Albanam uvam, Serm. ii. 4, 



712 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



72. Albano in monte, Epist. ii., 1, 27. 
Albanis agris, Epist. i., 7, 10. Albanos 
lacus, Carm. iv., 1, 19. Albanas secures, 
C. S., 54. Albanis herbis, Carm. iii., 23, 11. 

Albinovanus (Celsus). Ad eum, Epist. 
L, 8. 

Albinus. Albini filius, Epist. ad Pis., 
327. 

Albius Tibullus. Ad eum, Carm. i., 
33, et Epist. i., 4. 

Albius. Serm. i., 4, 28. Albi filius, 
Serm. i., 4, 108. 

Albunea. Albuneae resonantis domus, 
Carm. i., 7, 12. 

Albutius. Albuti venenum, Serm. ii., 

3, 48 ; saevitia in servos, Serm. ii., 2, 67. 
Alcceus sonans plenius plectro aureo 

dura mala navis fugse et belli, Carm. ii., 
13, 27; temperat Musam Archilochi 
pede, Epist. i., 19, 29. Alcasi minaces 
Camena?, Carm. iv., 9, 7. 

Alcides. Alciden, Carm. i., 12, 25. 

Alcinous. Alcinoi in cute curanda plus 
aequo operata juventus, Epist. i., 2, 28. 

Alcon. Serm. ii., 8, 15. 

Alexander. Alexandri fortis vultum, 
Epist. ii., 1, 241. Alexandro regi Magno 
gratus fuit Choerilus, ibid., 232. 

Alexandrea supplex, Carm. iv., 14, 35. 

Alfenius vafer, Serm. i., 3, 130. 

Algidus. Algidum, C. S., 69. Algido 
gelido, Carm. i., 21, 6 ; nivali, Carm. iii., 
23, 9; nigrse feraci frondis, Carm. iv., 

4, 58. 

Allifanus. Allifanis (calicibus), Serm. 
ii., 8, 39. 

Allobrox novis rebus infidelis, Epod., 
xvi., 6. 

Alpes. Alpiumjuga, Epod., i., 11. Al- 
pibus tremendis arces impositse, Carm. 
iv., 14, 12. Alpes hibernas, Serm. ii., 5, 
41. Alpibus Rhsetia, Carm. iv., 4, 17. 

Alphius fcenerator, Epod., ii., 67. 

Alpinus turgidus, Serm. i., 10, 36. 

Alyattes. Alyattei regnum, Carm. iii., 
16, 41. 

Amazonius. Amazonia securi, Carm. 
iv., 4, 20. 

Amor sui csecus, Carm. i., 18, 14. 
Amori dare ludum, Carm. iii., 12, 1. 
Amores, Carm. iv., 13, 9 ; lascivos, Carm. 
iv., 13, 19 ; ii., 11, 7 ; spirabat, Carm. iv., 
13, 19. 

Amphion Thebanse conditor arcis, 
Epist. ad Pis., 394 ; fraternis putatur mo- 
ribus cessisse, Epist. i., 18, 43 ; movit la- 
pides canendo, Carm. iii., 11, 2. Amphi- 
onis et Zethi Gratia dissiluit, Epist. L, 
18, 41. 

Anacreon si quid olim lusit, non dele- 
vit &)tas, Carm. iv., 9, 9. Anacreonta 
Teium, Epod., xiv., 10. 

Anchises clarus Anchisa? Venerisque 
sanguis, C. S., 50. Anchisen, Carm. iv., 
15, 31. 

Ancus Marcius, Carm. iv., 7, 15 ; Epist. 
i., 6, 27. 

Andromeda clarus Andromedie pater, 
Carm. iii., 29, 17. 



Anio preeceps, Carm. i., 7, 13. 

Antenor, Epist. i., 2, 9. 
Anticyra. Anticyram, Serm. ii., 3, 83, 
et 166. Anticyris tribus insanabile caput, 
Epist. ad Pis., 300. 

Antilochus. Antilocbum amabilem, 
Carm. i., 9, 14. 

Antiochus. Antiochum ingentem, 
Carm. iii., 6, 36. 

Antiphates. Antiphatem, Epist. ad Pis., 
145. 

Antium gratum, Carm. i., 35, 1. 

Antonius {Triumvir). Antoni amieus, 
Serm. i., 5, 33. 

Antonius Musa, Epist. i., 15, 3. 

Antonius (lulus). Ad eum, Carm. iv., 
11. 

Anxur impositum saxis late candenti- 
bus, Serm. i., 5, 26. 

Anytus. Anyti reum, Serm. ii., 4, 3. 

Apella Judseus, Serm. i., 5, 96: 

Apelles. Ab eo Alexander pingi vomit, 
Epist. ii., 1, 239. 

Apenninus celsus, Epod., xvi., 29. 

Apollo, Epist. i., 16, 59 ; augur, Carm. 
i., 2, 32 ; certus, 7, 28 ; cantor, Epist. ad 
Pis., 407. Palatinus, Epist. i., 3, 17 ; mi- 
tis placidusque telo condito, C. S., 34. 
Delius et Patareus, Carm. iii., 4, 64 ; mag- 
nus, Serm. ii., 5, 60 ; suscitat cithara ta- 
centem Musam, Carm. ii., 10, 20 ; sic me 
servavit, Serm. i., 8, 78 ; vidnus pharetra 
risit, Carm. i., 10, 12. Apollinis intonsi 
capilli, Epod., xv., 9 ; natalis Delos, Carm. 
i., 21, 12. Apollinem dedicatum, Carm. 
i., 31, 1. Apolline Delphos insignes, 
Carm. i., 7, 3 ; munus dignum, Epist. ii., 
1, 216 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 21, 34, Carm. 
iv., 6. Apollinaris laurea, Carm. iv., 2, 9. 

Appia nimis est gravis tardis, Serm. i., 
5, 6. Appiam, Epod., iv., 14. 

Appius Claudius Cacus censor, Serm. 
L, 6, 21. Appi via, Epist. i., 6, 26, Epist. 
i., 18, 20. 

Apulia, Serm. i., 5, 77. Apulia? altri- 
cis extra limen, Carm. iii., 4, 10 ; siticu- 
losse, Epod., iii., 16. 

Apulicus. Apulicum mare, Carm. iii., 
24,4. 

Apulus, Carm. iii., 5, 9 ; impiger, Carm. 
iii., 16, 26. Apula gens, Serm. ii., 1, 38. 
Apuli pernicis uxor, Epod., ii., 42. Dau- 
ni, Carm. iv., 14, 26. Apulo in Vulture, 
Carm. iii., 4, 9. Apulis lapis, Carm. i., 
33, 7. 

Aquinates. Aquinatem fucum, Epist. 
i., 10, 27. 

Arabes. Arabum divitiae, Epist. i., 7, 
36 ; thesauri, Carm. iii., 24, 2 ; gazaB, 
Carm. i., 29, 1 ; domus plena?, Carm. ii., 
12, 24. Arabas, Carm. i., 35, 40 ; extre- 
mos, Epist. i., 6, 6. 

Arbuscula explosa, Serm. i., 10, 77. 

Arcadia. Arcadiae pecus et nigri col- 
les, Carm. iv., 12, 12. 

Archiacus. Archiaci lecti, Epist. i., 5,1, 

Archilochus. Archilochi Musa pede 
temperant Sappho et Alcasus, Epist. i., 
19, 29. Archilochum magnificat Horati- 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



713 



us, Serm. ii., 3, 12; et imitatus est, Epist. 
L, 19, 25 ; proprio rabies armavit iambo, 
Epist. ad Pis., 79. 

Archytas. Ad eum, Carrn. i., 28. 

Arctos. Arcton opacam excipiebat 
porticus, Carm.ii., 15, 16; sub Arcto rex 
gelidae orae, Carm. i., 26, 3. 

Arcturus. Arcturi cadentis saevus im- 
petus, Carm. iii., 1, 27. 

Arellius. AreUi sollicitas opes, Serm. 
ii., 6, 78. 

Argeus. Argeo colono, Carm. ii., 6, 5. 

Argivus. Argivi auguris (Amphiarai) 
domus, Carm. iii., 16, 11. Argivis, Carm. 
iii., 3, 67. 

ArgonauttB, Epod., iii., 9. 

Argos aptum equis, Carm. i., 7, 8. Ar- 
gis, Epist. ii., 2, 128 ; Serm ii., 3, 132 ; 
Epist. ad Pis., 118. 

Argaus. Argoo remige, Epod., xvi., 57. 

Aricia. Serm. i., 5, 1. 

Aricinus. Aricini arvi, Epist. ii., 2, 167. 

Ariminenses. Ariminensem Foliam, 
Epod., v., 42. 

Aristarchus, Epist. ad Pis., 450. 

Aristippus, Epist. i., 17, 14; aurum 
projicere jubet servos, Serm. ii., 3, 100. 
Aristippi sententia, Epist. i., 17, 17 ; prae- 
cepta, Epist. i., 1, 18. Aristippum om- 
nia decuit color et status et res, Epist. i., 
17, 23. 

Aristius Fuscus mihi (Horatio) carus, 
Serm. i., 9, 61 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 22, et 
Epist. L, 10. 

Aristophanes, Serm. i., 4, 1. 

Armenius Claudi virtute Neronis ce- 
cidit, Epist. i., 12, 26. Armeniis oris, 
Carm. ii., 9, 4. 

Arrius (Q.). Arri arbitrio, Serm. ii., 
3, 86 ; progenies, ibid., 242. 

Asia (major). Asiae pingues campi 
collesque, Epist. i., 3, 5. 

Asia (minor). Asiae solem Brutum ap- 
pellat, Epist. i., 7, 24. Asiam ditem, ibid., 
19. 

Assaracus. Assaracitellus, Epod.,xiii., 
13. 

Assyrius (pro : Syrius), Epist. ad Pis., 
118. Assyrii litoris arentes arenas, Carm. 
iii., 4, 32. Assyria nardo, Carm. ii., 11, 16. . 

Atabulus. Serm. i., 5, 78. 

Athena bonae, Epist. i., 2, 43. Athe- 
nas vacuas, ibid., 81. Athenis, Epist. ii., 
1, 213 ; sordidus ac dives, qui populi vo- 
ces contemnebat, Serm. i., 1, 64 ; doctor 
mallet vivere, Serm. ii., 7, 13. 

Atlanteus finis, Carm. i., 34, 11. 

Atlanticus. Atlanticum aequor, Carm. 
i., 31, 14. 

Atlas. Atlantis nepos, Mercuri, Carm. 
L, 10, 1. 

Atreus nefarius humana exta coxit, 
Epist. ad Pis., 186. 

Atridtz. Atridis,Serm.ii.,3,203. Atri. 
das superbos, Serm. i., 10, 13. Atrides 
(Agamemnon) : inter Atriden et Peliden 
lites Nestor componere festinat, Epist. i., 
2, 12. Atrida vetat Ajacem humari, Serm. 
ii., 3, 187. Atride (Menelae), Epist. i., 7, 43. 



Atta (T. Quinctius). Attse fabula, 
Epist. ii., 1, 79. 

Attalicus. Attalicis conditionibus, 
Carm. i., 1, 12; urbibus, Carm. i., 11, 5. 

Attains. Attali regia, Carm. ii., 18, 5. 

Atticus. Attica virgo, Serm. ii., 8, 13. 
Atticis finibus, Carm. i., 3, 6. 

Attius aufert famam senis alti, Epist. 
ii., 1, 56. Atti tragici nil mutat Lucili- 
us? Serm. i., 10, 61; nobiles trimetri, 
Epist. ad Pis., 258. 

Auctumnus, Epod, ii., 18; purpureo 
varius colore, Carm. ii., 5, 11 ; pomifer, 
Carm. iv., 7, 11 ; gravis Libitinse quaes- 
tus acerbaB, Serm. ii., 6, 19. 

Aufidius Luscus forti miscebat mella 
Falerno, Serm. ii., 4, 24. Aufidio Lusco 
praetore, Serm. i., 5, 34. 

Aufidus videns, Carm. iii., 30, 10; tauri- 
formis, Carm. iv., 14, 25 ; acer, Serm. i., 
1, 58. Aufidum sonantem, Carm. iv., 9, 12. 

Augustus purpureo bibit ore nectar, 
Carm. iii., 3, 11 ; preesens Divus habebi- 
tur, Carm. iii., 2, 3. Augusta tropaea, 
Carm. ii„ 9, 19 ; fortis super impetrato 
reditu, Carm. iv., 2, 43 ; paternus animus 
in pueros Nerones, Carm. iv., 4, 27 ; pri- 
vignus Claudius, Epist. i., 3, 2 ; res ges- 
tas,ibid.,7; laudes, Epist. i., 16, 29. Cae- 
saris lacertis, Epist. ii., 2, 48. Auguste, 
Carm. iv., 14, 3 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 2, et 
12 ; Carm. iv., 5, 14, et 15 ; Epist. ii., 1 ; 
in ejus reditum ex Hispania, Carm. iii., 
14, vid. CcBsar. 

Aulis, Serm. ii., 3, 199. 

Aulon, amicus fertili Baccho, Carm. ii., 
6, 18. 

Aulus. Aule, Serm. ii., 3, 171. 

Ausonius. Ausonias (Italas) urbes, 
Carm. iv., 4, 56. 

Auster, dux turbidus inquieti Hadrias, 
Carm. iii., 3, 4. Austrum nocentem cor- 
poribus per auctumnos, Carm.ii, 14, 16. 

Aventinus. Aventinum tenet Diana, 
C. S., 69. Aventino extremo, Epist. ii., 
2,96. 

Avernalis. Avernales aquas, Epod., v., 
26. , ." - 

Avidienus, cui Canis cognomen adhae- 
ret, Serm. ii., 2, 55. 

B. 

Babylonius. Babylonios numeros, 
Carm. i., 11, 2. 

Bacchce valentes proceras manibus ver- 
tere fraxinos, Carm. iii., 25, 15. 

jBacc/itttscompositus cum Bitho, Carm. 
i., 7, 20. 

Bacchus languescitin amphora, Carm. 
iii., 16, 34 ; vehitur tigris, Carm. iii., 3, 14. 
Bacchi pleno pectore, Carm. ii., 19, 6; 
somno gaudentis et umbra, Epist. ii., 2, 
78. Baccho fertili, Carm- i., 6. 19. Bac- 
chum verecundum, Carm. i., 27, 3; vidj 
docentem carmina, Carm. ii., 19, 1. Bac 
che, Carm. iii., 25, 1 ; pater, Carm, i, 18 
6. Io Bacche, Serm. i., 3, 7. Baccho, 
Thebas insignes, Carm. i., 7, 3 ; in eu&i, 
Carm. ii., 19 ; Carm. iii., 25. 



714 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Bactra, Cyro regnata, Carm. iii., 29, 28. 

Baue liquidse, Carm. iii, 4, 24. Bails 
nare obstrepens, Carm. ii., 18, 20 ; amoe- 
lis, Epist i., 1, 83. Baias, Epist. i., 15, 
•2; supervacuas, ib., 2. 

Baianus. Baiano murice, Serm. ii., 4, 
$2. 

Balatro (Servilius), umbra Maecenatis 
il Nasidieni convivio, Serm. ii., 8, 21 ; in- 
rertit vinaria tota Allifanis, ib., 40 ; sus- 
oendens omnia naso, ib., 64; Balatroni, 
lb., 33 ; secundo, ib., 83. 

Balbinics, Serm. i., 3, 40. 

Bandusia. Bandusiae fons, Carm. iii., 
3, 1. 

Bantinus. Bantinos saltus, Carm. iii., 
t, 15. 

Barbaria. Barbarise Graecia lento col- 
ds a duello, Epist. i., 2, 7. 

Barium. Bari piscosi moenia, Serm. L, 
5,93. 

Barrus quo morbo Barrus (laboravit), 
Serm. i., 6, 30 ; inops, Serm. i., 4, 109 ; 
maledicus, Serm. i., 7, 8. 

Bassareus. Bassareu candide, Carm. 
i., 18, 11. 

Bassus. Carm. i., 36, 14. 

Bellerophon. Belleropbontem, terre- 
num equitem, Carm. iv., 11, 28. Bellero- 
pbonte eques melior, Carm. iii., 12, 7. 

Bellona gaudens cruentis, Serm. ii., 3, 
223. 

Beneventum. Serm. i., 5, 71. 

Berecyntius. Berecyntiae tibia?, Carm. 
iv., 1, 22 ; Carm. iii., 19, 18. Berecyntio 
cornu, Carm. i., 18, 13. 

Bestius corrector, Epist. L, 15, 37. 

Bibaculus (Furius) pingui tentus oma- 
Bo, Serm. ii., 5, 41. 

Bibulus (M. Calpurnius). Bibuli con- 
sulis, Carm. iii., 28, 9. Bibule, Serm. i., 
10, 86. 

Bioneus. Bioneis sermonibus, Epist. 
ii., 2, 60. 

Birrins latro, Serm. i., 4, 69. 

Bistonides. Bistonidum crines, Carm. 
ii., 19. 20. 

Bithas, Serm. i., 7, 20. 

Bithynus. Bithyna carina, Carm. i., 
35, 7; negotia, Epist. L, 6, 33. 

Bazolii. Boeotum in crasso aere, Epist. 
ii., 1, 244. 

Bolcmus, Serm. i., 9, 11. 

Boreas. Boreae tinitimum latus mundi, 
Carm. iii., 24, 28. 

Bosporus. Bospori gementis, Carm. 
ii., 20, 14. Bosporum navita Pcenus per- 
borrescit, Carm. ii., 13, 14 ; insanientem, 
Carm. iii., 4, 30. 

Breuni. Breunos vcloces, Carm. iv., 
14, 11. 

Britannus intactus, Epod., vii., 7. Bri- 
tannis remotis, Carm. iv., 14, 48 ; adjec- 
tis imperio (Romano), Carm. iii., 5, 3. 
Britannos, Carm. i., 21, 15 ; ultimos or- 
bis, Carm. i., 35, 30 ; feros hospitibus, 
Carm. iii., 4, 33. 

Bri/ndisium, Serm. i., 5, 100; Epist. i., 
?7, 52; Epist. i., 18, 20. 



Brutus (M. Junius). Brutum Asis 
solem appellat Persius, Serm. i., 7, 23. 
Brute, ib., 33. Bruto praetore tenente 
Asiam, ib., 19 ; militiae duce, Carm. ii., 7, 2. 

Brutus conviva Horatii, Epist. i., 5, 76. 

Bullatius. Ad eum, Epist. i., 11. 

Bupalus. Bupalo acer bostis (Hippo- 
nax), Epod. vi., 14. 

Butra, Epist. i., 5, 26. 

Byzantius. Byzantia orca. Serm. ii., 
4,66. 

C. 

Cadmus (Thebarum conditor), Epist. ad 
Pis., 187. 

Cadmus (carnifex Roma), Serm. i~ 6, 
39. 

Cacilius vincere dicitur gravitate, 
Epist. ii., 1, 59 ; nova verba finxit, Epist. 
ad Pis., 54. 

Cacubus. Caecubum, Carm. i., 20, 9 
Epod., ix., 36 ; antebac nefas depromere 
cellis avitis, Carm. i., 37, 5 ; reconditum. 
Cann. iii., 28, 3 ; repostum ad festas da 
pes, Epod., ix., 1. Caecuba vina, Serm 
ii., 8, 15 ; servata centum clavibus, Carm. 
ii., 14, 25. 

Cares, Caerite cera, Epist. i., 6, 62. 

Ccesar (Augustus), Herculis ritu dic- 
tus morte venalem petiisse laurum His- 
pana repetit Penates victor ab ora, Carm. 
iii., 14, 3 ; qui cogere posset (Tigellium, 
ut cantaret), non quidquam proflceret, 
Serm. i., 3, 4 ; Caesaris egregii laudes, 
Carm. i., 6, 11 ; Augusti tropaea, Carm. 
ii., 9, 20 ; proelia, Carm. ii., 12, 10 ; egre- 
gii aeternum decus, Carm. iii., 25, 4 ; om- 
ne periculum subis (Macenas), Epod., i., 
3 ; invicti res, Serm. ii., 1, 11 ; attentam 
aurem, ib., 19 ; jus imperiumque accepit 
Phraates, Epist. i., 12, 28 ; oculos aures- 
que, Epist. i., 13, 18. Augusti lacertis, 
Epist. ii., 2, 48. Caesarem, Carm. iv., 2, 
34 ; iturum in ultimos orbis Britannos, 
Carm. i., 35, 29 ; altum, Carm. iii., 4, 37 ; 
patria quaerit, Carm. iv., 5, 16. Caesar, 
Carm. i., 2, 52; Carm. iv., 15, 4; Epist 
ii., 1, 4. Cassare principe, Carm. i., 21, 
14; tenente terras, Carm. iii., 14, 16; re- 
cepto, Carm. iv., 2, 48 ; incolumi, Carm. 
iv., 5, 27 ; custode rerum, Carm. iv., 15, 
17 ; victore, Epod., ix., 2 ; judice, Serm. 
ii., 1, 84 ; nato, Epist. i., 5, 9, vid. Augus- 
tus. 

Casar (Julius). Caesaris ultor, Cann. 
i., 2, 44 ; horti, Serm. i., 9, 18. 

Calaber bospes, Epist. i., 7, 14. Cala- 
bras apes, Carm. iii., 16, 33. Pierides, 
Carm. iv., 8, 20. Calabris saltibus, Epist. 
ii., 2, 177. Calabris pascuis, Epod., i., 27. 

Calabria. Calabrias aestuosae armenta 
grata, Carm. i., 31, 5. 

Calais, Tburini filius Ornyti, Carm. 
iii., 9, 14. 

Calenum. Caleno prelo, Carm. i., 20, 
9. Calena falce, Carm. i., 31, 9. 

Cales. Calibus Liberum pressum, 
Carm. iv., 12, 14. 

Callimachus, Epist. ii., 2, 100. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



715 



Calliope. Ad earn, Carm. iii., 4. 

Calvus (C. Licinius), Serm. i., 10, 19. 

Camena. Caniena? Daunia? decus, 
Carm. iv., 6, 27. Graia? spiritum tenu- 
em, Carm. ii., 16, 38 ; inhumana? senium, 
Epist. i., 18, 47. Camenas, Carm. iii., 4, 
21 ; dulces, Epist. i., 19, 5 ; gaudentes 
rure, Serm. i., 10, 45 ; graves Stesichori, 
Carm. iv., 9, 8 ; novem Camenis, C. S., 
62. — Camena? Tragica? ignotum genus, 
Epist. ad Pis., 275. Camena insigni, 
Carm. i., 12, 39; prima, summa, Epist. 
i., 1, 1. 

Camillus (M. Furius), Carm. i., 12, 
42. 

Campanus. Campana supellex, Serm. 
i., 6, 118. Campano ponti, Serm. i., 5, 45. 
Campanum morbum, ib., 62. Campa- 
na trulla, Serm. ii., 3, 144. Campanis 
agris, Serm. ii., 8, 56. 

Campus Martius. Ibi homines otiosi 
ambulare et fabulari solebant, Epist. i., 
7, 59. 

Canicula. Canicula? sestus, Carm. i., 
17, 17 ; flagrantis atrox hora, Carm. iii., 
13, 19. 

Canidia an malas tractavit dapes ? 
Epod., iii., 8 ; brevibus implicata viperis 
crines et incomtum caput, Epod., v., 15 ; 
irresecrum sa?va dente livido rodens pol- 
licem, Epod., v., 42; venenum, quibus 
est inimiea, minitatur, Serm. ii., 1, 48 ; ad 
earn, Epod., v. ; Epod., xvii. 

Canis (sidus cceleste) rabiem, Epist. i., 
10, 16. 

Canis (cognomen Avidienf), Serm. ii., 
2,56. 

Cantaber Agrippa? virtute cecidit, 
Epist. i., 12, 26; non ante domabilis, 
Carm. iv., 14, 41 ; sera domitus catena 
servit Hispanse vetus hostis orse, Carm. 
iii., 8, 22; beUicosus, Carm. ii., 11, 1. 
Cantabrum indoctum juga ferre nosti-a, 
Carm. ii., 6, 2. 

Cantabricus. Cantabrica bella, Epist. 
i., 18, 55. 

Canusinus. Canusini bilinguis more, 
Serm. i., 10, 30. 

Canusium. Canusi, Serm. i., 5, 87 ; 
Serm. ii., 3, 168. 

Capito (Fontcius), ad unguem factus 
homo, Serm. i., 5, 32. 

Capitolinus. Capitolini Petilli furtis, 
Serm. i., 4, 93, 95. 

Capitolium fulgens, Carm. iii., 3, 42; 
regina (Cleopatra) dementes ruinas pa- 
rat, Carm. i., 37, 6 ; quo clamor vocat et 
turba faventium, Carm. iii., 24, 45. Cap- 
itolio, Carm. iv., 3, 9 ; dum scandet cum 
tacita Virgine pontifex, Carm. iii., 30, 8. 

Cappadox. Cappadocum rex manci- 
piis locuples, Epist. i., 6, 39. 

Capricornus tyrannus Hesperia? undse, 
Carm. ii., 17, 20. 

Caprius, Serm. i., 4, 65. 

Capua, Epist. i., 7, 48. Capua? aemula 
virtus, Epod., xvi., 5 ; muli clitellas po- 
nunt, Serm. L, 5, 47. 

Carina. Carinas, Epist i., 7, 48. 



Carpathius. Carpathii maris a?quora, 
Carm. i., 35, 8. Carpathium pelagus, 
Carm. iv., 5, 10. 

Carthago. Carthaginis impia? stipen- 
dia, Carm. iv., 8, 17 ; invida? superbas 
arces, Epod., vii., 5. Carthagini nuncios 
mittam superbos, Carm. iv., 4, 69 ; super 
Carthaginem virtus Africano sepul- 
chrum condidit, Epod., ix., 25. Cartha- 
gine oppressa, Serm. ii., 1, 66. 

Cascellius Aulus, Epist. ad Pis., 371. 

Caspius. Caspium mare, Carm. hi., 
9,2. 

Cassiics (Etruscus). Cassi Etrusci in- 
genium rapido ferventius amni, Serm. i., 

10, 70. 

Cassius (Parmensis). Cassi Parmen- 
sis opuscula, Epist. i., 4, 3. 

Cassius (Severus). Ad eum, Epod., vi. 

Cassius (Nomentanus), Serm. i., 1, 102. 
Nomentano nepoti, Serm. i., 8, 10. No- 
mentanum ne sequere, Serm. ii., 3, 175 ; 
arripe mecum, ibid., 224. 

Castalia. Castalia? rore puro, Carm. 
hi., 4, 61. 

Castor (Jovis ex Leda filius) oftensus 
infamis Helena? vice, Epod., xvii., 41 ; 
gaudet equis, Serm. ii., 1, 26. Castoris 
Grsecia memor, Carm. iv., 5, 35 ; magni 
frater, Epod., xvii., 42. Castore, Epist. 
ii., 1, 5. 

Castor (gladiator), Epist. i., 18, 19. 

Catienus. Catienis mille ducentis " Ma- 
ter te appello" clamantibus, Serm. h., 3, 
61. 

Catilus. Catili mcenia, Carm. i., 18, 2. 

Catius, Serm. ii., 4, 1. Cati docte, 
ib., 88. 

Cato Censorius (M.). Catonis prisci 
virtus sa?pe mero caluisse narratur, 
Carm. hi., 21, 11 ; intonsi auspiciis, Carm. 
ii., 15, 11 ; sermonem patrium novis ver- 
bis locupletavit, Epist. ad Pis., 56. Cato- 
nibus priscis memorata situs informia 
premit, Epist. ii., 2, 117. 

Cato Uticensis (M.). Catonis nobile 
letum, Carm. i., 12, 35 ; virtutem mores- 
que, Serm. i., 19, 14. 

Catullus, Serm. i., 10, 19. 

Caucasus. Caucasum inhospitalem, 
Epod., i., 12 ; Carm. i., 22, 7. 

Caudium. Caudi caupona?, Serm. i., 
5,51. 

Cecropius (Atticus). Cecropia? domug 
opprobrium, Carm. iv., 12, 6. Cecropio 
cotburno, Carm. h., 1, 12. 

Celsus, Epist i., 3, 15. 

Censorinns (C. Martius). Ad eum, 
Carm. iv., 8. 

Centaureus. Centaurea cum Lapithis 
rixa, Carm. i., 18, 8. 

Centauries nobilis (Chiron), Epod., xiii., 

11. — Centauri justa morte cecidere, 
Carm. iv., 2, 15. 

Ceraunia alta infames scopulos, Carm. 
i., 3, 20. 

Cerberus insons, Carm. ii., 19, 29 ; un- 
manis janitor aula?, Carm. hi., 11, 15, 1(3. 

Ceres nutrit rura, Carm. iv., 5, 18 • ve- 



716 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



nerata, ut culmo surgeret alto, Serm. ii.) 
2, 124. Cereris arcanae sacrum, Carm. 
iii., 2, 26 ; sacra, Serm. ii., 8, 14. Cere- 
rem spicea corona donet, C. S., 30. — Ce- 
rerem jugeraimmetataferunt, Carm. iii., 
24, 12 ; tellus inarata reddit, Epod., xvi., 
43. 

Cervius (calumniator) iratus leges min- 
itatur et urnam, Serm. ii., 1, 47. 

Cervius (Horatii in Sabinis vicinus) 
aniles fabellas garrit, Serm. ii., 6, 77. 

Cethegus (M. Cornelius). Cethegis 
priscis memorata situs informis premit, 
Epist. ii., 2, 117 ; cinctutis, Epist. ad Pis., 
50. 

Ceus. Ceae naeniae munera, Carm. ii., 
1, 38. Camenae, Carm. iv., 9, 8. 

Charon, satelles Orci, Carm. ii., 18, 34. 

Ckarybdis. Charybdin, Epist. ad Pis., 
145. Charybdi, Carm. i., 27, 19. 

Chimara. Chimaerae igneae spiritus, 
Carm. ii., 17, 13; tremendae flammae, 
Carm. iv., 2, 16. Chimsera triformi, 
Carm. i., 27, 24. 

Chios. Epist. i., 11, 1, 21. 

Chius. ' Chium vinum, Carm. iii., 19, 
15 ; Epod., ix., 34 ; Serm. i., 10, 24 ; Serm. 
ii., 3, 115 ; Serm. ii., 8, 15, et 18. 

Chloe. Thressa me nunc regit dulces 
docta modos et citharae sciens, Carm. 
iii., 9, 9; flava, ib., 19. Chloen, Carm. 
iii., 9, 6 ; ad earn, Carm. i., 23. 

Chcerilus gratus Alexandra fuit, Epist. 
ii., 1, 232 ; quern cum risu miror, Epist 
ad Pis., 357. 

Chremes avarus, Epod., i., 33; iratus 
tumido delitigat ore, Epist. ad Pis., 94. 
Chremeta senem, Serm. i., 10, 40. 

Chrysippus, Serm. i., 3, 127 ; Serm. ii., 
3, 287. Chrysippi porticus et grex, Serm. 
ii., 3, 44 ; hoc quoque (superstitiosum 
hominum genus) ponit in gente Meneni 
Chrysippo, Epist. i., 2, 4. 

Cibyraticus. Cibyratica negotia, Epist. 
I, 6, 33. 

Cicuta. Cicutae nodosi tabulas cen- 
tum, Serm. ii., 3, 69. Cicutam, ib., 175. 

Cinara, protervae fugam, Epist. i., 7, 28. 

Circceus. Circaea mcenia (Tusculum), 
Epod., i., 30. 

Circe. Circes pocula, Epist. i., 2, 23. 
Circen vitream, Carm. i., 17, 20. Circa 
volente, Epod., xvii., 17. 

Circeii. Circeiis ostrea oriuntur, Serm. 
ii., 4, 33. 

Claudius barbarorum agmina vasto 
impetu diruit, Carm. iv., 14, 29. Augusti 
privignus, Epist. i., 3, 2. Claudi Neronis 
virtute Armenius cecidit, Epist. i., 12, 26. 
Claudi, Epist. i., 9, 1. 

Claudius. Claudiae manus, Carm. iv., 
4,73. 

Clazomena, Serm. i., 7, 5. 

Cleopatra, Serm. i., 37, 7. 

Clio, Carm. i., 12, 2. 

Clusinus. Clueinis fontibus, Epist. i., 
15, 9. 

Cuidos. Cnidi regina, Carm. i., 30, 1. 
Cnidon, id., iii., 28, 13. 



Cnosius. Calami spicula Cnosii, 
Carm. i., 15, 17. 

Cocceius Nerva ( jurisconsultus), Serm. 
i., 5, 28. Cocceii plenissima villa, ib., 50. 

Coajtos, ater, flumine languido errans, 
Carm. ii., 14, 17. 

Codrus, pro patria non timidus mori, 
Carm. iii., 19, 2. 

Calius, Serm. i., 4, 69. 

Colchis impudica {Medea), Epod., xvi., 
60. 

Colchus, Carm. ii., 20, 17; Epist. ad 
Pis., 118. Colchi monstrum submisere, 
Carm. iv., 4, 63. Colcha venena, Carm. 
ii., 13, 8. 

Colophon, Epist. i., 11, 3. 

Concanus. Concanum laetum equino 
sanguine, Carm. iii., 4, 34. 

Copia aurea fruges Italiae pleno defu- 
dit cornu, Epist. i., 12, 29 ; beata pleno 
cornu apparet, C. S., 60. 

Cora?ms, Serm. ii., 5, 57. 

Corinthus captiva, Epist. ii., 1, 193. 
Corinthi bimaris moenia, Carm. i., 7, 2. 
Corinthum, Epist. i., 17, 36. 

Corvinus, vid. Messala. 

Corybantes, Carm. L, 16, 8. 

Corycius crocus, Serm. ii., 4, 68. 

Cotiso. Cotisonis Daci agmen occidit, 
Carm. iii., 8, 18. 

Cous. Coa faecula, Serm. ii., 8, 9. 
Coo (sc. vino) albo, Serm. ii., 4, 29. 

Cragus viridis, Carm. i., 21, 8. 

Crantor, Epist. i., 2, 4. 

Crassus. Crassi miles, Carm. iii., 5. 5. 

Craterus, Serm. ii., 3, 161. 

Cratinus, Serm. i., 4, 1 ; vini potor in- 
signis, Epist. i., 19, 1. 

Creon. Creontis magni filia, Epod., v., 
58. 

Cressus. Cressa nota, Carm. i., 36, 10. 

Crela. Creten centum urbibus poten- 
tem, Carm. iii., 27, 34 ; centum urbibus 
nobilem, Epod., ix., 29. 

Creticus. Creticum mare, Carm. i., 
26,2. 

Crispinus minimo me provocat, Serm. 
i., 4, 14. Crispini lippi scrinia, Serm. i., 
1, 120. Crispinum ineptum, Serm. i., 3, 
139. 

Crozsus. Crcesi Sardis regia, Epist. i., 
11,2. 

Cumce, Epist. i., 15, 11. 

Cupido circum volat Venerem, Carm. 
i., 2, 34. — Cupido sordidus (avaritia), 
Carm. ii., 16, 15. 

Curius Dentatus (M.). Curium in- 
comtis capillis, Carm. i., 12, 41 ; maribus 
Curiis, Epist. i., 1, 64. 

Curtillus, Serm. ii., 8, 52. 

Cycladcs. Cycladas nitentes, Carm. i., 
14, 20; fulgentes, Carm. iii., 28, 14. 

Cyclops {Polyphemus), Epist. ad Pis., 
145. Cyclopa agreetem, Epist. ii., 2, 125. 
Cyclopum graves officinas, Carm. i., 4, 
7. — Cyclopa saltaret, Serm. i., 5, 63 ; 
agrestem movetur, Epist. ii., 2, 125. 

Cydonius arcus, Carm. iv., 9, 17. 

Cylleneus. Cyllenea fide, Epod., xiii.,9. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



717 



Cijnihius. Cynthias (Diana) celeris 
spicula, Carm. iii., 28, 12. Cynthium 
(Apollinem) intonsum, Carm. i., 11, 2. 

Cyprius. Cypria trabe, Carm. i., 1, 13. 
Cyprias merces, Carm. iii., 29, 60. 

Cyprus. Cypri Diva potens, Carm. i., 
3, 1. Cyprum deseruit Venus, Carm. i., 

19, 10. Cypron dilectam sperne, Carm. 
i., 30, 2. 

Gyrus (Persici regni conditor). Cyri 
solium, Carm. ii., 2, 17. Cyro regnata 
Bactra, Carm. iii., 29, 27. 

Cyrus (juvenis protervus), Carm. i., 
17, 25. 

Cythereus. Cytherea Venus, Carm. i., 
4, 5. Cythereas puer ales, Carm. iii., 12, 3. 

D. 

Dacus asper, Carm. i., 35, 9 ; qui dis- 
simulat metum Marsas cohortis, Carm. 
ii., 20, 18 ; missilibus melior sagittis, Carm. 
iii., 6, 14. Dacis, Serm. ii., 6, 53. 

Dczdaleus. Dasdaleo" Icaro, Carm. ii., 

20, 13. Dasdalea ope, Carm. iv., 2, 2. 
Dccdalus. Expertus pennis vacuum 

aera, Carm. i., 3, 34. 

Dalmaticus. Dalmatico triumpho, 
Carm. ii., 1, 16. 

Duma sodalis, Serm. ii., 5, 90. Damae, 
Serm. i., 6, 38 ; spurco, Serm. ii., 5, 18. 

Damalis multi meri, Carm. i., 36, 13. 

Damasippus insanit veteres statuas 
emendo, Serm. ii., 3, 64. Damasippi 
creditor, ib., 65. Damasippe, ib., 16. 

Danae. Danaen inclusam, Cai-m. iii., 
16,1. 

Danaus. Danai infame genus, Carm. 
ii., 14, 18 ; puellas, Carm. iii., 11, 23. 

Dardanus (Trojanus). Dardanas gen- 
ti, Carm. i., 15, 10. Dardanas turres, 
Carm. iv., 6, 7. 

Daunias militaris, Carm. i, 22, 14. 

Daunius. Daunias Camenas decus, 
Carm. iv., 6, 27. Daunias casdes, Carm. 
ii., 1, 34. 

Daunus aquas pauper, Carm. iii., 30, 
11. Dauni Apuli regna, Carm. iv., 14, 26. 

Davus, Epist. ad Pis., 114, 237 ; Serm. 
ii., 7, 2 ; sis comicus, Serm. ii., 5, 80 ; am- 
icum mancipium domino, Serm. ii., 7, 2 ; 
audit nequam et cessator, Serm. ii., 7, 67. 
Davo eludente Chremeta, Serm. i., 10, 
40. 

Decius homo novus, Serm. i., 6, 20. 

Decor fugit retro, Carm. ii., 11, 6. 

Deiphobus acer, Carm. iv., 9, 22. 

Delius Apollo, Carm. iii., 4, 64. Delias 
deas tutela, Carm. iv., 8, 33. Deliis fo- 
liis, Carm. iv., 3, 6. 

Dellius (Q-). Ad eum, Carm. ii., 3. 

Delos. Delon, natalem Apollinis, Carm. 
i., 21, 10. 

Delphi. Delphos Apolline insignes, 
Carm. i., 7, 3. Delphis sortilegis, Epist. 
ad Pis., 219. 

Delphicus. Delphica lauro, Carm. iii., 
30, 15. 

Demetrius (modulator), Serm. i., 10, 79. 
Demetri, ib., 90. 



Demetrius (servus Philippi), Serm. i., 
7,52. 

Democritus rideret, Epist. ii., 1, 194 ; 
excludit sanos Helicone poetas, Epist. ad 
Pis., 297. Democriti agellos edit pecus, 
Epist. i., 12, 12. 

Diana iracunda, Epist ad Pis., 454 ; 
silvarum potens, C. S., 1 ; pudicum Hip- 
polytum infernis tenebris liberat, Carm. 
iv., 7, 25; quas Aventinum tenet Algi- 
dumque, C. S., 70 ; silentium regit, arca- 
na cum fiunt sacra, Epod., v., 51. Di- 
anas ara, Epist. ad Pis., 16 ; laudes, C. S., 
75 ; integras tentator Orion, Carm. iii., 4, 
71 ; numina non movenda, Epod., xvii., 
3 ; in earn, Carm. i., 21 ; Carm. iii., 12. 

Diespiter, Carm. i., 34, 5. 

Digentia, gelidus rivus, Epist. i., 18, 104. 

Dindymene, Carm. i., 16, 5. 

Diomedes cum Glauco pugnavit, Serm. 
i., 7, 16. Diomedis reditus ab interitu 
Meleagri, Epist. ad Pis., 146. Canusium 
a Diomede forti conditum, Serm. i., 5, 88. 

Dionceus. Dionaso antro, Carm.ii., 1, 39. 

Dionysius. Dionysi Alius, Serm. i., 6, 
38. 

Dircaus. Dircasum cycnum, Carm. 
iv., 2, 25. 

Dolichos, Epist. i., 18, 19. 

Dorius. Dorium carmen, Epod., ix., 6. 

Dossennus, Epist. ii., 1, 173. 

Drusus Genaimos vicit, Carm. iv , 14, 
10. Drusum Rastis bella sub Alpibua 
gerentem, Carm. iv., 4, 18. 



Echionius. Echionias Thebas, Carm. 
iv., 4, 64. 

Edoni, Carm. ii., 7, 27. 

Electra, Serm. ii., 3, 140. 

Eleus. Elea palma, Carm. iv., 2, 17. 

Empedocles, Epist. i., 12, 20 ; ardentem 
frigidus iEtnam insiluit, Epist. ad Pis., 
465. 

Enceladus, jaculator audax, Carm. iii., 
4,56. 

Ennius (Q.) pater nunquam, nisi po- 
tus, ad anna prosiluit dicenda, Epist. i., 
19, 7 ; et sapiens et fortis et alter Home- 
rus, Epist. ii., 1, 50. Enni versus, Serm. 
i., 10, 54 ; lingua patrium ditavit sermo- 
nem, Epist. ad Pis., 56 ; in scenam mis- 
sus magno cum pondere versus, ib., 259. 

Eous. Eois partibus, Carm. i., 35, 31 ; 
fluctibus, Epod., ii., 51. 

Ephesos, Carm. i., 7, 2. 

Epicharmus. Epicharmi Siculi, Epist. 
ii., 1, 58. 

Epicurus. Epicuri de grege, Epist. i., 
4, 16. 

Epidaurius serpens, Serm. i., 3, 27. 

Erycinus. Erycina ridens, Carm. i., 
2,33. 

Erymanthus. Erymanthi nigras silvas, 
Carm. i., 21, 7. 

Esquilitz. Esquilias atras, Serm. ii., 6, 
35. Esquiliis salubribus, Serm. i., 8, 14. 

Esquilinus. Esquilinas alites, Epod., 
v., 78. 



718 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Etruscus. Estrusca Porsenge manus, 
Epod.. xvi., 4. Etruscum mare, Carm. 
iii., 29, 35 ; litus, C. S, 38 ; cf. Carm. i., 
11, 14 ; et Epod., xvi., 40. Etruscos fines, 
Serm. i., 6, 1. 

Euander. Euandri manibus tritum ca- 
tillum, Serm. i., 3, 91. 

Euias exsomnis stupet, Carm. iii., 25, 9. 

Euiusnon levis monet Sithoniis, Carm. 
i., 18, 9 ; dissipat curas, Carm. ii, 11, 17. 

Eumenides. Eumenidum capillis in- 
torti angues, Carm. ii., 13, 36. 

Eupolis,Serm.. i., 4, 1 ; eum secumpor- 
tavit Horatius, Serm. ii., 3, 12. 

Europa (Agenoris filia) tauro doloso 
credidit niveum latus, Carm. iii., 27, 25. 
Europe vilis, Carm. iii., 27, 57. 

Europa (orbis terrarum pars). Euro- 
pen ab Afro secernit liquor, Carm. iii., 3, 
47. 

Eurus minabitur fluctibus Hesperiis, 
Carm. i., 28, 25; equitavit per Siculas 
undas, Carm. iv, 4, 43 ; niger, Epod., x, 
5 ; aquosus, Epod., xvi., 56. Euro agente 
nimbos, Carm. ii., 16, 23; ab Euro de- 
missa tempestas, Carm. iii., 17, 11 ; im- 
pulsa cupressus, Carm. iv., 6, 10, 

Euterpe, Carm. i., 1, 33. 

Eutrapelus (P. Volumnius), Epist. i., 
18, 31. 



Fabia (tribus), Epist. i., 6, 52. 

Fabius. Fabium loquacem, Serm. i., 
1,14. 

Fabricius (C), Carm. i., 12, 40. 

Fabricius. A Fabricio ponte, Serm. ii., 
3,36. 

Falernus. Falernum (sc. vinum), Serm. 
ii., 8, 16 ; interiore nota, Carm. ii., 3, 8. 
Falerni severi partem, Carm. i., 27, 10 ; 
ardentis pocula, Carm. ii., 11, 19; nota 
Chio commista, Serm. i., 10, 24 ; veteris, 
Serm. ii., 3, 115 ; bibuli potores, Epist. L, 
18, 91. Falerno diluta Hymettia mella, 
Serm. ii., 2, 15. Falerna vitis, Carm. iii., 
1, 43 ; fgece, Serm. ii., 4, 55. Falerno 
musto, Serm. ii., 4, 19. Falernse vites, 
Carm. i., 20, 10. Falernis uvis, Carm. ii., 
6, 19. Falerni fundi mille jugera, Epod., 
iv., 13. 

Fannius Quadratics beatus, Serm. i., 4, 
21 ; ineptus, Hermogenis Tigelli conviva, 
Serm. i., 10, 80. 

Faunus velox, Carm. i., 17, 28. Mer- 
curiabum custos virorum, Carm. ii., 17, 
28. Nympharum fugicntium amator, 
Carm. iii., 18, 1. Fauno decet immolare 
lucis, Carm. i., 4, 11. Fauni silvis de- 
ducti, Epist. ad Pis., 244. Faunis, Epist. 
i., 19, 4 ; ad Faunum, Carm. iii., 18. 

Faustitas alma, Carm. iv., 5, 18. 

Favonius. Favoni grata vice, Carm. 
i., 4, 1. 

Febres. Febrium nova cobors, Carm. 
i., 3, 30. 

Ferentinum, Epist. i., 17, 8. 

Ferentum. Ferentihumilis pingue ar- 
vum, Carm. iii., 4, 16. 



Feronia, Serm. i., 5, 24. 

Fescenuinus. Fescennina carmina, 
Epist. ii., 1, 145. 

Fidence, Epist. i., 11, 8. 

Flavins, Flavi ludum, Serm. i, 6, 72. 

Florus {Julius) ad eum, Epist. i., 3 ; et 
Epist, ii., 2. 

Forentum. Forenti humibs pingue ar- 
vum, Carm. iii., 4, 16. 

Formic. Formiarum mcenia, Carm. 
iii., 17, 6. 

Formianus. Formiani colles, Carm. i., 
20, 11. 

Forum Appi differtum riautis, cauponi- 
bus atque malignis, Serm. i, 5, 3. 

Fiifidius, Serm. i., 2, 12. 

Fufius ebrius, Serm. ii., 3, 60. 

Fundanius (C). Fundani, Serm. i., 

10, 42 ; Serm. ii., 8, 19. 
Fundi, Serm. i., 5, 34. 

Furia. Fuziam, Serm. ii., 3, 141. Fu- 
rise dant alios torvo spectacula Marti, 
Carm. i., 28, 17. Furiarum voces, Serm. 
i., 8, 45. Furiis malis, Serm. ii., 3, 135. 

Furialis. Furiale caput, Carm. iii., 

11, 17. 

Furius, vid. Bibaculus. 
Fumius, Serm. i., 10, 86. 
Fuscus, vid. Aristius. 



Gabii. Gabios, Epist. i., 15, 9 ; puerum 
natum, Epist. ii., 2, 3 ; cum iis ictum fce- 
dus a Tarquinio Superbo, Epist. ii., 1, 25. 

Gades, Carm. ii., 6, 1 ; Epist. i., 11, 7. 
Gadibus remotis, Carm. ii., 2, 11. 

Gatulus leo, Carm. i., 23, 10. Gsetulo 
murice, Epist. ii., 2, 181. Gsetulas syrtes, 
Carm. ii., 20, 15. 

Galasus. Galaesi flumen dulce pellitis 
ovibus, Carm. ii., 6, 10. 

Galatea. Ad earn, Carm. iii., 27. 

Galli. 1. Gallice incola : Gallos fracta 
cuspide pereuntes, Serm. ii., 1, 14. — 2. 
Gallo-Graci : Galli canentes Ceesarem, 
Epod., ix, 18. 

Gallia. Galliae non paventis funera, 
Carm. iv., 14, 49. 

Gallicus. Gallica ora, Carm. i., 8, 6. 
Gallicis pascuis, Carm. iii., 16, 35. 

Gallina Tbrex, Serm. ii., 6, 44. 

Gallonius. Galloni prasconis luensa, 
Serm. ii., 2, 47. 

Ganymedes. Ganymede flavo, Carm. 
iv., 4, 4. 

Garganus. Gargani querceta, Cai'm. 
ii., 9, 7. 

Garganus. Garganum nemus, Epist. 
ii, 1, 202. 

Gargilius, Epist. i, 6, 58. 

Gargonius (C.) nircum olet, Serm. i., 
4,91. 

Geloni ultimi, Carm. ii, 20, 19. Gelo- 
nos intra prsescriptum equitare exiguia 
campis, Carm. ii, 9, 23 ; pbaretratos, 
Carm. iii, 4, 35. 

Genauni. Genaunos, implacidum ge- 
nus, Carm. iv, 14, 10. 

Genius, qui comes natale astrum tern- 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



/ : 



10 



perat, Epist. ii., 2, 187 ; diurno vino pla- 
cari ccepit, Epist. ad Pis., 210. Genium 
floribus et vino piabat, Epist. ii., 1, 144 ; 
eras mero curabis et porco bimestri, 
Carm. iii., 17, 14 ; per Genium te obse- 
cro, Serm. i., 7, 95. 

Germania horrida, Carm. iv., 5, 26 ; 
fera, Epod., xvi, 7. 

Geryon. Geryonen ter aniplum, Carm. 
ii., 14, 8. 

Getce, Carm. iv., 15, 22; rigidi, Carm. 
iii., 24, 11. 

Gigantes. Gigantum impia cohors, 
Carm. ii., 19, 22. 

Glaucus Lycius, Serm. i., 7, 17. 

Glycera (Horatii arnica). Glycerae vo- 
cantis multo ture, Carm. i., 30, 3 ; meae 
lentus amor me torret, Carm. iii., 19, 28 ; 
de ea, Carm. i., 19. 

Glycon. Glyconis invicti membra, 
Epist., i., 1, 30. 

Gnatia lymphis iratis exstructa, Serm. 
i., 5, 93. 

Gnidos, vid. Cnidos. 

Gnosins, vid. Cnosius. 

Gracchus (Tib.), Epist. ii., 2, 89. 

GrcBcia (Helenen) repetet multo milite, 
Carm. i., 15, 6 ; memor Castoris et mag- 
ni Herculis, Carm. iv., 5, 35 ; collisa Bar- 
barian longo duello, Epist. i., 2, 7 ; positis 
bellis nugari ccepit, Epist. ii., 1, 93 ; cap- 
ta, ib., 156. 

Gracus. Graecorum antiquissima 
scripta sunt optima, Epist. ii., 1, 28 ; mag- 
nas catervas, Serm. i., 10, 35. Graecis 
intacti carminis auctor, Serm. i., 10, 66. 
— Graeca testa, Cann. i., 20, 2. Graeco 
fonte, Epist. ad Pis., 53; trocbo, Carm. 
iii., 24, 57. Greeds chartis acumina ad- 
movit Romanus, Epist. ii., 1, 161 ; literu- 
lis, Epist. ii., 2, 7. Graecos versiculos, 
Serm. i., 10, 31. 

Graius. Graiorum fortium praemia, 
Carm. iv., 8, 4. Graiis, Epist. i., 19, 90 ; 
dedit Musa ingenium, Epist. ad Pis., 223. 
— Graia manus victorum, Epod., x, 12. 
Graiae Camenae, Carm. ii., 16, 38. 

Gratia cum Nymphis audet ducere 
choros, Carm. iv., 7, 5 ; nudis juncta so- 
roribus, Carm. iii., 19, 16. Gratiae solutis 
zonis, Carm. i., 30, 6. Gratias decentes 
Nymphis junctae, Carm. i., 4, 6 ; segnes 
nodum solvere, Carm. iii., 21, 22. 

Grosphus (Pompeius), Epist. i., 12, 22. 
Pompei prime meorum sodalium, Carm. 
ii., 7, 5; ad eum, Carm. ii., 16. 

Gyges (unus ex Gigantibus) centima- 
nus, Carm. ii., 17, 14 ; testis mearum 
sententiarum, Carm. iii., 4, 69 ; Carm. ii., 
17, 14. 



Hadria, Epist. i., 18, 63. Hadriae arbiter 
Notus, Carm. i., 3, 15; ater sinus, Carm. 
iii., 27, 19 ; rauci fluctibus fractis, Carm. 
ii., 14, 14. Hadria objecta, Carm. ii., 11, 
2 ; improbo iracundior, Carm. iii., 9, 23. 

Hadrianus. Hadriano rnari, Carm. i., 
16,4. 



Hadus. Haedi orientis impetus, Carm. 
iii., 1, 28. _ 

Hcemonia. Haemoniae nivales campi, 
Carm. i., 37, 20. 

Hcemus. Haemo gelido, Carm. i., 12, 6. 

Hagna. Hagnae polypus, Serm. i., 3, 
40. 

Hannibal perfidus, Carm. iv., 4, 49 ; 
parentibus abominatus, Epod., xvi., 8. 
Hannibalis rejectae retrorsum minae, 
Carm. iv., 8, 16. Hannibalem durum, 
Carm. ii., 12, 2 ; dirum, Carm. iii., 6, 36. 

Harpyice. Harpyiis rapacibus, Serm. 
ii., 2, 40. 

Hasdrubal a C. Claudio Nerone devic- 
tus, Carm. iv., 4, 38. Hasdrubale inte- 
remto, ib., 72. 

Hebrus (Thraciae fluvius), Epist. i., 16, 
13 ; vinctus nivali corapede, Epist. i., 3, 
3. Hebrum, Carm. iii., 25, 10. 

Hebrus (adolescens formosus). Hebri 
Liparei nitor, Carm. iii., 12, 5. 

Hecate. Hecaten, Serm. i., 8, 32. 

Hector ferox, Carm. iv., 9, 22. Hecto- 
rem homicidam, Epod., xvii., 12. Hec- 
tora Priamiden, Serm. i., 7, 12. 

Hector eus. Hectoreis opibus, Carm. 
iii., 3, 28. 

Helena Lacaena, Carm. iv., 9, 16. Hel- 
ena? fratres lucida sidera, Carm. i., 3, 2 ; 
infamis, Epod., xvii., 41. Helenen hos- 
pitam, Carm. i., 15, 2; ante Helenam, 
Serm. i., 3, 107. 

Helicon. Heliconis umbrosae orss, 
Carm. i., 12, 5. Helicona virentem, 
Epist. ii., 1, 218. Helicone, Epist. ad 
Pis, 296. 

Heliodorus rhetor Grsecorum linguaa 
doctissimus, Serm. i., 5, 2. 

Hellas (puella), Serm. ii., 3, 277. 

Hercules vagus, Carm. iii, 2, 9 ; impi- 
ger, Carm. iv, 8, 30 ; delibutus atro Ncs- 
si cruore, Epod, xvii, 30. Herculis ritu, 
Carm. iii, 14, 1 ; efficacis, Epod, iii, 17 ; 
armis ad postern fixis, Epist. i, 1, 5. 
Herculem vinci dolentem, Carm. iv, 4, 
62. Hercule amico dives, Serm. ii., 6. 
13. 

Herculeus labor, Carm. i, 3, 36. Her- 
culea manu, Carm. ii, 12, 6. 

Hermogenes Tigellius (M.) morosus, 
Serm. i, 3, 3; cantor atqiie optimus 
modulator, Serm. i, 3, 129. Hermogenis 
Tigelli morte, Serm. i, 2, 3. 

Herodes. Herodis palmeta pinguia, 
Epist. ii, 2, 184. 

Hesperia. 1. Italia •• Hesperian luctuo- 
sae Di multa mala dederunt, Carm. iii., 
6, 8 ; ferias praestes, Carm. iv, 5, 38. — 
2. Hispania : Hesperia ab ultima, Carm. 
i, 36, 4. 

Hesperius. 1. De Italia : Hesperiae ru- 
inae sonitum, Carm. ii, 1, 32. Hesperiis 
fluctibus, Carm. i, 28, 26.-2. De Hispa- 
nia: Hesperian undae tyrannus, Carm. 
ii, 17, 20. Hesperio a cubili Solis, Carm. 
iv., 15, 16. 

Hippolytus. Hippolytum pudicum, 
Carm. iv, 7, 26. 



720 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Hirpinus (Quinctius). Ad eum, Carm. 
ii., 11 ; et Epist. i., 16. 

Hispanus, Hispanaa orse vetus hostis, 
Carm. iii., 8, 21. Hispana ab ora repetit 
Caesar Penates, Carm. iii., 14, 3. 

Homerus Mseonius, Carm. iv., 9, 6 ; vi- 
nosus, Epist. i., 19, 6 ; alter, Epist. ii., 1, 
50 ; monstravit, res gestae regum et tris- 
fcia bella quod scribi possent numero, 
Epist. ad Pis., 74; bonus dormitat, ib., 
359 ; insignis, ib., 401. Homero magno, 
Serm. i., 10, 52. 

Hora, quae rapit almum diem, Carm. 
iv., 7, 8. 

Horatius, Epist. i., 14, 5. Horati vatis 
modorum, Carm. iv., 6, 44. 

Hyades tristes, Carm. i., 3, 14. 

Hydaspes (Indiae fluvius) fabulosus, 
Carm. i., 22, 8. 

Hydaspes (servus Indus) fuscus, Serm. 
ii., 8, 14. 

Hydra. Non Hydra seoto corpore fir- 
mior vinci dolentem crevit in Herculem, 
Carm. iv., 4, 61. Hydram diram, Epist 
ii,, 1, 10. 

Hylaus nimius mero, Carm. ii., 12, 6. 

Hymettius. Hymettiae trabes, Carm. 
ii., 18, 3. Hymettia mella, Serm. ii., 2, 15. 

Hymettus, Carm. ii., 6, 14. 

Hyperboreus. Hyperboreos campos, 
Carm. ii., 20, 16. 

I. 

lapetus. Iapeti genus, Carm. i., 3, 27. 

Iapyx albus, Carm. iii., 27, 20. Iapyga, 
Carm. i., 3, 4. 

Iarbita. Iarbitam rupit Timagenis 
semula lingua, Epist. i., 19, 15. 

Iber peritus me discet, Carm. ii., 20, 
20. Iberis loricis, Carm. i., 29, 15. 

Iberia ferax venenorum, Epod., v., 21. 
Iberiae ferae bellum, Carm. iv., 5, 28 ; 
durae tellus, Carm. iv., 14, 50. 

Ibericus. Ibericis funibus, Epod., iv., 3. 

Iberus. Iberi pisces, Serm. ii., 8, 46. 

Icarius. Icariis fluctibus, Carm. i., 1, 
15. 

Icarus. Icaro Daedaleo ocior, Carm. 
ii., 20, 13. 

Iccius. Ad eum, Carm. i., 29 ; et Epist. 
i., 12. 

IdcBUs. Idaeis navibus, Carm. i., 15, 2. 

Idomeneus ingens, Carm. iv., 9, 20. 

Ilerda, Epist. L, 20, 13. 

Ilia. Romana, Carm. iii., 9, 8. Ilia? 
Mavortisque puer, Carm. iv., 8, 22; se 
nimium querenti, Carm. i., 2, 17. 

Iliacus. lliacum carmen, Epist. ad 
Pis.. 129. Iliacos muros, Epist. i., 2, 16. 
Iliacas domos, Carm. i., 15, 36. 

llion. Ilio sub sacro bella, Carm. iii., 
19, 4; cremato, Carm. iv., 4, 53; usto, 
Epod., x., 13. 

Ilios non semel vexata, Carm. iv., 9, 
18. Ilio, Carm. i., 15, 33. Ilion fatalis 
inceetusque judex et mulier peregrina 
vertit, Carm. iii., 3, 18, 37. 

niona. Ilionam edormit, Serm. ii., 3, 
61. 



Hithyia lenis matures partus apeiire, 
C. S., 14. 

Mus. Ilia? matres, Epod., xvii., 11 ; 
turmae, C. S., 37. 

Illyricus. Illyricis undis, Carm. i., 28, 
22. 

Inachus. Ab Inacbo prisco natus, 
Carm. ii., 3, 21 ; quantum distet Codrus, 
Carm. iii., 19, 2. 

India. Indiae divitis, Carm. iii., 24, 2. 

Indicus. Indicum ebur, Carm. i., 31, 6 

Indus, Carm, iv., 14, 42. Indi superbi, 
C. S., 56. Indos, Carm. i., 12, 56; Epist. 
i., 6, 6. 

Ino flebilis, Epist. ad Pis., 123. 

Io vaga, Epist. ii., 3, 124. 

Iolcos, Epod., v., 21. 

Ionicus. Ionicos motus, Carm. iii., 6, 
21. 

Ionius sinus, Epod., x., 19. 

Ister, Carm. iv., 14, 46. 

Isthmius labor, Carrn. iv., 3, 3. 

Italia, Carm. i., 37, 16. Italiae tutela 
praesens, Carm. iv., 14, 43 ; ruinis, Carm. 
iii., 5, 40 ; fruges pleno diffundit Copia 
cornu, Epist. i., 12, 29. 

Italus. Italo cgbIo, Carm. ii., 7, 4. 
Italum robur, Carm. ii., 13, 19. Itala 
tellure, Serm. ii., 6, 56. Italae vires, 
Carm. iv., 15, 13. Italos modos, Carm. 
iii., 30, 13. Italas urbes, Carm. iv., 4, 42 ; 
res, Epist. ii., 1, 2. 

Ithaca non aptus locus equis, Epist. L, 
7, 41. Ithacam, Serm. ii., 5, 4. 

Ithacensis Ulyssei, Epist. i., 6, 63. 

Itys. Ityn, Carm. iv., 12, 5. 

Ixion perfidus, Epist. ad Pis., 124 ; vul- 
tu risit invito, Carm. iii., 11, 17. 



Janus pater, Epist. i., 16, 59 ; matutine 
pater, Serm. ii., 6, 20. — De templo Jani: 
Janum, Epist. i., 20, 1. Quirini vacuum 
duellis clausit, Carm. iv., 15, 9 ; pacis 
custodem, Epist. ii., 2, 255. — De vico Jani 
Roma : ad Janum medium res mea frac- 
ta est, Serm. ii., 3, 18. Janus summua 
ab imo, Epist. L, 1, 54. 

Jason, Epod., iii., 12. 

Jocus, Carm. i., 2, 34. 

Juba. Jubae tellus, Carm. i., 22, 15. 

Judaus. Apella, Serm. i., 5, 96. Ju- 
daei, Serm. i., 4, 140. Judaeis curtis, 
Serm. i., 9, 70. 

Jugurtha, Carm. ii., 1, 28. 

Jugurthinus. Jugurthino bello, Epod., 
ix., 23. 

Julius. Julium sidus, Carm. i., 12, 47. 
Julia edicta, Carm. iv., 15, 22. 

Juno Afris arnica, Carm. ii., 1, 25 ; ma- 
trona, Carm. iii., 4, 59. Junonis in hono- 
rem, Carm. i., 7, 8 ; sacra, Serm. i., 3, 11. 
Junone elocuta gratum, Carm. iii., 3, 17. 

Jupiter, Carm. i., 2, 30 ; litora piae se- 
crevit genti, Epod., xvi., 63 ; seu plures 
hiemes seu ultimam tribuit, Carm. i., 11, 
4 ; ruens tremendo tumultu, Carm. L, 16, 
12; ver ubi longum praebet, Carm. ii., 
16, 18; informes reducit hiemes, idem 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



721 



*ubmovet, Carm. ii., 10, 16 ; iratus, Serm. 
«, 1, 20; benigno numine defendit ma- 
ms ClaudiaB, Carm. iv., 4, 74. Jovis 
.nagni, Carm. i., 10, 5 ; arcanis, Carm. i., 
28, 9 ; supremi dapibus, Carm. L, 32, 14 ; 
tutela, Carm. ii., 17, 22 ; imperium in ip- 
tos reges est, Carm. iii., 1, 6 ; fulminan- 
tis magna manu, Carm. iii., 3, 6 ; con- 
6ilio, Carm. iii., 25, 6 ; invicti uxor, Carm. 
iii., 27, 73 ; epulis, Carm. iv., 8, 29 ; to- 
nantis, Epod., ii., 29 ; leges, Epod., xvii., 
60 ; aurse, C. S., 32 ; solium, Epist. i., 17, 
34. Jovi supremo, Carm. i., 21, 4 ; nos- 
tro, Carm. iv., 15, 6; obligatam redde 
dapem, Carm. ii., 7, 17 ; intulerat terro- 
rem juventus horrida brachiis, Carm. iii., 
4, 49 ; sic gratum, Epod., ix., 3. Jovem, 
C. S., 73 ; non patimur per nostrum sce- 
lus ponere fulmina, Carm. i., 3, 40 ; per 
improbaturum hsec, Epod., v., 8 ; adver- 
eum preces, Epod., x., 18 ; orare satis 
est, Epist. i., 18, 111. Jupiter maxime, 
Serm. i., 2, 18. O pater et rex, Serm. ii., 
1, 42 ; ingentes qui das adimisque dolo- 
res, Senn. ii., 3, 288 ; non probante, Carm. 
i., 2, 19 ; aequo, Carm. i., 28, 29 ; Epist. 
ii., 1, 68 ; incolumi, Carm. iii., 5, 12; uno 
sapiens minor est, Epist. i., 1, 106. — Ju- 
piter malus urget mundi latus, Carm. i., 
22, 20. Jovem imbres nivesque dedu- 
cunt, Epod., xiii., 2; sub Jove frigido, 
Carm. i., 1, 25. — Jupiter de Augusto, 
Epist. i., 19, 43. 

Justitia potens, Carm. ii., 17, 15 ; soror 
fidei, Carm. L, 24, 6. 

L. 

Ldbeo. Labeone insanior, Serm. i., 3, 82. 

Ldberius. Laberi mimi, Serm. i., 10, 6. 

Laccentis. Lacaena Helene, Carm. iv., 
9, 16. Lacaenae (sc. mulieris) more co- 
mam religata, Carm. ii., 11, 24; adulte- 
rae {Helena) famosus hospes, Carm. iii., 
3,25. 

Lacedamon patiens, Carm. i., 7, 9. 

Lacedamonius. Lacedeemonium Ta- 
rentum, Carm. iii., 5, 56. J \< 

Lacon fulvus, Epod., vi.^'S. Laconi 
Phalanto, Carm. ii., 6, 11. 

Laconicus. Laconicas purpuras, Carm. 
ii., 6, 11. 

Lcelius (C), Serm. ii., 1, 65. Laeli mi- 
tis sapientia, ib., 72. 

Laertlades. Laertiaden, Carm. i., 15, 
21. O Laertiade, Serm. ii., 5, 59. 

Lcestrigonius. Laestrigonia amphora, 
Carm. iii., 16, 34. 

Lcevinus (P. Valerius). Laevino mal- 
let honorem, quam Decio mandare pop- 
ulus, Serm. i., 6, 19. Lsevinum Valeri 
genus, ib., 12. 

Lalage. Lalagen meam canto, Carm. 
i., 22, 10; dulce ridentem et dulce lo- 
quentem, ib., 23. 

Lamia (Q. jEUus). Lamiae pietas et 
cura, Epist. i., 14, 6. Lamiae dulci, Carm. 
i., 36, 7; ad eum, Carm. i., 26; Carm. 
iii., 27. 

Lamia (monstrum). Lamias pransas 
H 



vivum puerum extrahat alvo, Epist. ad 
Pis., 340. 

Lamus. Lamo vetusto, Carm. iii., 17, 1. 

Lanuvinus. Lanuvino ab agro, Carm. 
iii., 27, 3. 

Laomedon, Carm. iii., 3, 22. 

Lapitha. Lapithas saevos, Carm. ii., 
12, 5; cum Lapithis Centaurea rixa, 
Carm. L, 18, 8. 

Lar. Ante Larem proprium vescor, 
Serm. ii., 6, 66. Laribus, Cai-m. iv., 5, 
34 ; ex voto catenam donasset, Serm. i., 

5, 66 ; aequis immolet porcum, Serm. ii., 
3, 165. Lares patrios, Epod., xvi., 19; 
renidentes, Epod., ii., 66 ; si ture placa- 
ris et horna fruge avidaque porca, Carm. 
iii., 23, 4 ; mutare, C. S., 39. 

Larissa. Larissae opimae campus, 
Carm. i., 7, 11. 

Latinus. Latini patris, Serm. i., 10, 
27 ; sanguinis, Epod., vii., 4. Latinae le- 
gis, Carm. iv., 14, 7. Latinum nomen, 
Carm. iv., 15, 13 ; carmen, Carm. i., 32, 
3. Latinis fidibus, Epist. i., 3, 12 ; Epist. 
ii., 2, 143 ; verbis, Serm. i., 10, 20. Lati- 
nae (sc.fericE), Epist. i., 7, 76. 

Latium, Epist. ad Pis., 290 ; ferox, 
Carm. i., 35, 10 ; felix, C. S., 66 ; beabit 
divite lingua, Epist. ii., 2, 157. Latio pri- 
mus ostendi Parios iambos, Epist. i., 19, 
24 ; agresti artes intulit Graecia, Epist. ii., 
1; 157 ; imminentes Parthos, Carm. i., 12, 
53 ; fugatis tenebris, Carm. iv., 4, 40. 

Latona. Latonaa puerum, Carm. iv., 

6, 37. Latonam Jovi dilectam, Carm. i., 
21, 3 ; curva lyra recines, Carm. iii., 28, 
12. 

Laurens aper, Serm. ii., 4, 42. 

Laverna pulchra, Epist. i., 16, 60. 

Lebedus, Epist. i., 11, 7. 

Leda. Ledae pueros, Carm. i., 12, 25. 

Lenaus, Carm. iii., 25, 19. 

Leo. Leonis vesani stella, Carm. iii., 
29, 19 ; momenta, Epist. i., 10, 16. 

Lepidus (Q. fflmilius), Epist. i., 20, 28. 

Lepos, Serm. ii., 6, 72. 

Lesbius. Lesbii (sc. vini) innocentis 
pocula, Carm. i., 18, 21; cf. Epod., ix., 
34. Lesbium pedem, Carm. iv., 6, 35. 
Lesbio plectro, Carm. i., 26, 11. 

Lesbos nota, Epist. i., 11, 1. 

Lesbous. Lesboo civi, Carm. i., 32, 5. 
Lesboum barbiton, Carm. i., 1, 34. 

Lethceus. Lethaea vincula, Carm. iv., 
7,27. 

Leuconoe. Ad earn, Carm. i., 11. 

Liber, Carm. i., 16, 7; audax prceliis, 
Carm. i., 12, 21 ; metuendus thyrso, 
Carm. ii., 19, 7 ; ornatus viridi tempora 
pampino vota bonos ducit ad exitus, 
Carm. iv., 8, 34 ; pater, Epist. ii., 1, 5. 
Liberi jocosi munera, Carm. iv., 15, 26 ; 
modici munera, Carm. i., 18, 7. Libe- 
rum, Carm. i., 32, 9 ; pressum Calibus, 
Carm. iv., 12, 14. Liber, Carm. iii., 21, 21. 

Libilina, Epist. ii., 1, 49. Libitina? 
acerbae quaestus autumnus, Serm. ii., 6, 
19. Libitinam multa pars mei vitabit, 
Carm. iii., 30, 7. 



722 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Libo. Libonis puteal, Epist. i., 19, 8. 

Libra, Carm. ii., 17, 17. 

Liburni. Liburnis (sc. navibus), 
Epod., i., 1 ; ssevis, Carm. i., 37, 30. 

Libya. Libyam, Carm. ii., 2, 10. Libya 
in media, Serm. ii., 3, 101. 

Libijcus. Libycis areis, Carm. i., 1, 10 ; 
lapillis, Epist. i., 10, 19. 

Licentia lasciva, Carm. i., 19, 3. Li- 
centise evaganti, Carm. iv., 15, 10. 

Licinius. Ad eum, Carm. ii., 10. 

Licinus. Licino tonsori, Epist. ad 
Pis., 301. 

Licymnia. Licymnise crine, Carm. ii., 
12, 23 ; dominse, ib., 13. 

Lipareus. Liparei Hebri nitor, Carm. 
iii., 12, 5. 

Liris quieta aqua, Carm. i., 31, 7. Li- 
rim innatantem Maricee litoribus, Carm. 
iii., 17, 8. 

Livius Andronicus. Livi scriptoris 
sevum, Epist. ii., 1, 62 ; carmina, ib., 69. 

Lollius Palicanus (ikf.), Epist. i., 20, 28 ; 
ad eum, Carm. iv., 9. 

Lollius {Maximus). Ad eum, Epist. i., 
2 et 18. 

Lucania violenta, Serm. ii., 1, 38. 

Lucanus aper, Serm. ii., 8, 6. Lucana 
pascua, Epod., i., 28 ; in nive, Serm. ii., 

3, 234. Lucani Calabris saltibus adjecti, 
Epist. ii., 2, 178. 

Lucilius, Serm. i., 10, 64; qua? olim 
scripsit, Serm. i., 4, 56 ; nine omnis pen- 
det, Serm. i., 4, 6 ; sapiens, Serm. ii., 1, 
17; est ausus primus in nunc morem 
componere carmina, ib., 62. Lucili fau- 
tor, Serm. i., 10, 2 ; scripta, ib., 56 ; ritu, 
Serm. ii., 1, 29; censum ingeniumque, 
ib., 75. 

Lucina, C. S., 15 ; vocata partubus ad- 
fuit, Epod., v., 6. 

Lucretilis. Lucretilem amcenum saspe 
mutat Lycseo Faunus, Carm. i., 17, 1. 

Lucrinus. Lucrina conchylia, Epod., 
ii., 49 ; peloris, Serm. ii., 4, 32. Lucrino 
lacu, Carm. ii., 14, 3. 

Lucullus (L.), Serm. i., 6, 40. Luculli 
miles, Epist. ii., 2, 26. 

Lupus (P. Rulilius). Lupo 1'amosis 
vcrsibus cooperto, Serm. ii., 1, 68. 

Lyceus. Lyseo uda tempora, Carm. i., 
7, 22; jocoso, Carm. iii., 21, 16; dulci, 
Epod., ix., 38. 

Lycceus. Lycseo mutat Faunus Lucre- 
tilem, Carm. i., 17, 2. 

Lycambes. Lycambae infido, Epod., 
vi., 13. Lycamben, Epist. i., 19, 25. 

Lycia. Lycise dumeta, Carm. iii., 4, 
62. 

Lycidas. Lycidam tenerum, Carm. i., 

4, 19. 

Lycius. Lycias catervas, Carm. i., 8, 
16. 

Lycurgus. Lycurgi Thracis exitium, 
Carm. ii., 19, 16. 

Lycus {putr). Lycum nigris oculis ni- 
groque crine decorum, Carm. i., 32, 11. 

Lycus (senez) invidus, Carm. iii., 19, 23. 
Lyco, ib., 24. 



Lyde. Ad earn, Carm. iii., 11 ; et iii., 28. 

Lydia non erat post Cbloen, Carm. iii., 
9, 6i Lydias rejectee janua, ib., 20; ad 
earn, Carm. i., 8. 

Lydus. Lydorum quicquid Etruscos 
fines incoluit, Serm. i., 6, 1. Lydis tibiis, 
Carm. iv., 15, 30. 

Lynceus oculorum acie excelluit, Epist. 
i., 1, 28. 

Lysippus, Epist. ii., 1, 240. 

M. 

Macedo (Philippus) diffindit portas ur- 
bium, Carm. iii., 16, 14. 

McBCenas (C. Cilnius), Carm. iv.. 11, 
20 ; Serm. i., 3, 64 ; Serm. i., 9, 43 ; Serm. 
ii., 3, 312 ; Serm. ii., 7, 33 ; Serm. ii., 6, 
31 ; fecit iter Brundisium ad controver- 
sias Augusti et Antonii componendas, 
Serm. i., 5, 27, 31 ; lusum it, ib., 48 ; ei 
Horatius scripta sua probari vult, Serm. 
i., 10, 81. Augusti sigillum tenebat, Serm. 
ii., 6, 38 ; convivio a Nasidieno excipitur, 
Serm. ii., 8, 16, 22 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 1 ; 
i., 20 ; ii., 12 ; ii., 17 ; ii., 20 ; Carm. iii., 
8 ; iii., 16 ; iii., 29 ; Epod., i. ; Epod., iii. ; 
Epod., ix. ; Serm. i., 1 ; Serm. i., 6 ; Epist. 
i., 1 ; Epist. i., 7 ; Epist. i., 19. 

Mcenius (parasitus et nepos), Epist. i., 
15, 25 ; inquit, Serm. i., 3, 23 ; Serm. i., 
1, 101 ; absentem N'ovium dum carperet, 
Serm. i., 3, 21. 

Maonius Homerus, Carm. iv., 9, 5. 
Mgeonii carminis, Carm. i., 6, 2. 

Mtztius, vid. Tarpa. 

McEvius. In eum, Epod., x. 

Maia. Maiae almas nlius, Carm. i., 2, 
43. Maia nate, Serm. ii., 6, 5. 

Mamurrarum urbs, Serm. i., 5, 37. 

Mandela, Epist. i., 18, 95. 

Manes tabulae, Carm. i., 4, 16 ; ut eli- 
cerent, Serm. i., 8, 28 ; placantur carmi- 
ne, Epist. ii., 1, 138 ; vis deorum Manium, 
Epod., v., 72. 

Manlius, vid. Torquatus. 

Marcellus (M. Claudius). Marcelli fa- 
ma, Carm. i., 12, 46. 

Mareoticus. Mareotico vino, Carm. i., 
37, 14. 

Marica. Maricae litoribus, Carm. iii., 
17,7. 

Marius, Serm. ii., 3, 277. 

Mars, Martis equi, Carm. iii., 3, 16 
Marti, Carm. iii., 3, 33 ; torvo, Carm. i., 
28, 17. Martem tunica aclamantina tec- 
tum, Carm. i., 6, 13. Marte, Carm. iv., 
14, 9; Carm. i., 17, 23; altero Poenus 
proteret, Carm. iii., 5, 34 ; cruento care- 
bimus, Carm. ii., 14, 13 ; nostro arva pop- 
ulata, Carm. iii., 5, 24. 

Marsus, Carm. iii., 5, 9 ; aper, Carm. 
i., 1, 28. Marsi peditis vultus in omen- 
tum hostem, Carm. i., 2, 39 ; duelli ca- 
dum memorem, Carm. iii., 14, 18 ; finiti- 
mi, Epod., xvi.,3. Marsae cohortis, Carm. 
ii., 20, 18. Marsa nasnia, Epod., xvii., 28. 

Marsyas, Serm. i., 6, 120. 

Martialis. Martiales lupos, Carm. i., 
17, 9. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



723 



Martins. In certamine Martio, Carm. 
iv., 14, 17. Martia bella, Epist. ad Pis., 
402. Martiis calendis, Carm. iii., 8, 1. 

Massagelce, Carm. i., 35, 40. 

Massicus. Massici (sc. vini) veteris 
pocula, Carm. i., 1, 19. Massicum lec- 
tum, Carm. iii., 21, 5. Massico oblivioso, 
Carm. ii., 7, 21. Massica vina, Serm. ii., 
4,51. 

Malinus. Matinae apis, Carm. iv., 2, 
27. Matinum litus, Carm. i., 28, 3. Ma- 
tina cacumina, Epod., xvi., 28. 

Maurus. Maura unda, Carm. ii., 6, 3. 
Mauris jaculis, Carm. i., 22, 2. 

Medea, Epod., iii., 10 ; sit ferox, Epist. 
ad Pis., 123 ; ne pueros coram populo 
trucidet, ib., 185. Medeaa barbarse vene- 
na, Epod., v., 56. 

Medus, miratur Augustum, Carm. iv., 
14, 42. Albanas secures timet, C. S., 
54 ; infestus sibi luctuosis dissidet armis, 
Carm. iii., 8, 19. Medi pharetra decori, 
Carm. ii., 16, 6. Medum flumen, Carm. 
ii., 9, 21. Medo horribili, Carm. i., 29, 4 ; 
sub rege, Carm. iii., 5, 9. Medis trium- 
phatis, Carm. iii., 3, 43 ; auditum Hespe- 
rian ruinae sonitum? Carm. ii., 1, 31. Me- 
dos inultos equitare non sinas, Carm. i., 
2, 51. — Medus acinaces, Carm., i., 27, 5. 

Megilla. Megillae Opuntise frater, 
Carm. i., 27, 11. 

Meleager. Meleagri interitus, Epist. 
ad Pis., 146. 

Melpomene, Carm. i., 24, 3 ; Carm. iii., 
30, 16 ; ad earn, Carm. iv. 3. 

Memnon, Serm. i., 10, 36. 

Menander. Horatius eum lectitabat, 
Serm. ii., 3, 11. Menandro Afrani toga 
convenisse dicitur, Epist. ii., 1, 57. 
' Menus, Epist. i., 7, 55 et 61. 

Menenius. Meneni in foecunda gente, 
Serm. ii., 3, 287. 

Mercurialis. Mercuriale cognomen, 
Serm. ii., 3, 25. Mercurialium virorum 
custos, Carm. ii., 17, 28. 

Mercurius, Carm. i., 30, 8 ; Serm. ii., 3, 
68; compellit horrida virga ad nigrum 
gregem manes, Carm. i., 24, 18; celer, 
Carm. ii., 7, 13. Mercuri, Carm. iii., 11, 
11 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 10. 

Meriones, Carm. i., 15, 26 ; nigrum pul- 
vere Troio, Carm. i., 6, 15. 

Messala {M. Valer. Corv.), Serm. L, 10, 
29 ; Serm. i., 6, 42 ; ejus judicio scripta 
sua Horatius probari vult, Serm. i., 10, 
85. Corvino jubente promere languidi- 
ora vina, Carm. iii., 21, 7 ; Serm. i., 10, 
85. Messalse diserti virtus, Epist. ad 
Pis., 371. 

Messius Cicirrus, Serm. i., 5, 52. 

Metaurus. Metaurum flumen, Carm. 
iv., 4, 38. 

Metella, Serm. ii., 3, 239. 

Metellus (Q. Cacilius), Macedonicus: 
a Lucilio in satyris laesus, Serm. ii., 1, 67. 

Metellus (Q. Cacilius). Metello con- 
eule, Carm. ii., 1, 1. 

Methymnaus. Metbymnseam uvam, 
Berm. ii., 8, 50. 



Miletus, Epist. i., 17, 30. 

Milonius saltat, Serm. ii., 1, 24. 

Mimas validus, Carm. iii., 4, 53. 

Mimnermus, Epist. i., 6, 64 ; Epist. ii. f 
2, 101. 

Minerva invita nihil dices faciesve, 
Epist. ad Pis., 385 ; crassa, Serm. ii., 2, 3. 
Minervse operosae studium, Carm. iii., 
12, 4 ; sacra, Carm., iv., 6, 13 ; casta, 
Carm. iii., 3, 23. 

Minos, Jovis arcanis admissus, Carm. 
i., 28, 9 ; cum splendida fecerit arbitria, 
Carm. iv., 7, 21. 

Minturnce palustres, Epist. i., 5, 5. 

Minucius. Minuci via, Epist. i., 1 8, 20. 

Misenum. Ad ejus oras echini optimi 
capiebantur, Serm. ii., 4, 33. 

Molossus, Epod., vi., 5. Molossis cani- 
bus, Serm. ii., 6, 114. 

Monceses, Carm. Hi., 5, 9. 

Mors pallida, Carm. i., 4, 13 ; atra, 
Carm. i., 28, 13 ; atris alis circumvolans, 
Serm. ii., 1, 58 ; gelida, Carm. ii., 8, 11 ; 
indomita, Carm. ii., 14, 4 ; cita, Serm. 
i., 1, 8 ; et fugacem persequitur virum, 
Carm. iii., 2, 14. Mortis laquei, Carm. 
iii., 24, 8. 

Moschus. Moschi causa, Epist. i., 5, 9. 

Mucins Sccevola (P.), Epist. ii., 2, 89. 

Mulvius, Serm. ii., 7, 36. 

Munatius Plancus, vid. Plancus. 

Munatius (homo quidam ignotus), 
Epist. i., 3, 31. 

Murena. Murense auguris, Carm. iii., 
19, 11. 

Musa, Epist. ii., 1, 133 ; Epist. ad Pis., 
141; Serm. i., 5, 53; Carm. iii., 3, 70; 
Epist. i., 8, 2 ; ccelo beat, Carm. iv., 8, 29. 
Graiis ingenium dedit, Epist. ad Pis., 328 ; 
dulcis, Carm. ii., 12, 13 ; fidibus Divos 
dedit, Epist. ad Pis., 83; imbellis lyras 
potens, Carm. i., 6, 10 ; lyrae solers, Epist. 
ad Pis. 407 ; mea Dis cordi est, Carm. i., 
17, 14 ; procax, Carm. ii., 1, 37 ; severse 
tragoediae desit theatris, Carm. ii., 1, 9 ; 
vetat virum laude dignum mori, Carm. 
iv., 9, 28. Musae, Serm. ii., 3, 105. Mu- 
sam Archilochi, Epist. i., 19, 28 ; tacentem 
suscitat cithara, Carm. ii., 10, 19. Musa 
auspice, Epist. i., 3, 13 ; pedestri, Serm. 
ii., 6, 17. Musarum sacerdos, Carm. iii., 
1, 3 ; dona, Epist. ii., 1, 243. Musas ca- 
nebat, Carm. i., 32, 9 ; impares, Carm. iii., 
19, 13; locutas in monte Albano, Epist. 
ii., 1, 27. Musis amicus, Carm. i., 26, 1 ; 
dicenda praelia, Carm. iv., 9, 21. Musis 
novem cselatum opus, Epist. ii., 2, 92. 

Mutus, Epist. i., 6, 22. 

Mycena. dites, Carm. i., 7, 9. 

Mygdonius. Mygdoniis campis, Carm. 
iii., 16, 41. Mygdonias opes, Carm. ii., 
12, 22. 

Myrtous. Myrtoum mare, Carm. i., 
1,14. 

Mysi. Mysorum agmina, Epod., xvii, 
10. 

Mystes, Carm. ii., 9, 10. 

Mytilenc pulchra, Epist. i., 11, 17. Myfc. 
ilenen alii laudabunt, Epist. i., 7, 1. 



724 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



N. 

Ncevius (Cn.), Epist. ii., 1, 53. 

Ncevius simplex, Serm. ii., 2, 68. 

Naiades. O Naiadum potens, Carm. 
iii., 25, 14. 

Nasica captator, Serm. ii., 5, 57. Nas- 
icae filia, ib., 65. 

Nasidienus Rufus, Serm. ii., 8, 1, 84. 
Nasidieni beati coena, Serm. ii., 8, 1, sqq. 

Natta immundus fraudatis lucernis, 
Serm. i, 6, 124. 

Neara. Neaerse argut33, Carm. iii., 
14, 21. 

Necessitas saeva, Carm. i., 35, 17 ; dira, 
Carm. iii., 24, 5 ; aequa lege sortitur in- 
signes et imos, Carm. iii., 1, 14. 

Neobule. Ad earn, Carm. iii., 12. 

Neptunius dux, Epod., ix., 7. 

Neptunus hibernus, Epod., xvii., 50; 
terra receptus, Epist. ad Pis., 64. Nep- 
tuni festo die, Carm. iii., 28, 2. Neptu- 
nian, Carm. iii., 28, 9 ; furentem procul 
e terra spectare, Epist. i., 11, 10. Nep- 
tune), Epod., vii., 3 ; sacri Tarenti custo- 
dy Carm. i., 28, 29. 

Nereides. Nereidum, Epod., xvii., 8 ; 
virides comas, Carm. iii., 28, 10. 

Nereus, Carm. i., 15, 5. 

Nereus, Serm. ii., 3, 69. 

Nero. Neronis comiti scribaeque, 
Epist. i., 8, 2 ; legentis honesta, Epist i., 
9, 4. Claudi virtute, Epist. i., 12, 26. Ne- 
roni bono claroque, Epist. ii., 2, 1. Ne- 
ronum major, Carm. iv., 14, 14. Nero- 
nes pueros, Carm. iv., 4, 28. Neronibus, 
Carm. iv., 4, 37. 

Nessus. Nessi cruore atro, Epod., 
xvii., 31. 

Nestor, Epist. i., 2, 11. Nestora Pyli- 
um, Carm. L, 15, 22. 

Nilus tumidus, Carm. iii., 3, 48; qui 
fontium celat origines, Carm. iv., 14, 46. 

Niobeus. Niobea proles, Carm. iv., 
6,1. 

Niphates. Nipbatem rigidum, Carm. 
ii., 9, 20. 

Nomentanus, Serm. ii., 1, 102 ; Serm. 
ii., 8, 23, 25, 60. Nomentano nepoti, Serm. 
L, 8, 10. Nomentanum, Serm. ii., 3, 175, 
224 ; nepotem, Serm. ii., 1, 22. 

Noricus ensis, Carm. i., 16, 9. Norico 
ense, Epod., xvii., 62. 

Notus, Carm. iv., 5, 9. 

Novius, Serm. i., 6, 40. Novium ab- 
8entem dum carperet Maenius, Serm. i., 
3, 21. — Noviorum minoris, Serm. i., 6, 
121. 

Numa Pompilius, Epist. i., 6, 27. Nu- 
mae Saliare carmen, Epist. ii., 1,86. Pom- 
pili regnum quietum, Carm. i., 12, 34. 

Numantia. Numantiae feras longa bel- 
la, Carm. ii., 12, 1. 

Numicius. Ad eum, Epist. i., 6. 

Numida Plotius. Ad eum, Carm. i., 36. 

Numidce. Numidarum extremi agri, 
Carm. iii., 11, 47. 

Numonius Vala. Ad eum, Epist. i., 15. 

Nympha cum Gratiis comites Veneris, 



Carm. i., 30, 6 ; cf. Carm. iv., 7,5; Carm. 
i., 4, 6. Nympharum leves cum Satyris 
cbori, Carm. i., 1, 31 ; cf. Carm. ii., 19, 3 ; 
fugientium amator (Faunus), Carm. iii., 
18, 1. Nymphis debitae coronae, Carm. 
iii., 27, 30. 



Oceanus belluosus, Carm. iv., 14, 48; 
circumvagus, Epod., xvi., 41. Oceano 
rubro, Carm. i., 35, 32 ; cum sol Oceano 
subest, Carm. iv., 5, 40 ; dissociabili, 
Carm. i., 3, 22. 

Octavius optimus, Serm. i., 10, 82. 

Ofellus, rusticus, abnormis, sapiens, 
Serm. ii., 2, 3. Ofelli, ib., 133. Ofellumno- 
vi integris opibus non latius usum quam 
accisis, ib., 112. Ofello judice, ib., 53. 

Olympia magna, Epist. i., 1, 50. 

Olympicus. Olympicum pulverem, 
Carm. i., 1, 3. 

Olympus. Olympo opaco, Carm. iii., 
4, 52. — Olympum gravi curru quaties, 
Carm. i., 12, 58. 

Opimius pauper argenti positi intus et 
auri, Serm. ii., 3, 142. 

Oppidius (Serv.) dives antiquo censu, 
Serm. ii., 3, 168. 

Orbilius Pupillus. Orbilium plago- 
sum, Epist. ii., 1, 71. 

Orbius. Orbi villicus, Epist. ii., 2, 
160. 

Orcus non exorabilis auro, Epist. ii., 2, 
178. Orci rapacis fine destinata, Carm. 
ii., 18, 30 ; miserantis nil victima, Carm. 
ii., 3, 24; satelles {Charon), Carm. ii., 18, 
34. Oreo nigro, Carm. iv., 2, 24. — Orcus 
pro : Tartarus, Carm. iii., 4, 75. 

Orestes tristis, Epist. ad. Pis., 124 ; de- 
mens, Serm. ii., 3, 133. 

Orion (venator insignis) non curat le- 
ones aut timidos lyncas agitare, Carm. 
ii., 13, 39 ; tentator integrae Dianae, Carm. 
iii., 4, 71 ; post mortem inter sidera relatus 
est : pronus, Carm. iii., 27, 18 ; tristis, 
Epod., x., 10. Orionis rapidus comes, 
Notus, Carm., i., 28, 21. 

Ornytus. Ornyti Tburini filius, Carm. 
iii., 9, 14. 

Orpheus, sacer interpres deorum, 
Epist. ad Pis., 392. Orpbeo Threicio, 
Carm. i„ 24, 13. Orpbea vocalem silvae 
temere insecutae, Carm. i., 12, 8. 

Oscus, Serm. i., 5, 54. 

Osiris. Per sanctum juratus Osirin, 
Epist. i., 17, 60. 

Otho (L. Roscius). Othone contemto, 
Epod., iv., 16. 

P. 

Pacorus. Pacori manus, Carm. iii., 6, 9. 

Pacuvius (M.). Aufert famam docti se- 
nis, Epist. ii., 1, 56. 

Padus, Epod., xvi., 28. 

PcBtus. Paetum pater appellat Stra- 
bonem, Serm. i., 3, 45. 

Palatinus Apollo, Epist. i., 3, 17. Pal- 
atinas arces, C. S., 68. 

Palinurus, Carm. iii., 4, 28. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



725 



Pallas proximos illi (Jovi) occupavit 
honores, Carm. i., 12, 20 ; galeam et aegi- 
da currusque et rabiem parat, Carm. i., 
15, 11 ; ab usto Ilio in irnpiam Ajacis ra- 
tem iram vertit, Epod., x., 13. Palladia 
ope, Carm. i., 6, 15 ; intactae arces, Carm. 
i., 7, 5 ; angida, Carm. hi., 4, 57. 

Panatius. Panasti nobiles libri, Carm. 
i., 29, 14. 

Panthoides. Panthoiden habent Tar- 
tara, Carm. i., 28, 10. 

Pantilius cimex, Serm. i., 10, 78. 

Pantolabus. Pantolabo scurrae, Serm. 
i., 8, 10. Pantolabum scurram, Serm. ii., 
1,22. 

Paphus. Paphi regina, Carm. i., 30, 1. 
Paphon, Carm. iii., 28, 14. 

Parca non mendax, Carm. ii., 16, 39. 
Parcse iniquae, Carm. ii., 6, 9; veraces 
cecinisse, C. S., 25; reditum tibi curto 
subtemine rupere, Epod., xiii., 15. Par- 
cis sic placitum, Carm. ii., 17, 16. 

Paris, Epist. i., 2, 10. Paridis busto, 
Carm. iii., 3, 40 ; propter amorem, Epist. 
L, 2, 6. 

Parties. Pario marmore, Carm. i., 19, 
6. Parios iambos, Epist. i., 19, 23. 

Parrkasius, Carm. iv., 8, 6. 

Parthus perhorrescit catenas et Italum 
robur, Carm. ii., 13, 18. Parthi celerem 
fugam, ib., 17 ; labentis equo vulnera, 
Serm. ii., 1, 15. Parthum animosum 
versis equis, Carm. i., 19, 11 ; quis pave- 
at ? Carm. iv., 5, 25. Parthorum postibus 
euperbis derepta signa, Carm. iv., 15, 7 ; 
secundum vota, Epod., vii., 9 ; templis, 
Epist. i., 18, 56. Partbis horrendus ju- 
venis {Augustus), Serm. ii., 5, 62 ; formi- 
datam Romam, Epist. ii., 1, 256. Parthos 
feroces, Carm. iii., 2, 3. Latio imminen- 
tes, Carm. i., 19, 12. Parthis mendacior, 
Epist. ii., 1, 112. 

Patareus. Apollo, Carm. Hi., 4, 64. 

Paulus (L. Mmilius). Paulum mag- 
nse animse prodigum, Carm. i., 12, 38. 

Pausiacus. Pausiaca tabella, Serm. 
u., 7, 62. 

Pax, C. S., 57. 

Pedanus. Pedana in regione, Epist. 
i., 4, 2. 

Pedius Poplicola, Serm. i., 10, 28. 

Pegasus vix illigatum te triformi ex- 
pediet Chimaera, Carm. i., 27, 24 ; ales, 
Carm., iv., 11, 26. 

Peleus, Epist. ad Pis., 96. Peleu, Epist. 
ad Pis., 104. 

Pelides. Pelidae nescii cedere gravem 
stomachum, Carm. i., 6, 6 ; inter Peliden 
et Atriden lites, Epist. i., 2, 12. 

Pelignus. Pelignas anus, Epod., xvii., 
51. Pelignis frigoribus, Carm. iii., 19, 8. 

Pelion, Carm. iii., 4, 52. 

Pelops. Pelopis saeva domus, Carm. 
i., 6, 8 ; genitor, Carm. i., 28, 7 ; Carm. ii., 
13, 37 ; pater infidus, Epod., xvii., 56. 

Penates. Caasar repetit, Carm. hi., 13, 
3; aversos, Carm. iii., 23, 19; patrios, 
Carm. iii., 27, 49 ; per Deos obsecro, 
Epist. i., 7, 94. 



Penelope. Penelopse sponsi, Epist. i., 
2, 23. Penelopen, Carm. iii., 27, 49. 

Pentheus. Penthei tecta disjecta non 
levi ruina, Carm. ii., 19, 4. Pentheu rec- 
tor Thebarum, Epist. i., 16, 73. 

Pergameus. Pergameas domos uret 
Achaicus ignis, Carm. i., 15, 36. 

Perillius. Perilli dictantis, quod nun- 
quam rescribere possis, Serm. ii., 3, 75. 

Persce graves, Carm. i., 2, 22; infidi, 
Carm. iv., 15, 23. Persarum rege, Carm. 
iii., 9, 4; in Persas aget pestem, Carm. i., 
21, 15. Persis gravibus, Carm, iii., 5, 4. 

Persicus. Persicos apparatus, Carm., 
i., 38, 1. 

Persius hybrida, Serm. i., 7, 2; dives, 
ib., 4 ; exponit causam, ib., 22. Persi, 
ib., 19. 

Petillius. Petilli Capitolinifurtis, Serm. 
i., 4, 93 ; rei causa, Serm. i., 10, 26. 

Petrinum, Epist. i., 5, 5. 

Phaax, Epist. i., 15, 24. 

Phaethon ambustus terret avaras spes, 
Carm. iv., 11, 25. 

Phalantus. Phalanto Laconi regnata 
rura, Carm. ii., 6, 12. 

Phidyle, rustica, Carm. iii., 23, 2. 

Philippi (urbs Macedonian), Epist. ii., 2, 
49. Philippos, Carm. ii., 7, 9. Philippis, 
Carm. iii., 4, 26. 

Philippus (nummus aureus), Philip- 
pos, Epist. ii., 1, 234. 

Philippus (L. Martins) causis agendis 
clarus, Epist. i., 7, 46, 64, 78, 90. Philip- 
pi jussu, ib., 52 ; ad aedes, ib., 89. Philip- 
po, ib., 66. 

Pliocati. Phocaeorum exsecrata civi- 
tas, Epod., xvi., 17. 

Pkosbus rediens fugat astra, Carm. iii., 
21, 24 ; mihi spiritum dedit, Carm. iv., 6, 
29 ; me lyra increpuit, Carm. iv., 15, 1 ; 
decorus fulgente arcu acceptusque no- 
vem Camenis, C. S., 62. Phcebi decus, 
Carm. i., 32, 13 ; cithara, Carm. hi., 4, 4 ; 
chorus, C. S., 75. Phoebe, C. S., 1 ; me- 
tuende certa sagitta, Carm. L, 12, 24 ; doc- 
tor Argivae fidicen Thaliae, Carm. iv., 6, 
26. Phcebo auctore, Carm. hi., 3, 66. 

Phrahates jus imperiumque Csesaris 
accepit, Epist. i., 12, 27. Phrahatem red- 
ditum Cyri solio, Carm. ii., 2, 17. 

Phrygia. Phrygian pinguis Mygdonias 
opes, Carm. ii., 12, 22. 

Phrygius lapis, Carm. hi., 1, 41. Phry- 
gian sorores, Carm. ii., 9, 16. 

Phryx. Phrygum matronis, Carm. i., 
15, 34. 

Phthius. Achilles, Carm. iv., 6, 4. 

Phyllis. Ad earn, Carm. iv., 11. 

Picenus. Picenis pomis, Serm. ii., 3, 
272 ; Serm. ii., 4, 70. 

Pieris (Melpomene), quae dulcem strepi- 
tum aurean testitudinis temperas, Carm. 
iv., 3, 18- Pierides Calabran, Carm. iv., 
8, 20. 

Pierius. Pierio antro, Carm. hi., 4, 40. 
Pierhs modis, Epist. ad Pis., 405. 
Pimpleis. Pimplei dulcis, Carm. i., 26,9. 
Pindaricus. Pindarici fontia haustua, 



726 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Epist. i., 3, 10. Pindaricae Camenas, 
Carm. iv., 9, 6. 

Pindarus immensus ruit profundo ore, 
€arra. iv., 2, 8. Pindarum, ib., 1. 

Pindus, Carm. i., 12, 6. 

Piritkous. Pirithoo caro vincula ab- 
rumpere non valet Theseus, Carm. iv., 7, 
28. Pirithoum trecentae cohibent cate- 
nas, Carm. iii., 4, 80. 

Pisones, Epist. ad Pis., 6, 235. 

Pitholeon. Pitholeonti Rhodio, Serm. 
\., 10, 22. 

Placideianus, Serm. ii., 7, 64. 

Plancus (L. Munatius). Planco consu- 
le, Carm. iii., 14, 28 ; ad eum, Carm. i., 7. 

Plato. Platona, Serm. ii., 3, 11 ; doc- 
tum, Serm. ii., 4, 3. 

Plautinus. Plautinos numeros et sales, 
Epist. ad Pis., 270. 

Plautus (M. Accius) ad exemplar Epi- 
channi properare, Epist. ii., 1, 58. Plau- 
tus quo pacto partes tutetur amantis 
ephebi, ib., 170. Plauto, Epist. ad Pis., 54. 

Pleiades. Pleiadum chore- scindente 
nubes, Carm. iv n 14, 21. 

Plotius, Serm. i., 5, 40 ; Serm. i., 10, 81. 

Pluto. Plutona illacrimabilem places 
tauris, Carm. ii., 14, 7. 

Plutonius. Plutonia domus exilis, 
Carm. i., 4, 17. 

Pozna raro antecedentem scelestum de- 
seruitpede claudo, Carm. iii., 2, 32. 

Poenus navita Bosporum perhorrescit, 
Carm. ii., 13, 15. Pceno superante, Carm. 
i., 12, 38. Poenorum impio tumulru, 
Carm. iv., 4, 47. Pcenos altero Marte 
proteret, Carm. iii., 5, 34. — Poenus uter- 
que serviat uni, Carm. ii., 2, 11. 

Pccnus. Pceno sanguine, Carm. ii., 
12,3. 

Polemon mutatus, Serm. ii., 3, 254. 

Pollio (C. Asinius) facta regum canit, 
Serm. i., 10, 42 ; insigne moestis praesidi- 
um reis et consulenti curiae, Carm. ii., 1, 
14. 

Pollux geminus, Carm. iii., 29, 64 ; ar- 
ces igneas adtigit, Carm. iii., 3, 39 j cum 
Casto're, Epist. ii., 1, 5. 

Polyhymnia, Carm. L, 1, 33. 

Pompeius. Pompeio Grospho, Epist. 
i., 12, 22 ; ad eum, Carm. ii., 7. 

Pompilius. Pompili quietum regnum, 
Carm. L, 12, 34. 

Pompilius sanguis, Epist. ad. Pis., 292. 

Pomponius, Serm. i., 4, 51. 

Pu?uicus. Pontica pinus, Carm. i., 14, 
11. 

Pontifez. Pontificum coenis, Carm. ii., 
14, 28 ; libros, Epist. ii., 1, 26. 

Porcius ridiculus totas simul absorbere 
placentas, Serm. ii., 8, 23. 

Porphyrion, Carm. iii., 4, 54. 

Porsena. Porsenas minacis Etrusca 
manus, Epod., xvi., 4. 

Postumus ad eum, Carm. ii., 11, 14. 

Prteneste, Epist. i., 2, 2 ; frigidum, Carm. 
iii., 4, 23. 

Pramcstinus durua vindemiator, Serm. 
L,7, 30. 



Priamus, Serm. ii., 3, 195 ; dives, Carm. 
i., 10, 14. Priami vetus regnum, Carm. 
i., 15, 8; domus, Carm. iii., 2, 26; busto, 
Carm. iii., 3, 40 ; aulam choreis laetam, 
Carm. iv., 6, 15 ; populus, Serm. ii., 3, 
195 ; fortunam, Epist. ad Pis., 137. 

Priapus. Priapum, Serm. i., 8, 2. Pri- 
ape, Epod, ii., 21. 

Priscus, Serm. ii., 7, 9. 
Procne, Epist. ad Pis., 187. 
Proculeius (C) notus in fratres animi 
I paterni, Carm. ii., 2, 5. 

Procyon, Carm. hi., 29, 8. 
| Prometheus fertur addere principi hmo 
particulam UDdique desectam, Carm. i., 
; 16, 13 ; dulci laborum decipitur sono, 
| Carm. ii., 13, 37; obligatus a.liti, Epod., 
! xvii., 58. Promethea callidum, Carm. h., 

18, 35. 
J Proserpina imperiosa, Serm. ii., 5, 99 ; 
saeva nullum caput fugit, Carm. i., 28, 20. 
Proserpinae furvas regna, Carm. h., 13, 
j 21 ; per regna oro, Epod., xvii., 2. 

Proteus egit pecus altos visere montes, 

Carm. i., 2, 7 ; sceleratus, Serm. ii., 3, 71. 

I Protea mutantem vultus, Epist. i., 1, 90. 

I Pudor, Carm. i., 24, 6 ; priscus, C S., 

57 ; Serm. i., 6, 57. 

Punicus. Punico sanguine, Carm. iii., 
6, 34. Punico lugubre mutavit sagum, 
Epod., ix., 27. Punicis delubris signa af- 
fixa, Carm. hi., 5, 18. Punica bella, Epist. 
ii., 1, 162. 

Pupius. Pupi lacrymosa poemata, 
Epist. i., 1, 67. 

Puteal, Serm. ii., 6, 35. 
Pylades. Pyladen, Serm. ii., 3, 139. 
Pylius. Pylium Nestora, Carm. i., 15, 22. 
Pyrrha (arnica Horatii). Ad earn, C arm. 
i., 5. 

Pyrrha (Deucalionis uxor). Pyrrhse 
grave saeculum, Carm. i., 2, 6. 
Pijrrhia vinosa, Epist. i., 13, 14. 
Pyrrhus (Epiri rex), Carm. hi., 6, 35. 
Pythagoras. Pythagorae faba cogna- 
ta, Serm. ii., 6, 63. Pythagoram, Serm. 
ii., 4, 3. 

Pythagoreus. Pythagorea somnia, 
Epist. ii., 1, 52. 

Pythia tibicen cantat, Epist. ad Pis., 414. 
Pythias audax, Epist. ad Pis., 238. 
Pythius incola, Carm. i., 12, 6. 



Quintilius, Carm. i., 24, 5 et 12 ; criticus 
eeverus carminum, Epist. ad Pis., 438. 

Quinctius, vid. Hirpinus. 

Quirinus. Martis equis Acheronta fu- 
git, Carm. hi., 3, 15; post mediarn noc- 
tem visus, Serm. i., 10, 32 ; ossa, Epod., 
xvi., 13 ; vacuum Janum, Carm. iv., 15, 
9 ; populo, Carm. i., 2, 46 ; in colle, Epist. 
ii., 2, 68. 

Qiciris. Quiritis amici dona, Epist. i., 
6, 7. Quiritem te quis redonavit dhs pa- 
triis, Carm. ii.,' 7, 3. Quiritium mobili- 
um turba, Carm. i., 1, 8 ; cura, Carm. iv., 
14, 1. Quiritibu3 bellicosis, Carm. ih., 
3,57. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



727 



R. 

B&tis. Alpibus, Carm. iv., 4, 17. 

Ramnes celsi praetereunt austera poe- 
mata, Epist. ad Pis., 342. 

Regulus (M. Attilius). Reguli pi-ovida 
mens, Carm. iii., 5, 13. Regulum insig- 
ni Camena referam, Carm. i., 12, 37. 

Remus. Remi, immerentis cruor, 
Epod., vii., 19. 

- Rhenus. Rheni luteum caput, Serm. 
i., 10, 37. Rhenum flumen, Epist ad 
Pis., 18. 

Rhode tempestiva, Carm. iii., 19, 27. 

Rhodope. Rhodopen lustratam pede 
faarbaro, Carm. ii., 25, 12. 

Rhodos incolumi pulchra facit, Epist. 
i., 11, 17 ; absens laudatur, ib., 21. Rho- 
don claram, Carm. L, 7, 1. 

Rh&tus, Carm. iii., 4, 55. Rhcerum 
retorsisti leonis unguibus, Carm. ii., 19, 
23. Rhcetos imnianes pepulit, Carm. 
iv., 14. 15. — Rhcetis sub Alpibus, Carm. 
iv., 4, 17. 

Rhodanus. Rhodani potor, Carm. ii., 
20,20. 

Roma, C. S., 37 ; ferox, Carm. iii., 3, 
44 ; suis ipsa viribus ruit, Epod., xvi., 2 : 
regia, Epist. i., 7, 44 ; omnis, Epist. i., 
16, 18; potens, Epist. ii., 1, 61. Romae, 
Serm. ii., 1, 59 ; Serm. ii., 6, 23 ; Serm. 
ii., 7, 13; beatae fumum mirari, Carm. 
iii., 29, 11, 12; dominae, Carm. iv., 14, 
44 ; principis urbium, Carm. iv., 3, 13 ; 
amem Tibur, Epist. i., 8, 12 ; declamas, 
Epist. i., 2, 2 ; erat rhetor consulto, Epist. 
ii., 2, 87 ; erit carus, Epist. i., 20, 10 ; dul- 
ce f uit reclusa mane domo vigilare, Epist. 
ii., 1, 103; me censes scribere poemata, 
Epist. ii., 2, 65 ; nutriri contigit mihi, 
Epist. ii., 2, 41 ; rus optas, Serm. ii., 7, 
28. Samos laudetur, Epist. i., 11, 21 ; in- 
ter Romam et Ilion saeviat longus pon- 
tus, Carm. iii., 3, 38 : portare puerum au- 
sus est, Serm. i., 6, 76. Tibure amem, 
Epist. i., 8, 12 ; me trahunt invisa nego- 
tia, Epist. i., 14, 17 ; formidatam Parthis, 
Epist. ii., 1, 256. Roma urbe incolumi, 
Carm. iii., 5, 12 ; nil majus potes visere, 
C. S., 11, 12; magna egressum, Serm. 
i., 5, 1. 

Romanus, Serm. ii., 4, 10; Epist. ad 
Pis., 54 ; superbus, Epod., vii., 6 ; fcemi- 
nas emancipatus, Epod., ix., 11, 12 ; pop- 
ulus, Epist. i., 1, 70. Romano, Serm. ii., 
1, 37. Romane, Carm. iii., 6, 2 ; Serm. 
i., 4, 84. Romanos agunt acerba fata, 
Epod., vii., 17. — Romana pubes crevit, 
Carm. iv., 4, 46; legio, Serm. i., 6, 48; 
militia fatigat, Serm. ii., 2, 10, 11; res, 
Epist. L, 12, 25; juventus pravi docilis, 
Serm. ii., 2, 52. Ilia clarior vigui, Carm. 
ii., 9, 8 ; in ora venturus, Epist. L, 3, 9. 
Romanae lyrae fidicen, Carm. iv., 3, 23. 
Romanam rem, C. S., 66. Romano hab- 
itu, Serm. ii., 7, 54. Romani equites, 
Epist. ad Pis., 113 ; pueri, ib., 325 ; scrip- 
tores, Epist. ii., 29, 30. Romanis poetis, 
Epist. ad Pis., 264 ; vatibus sedem vacu- 



am spectemus, Epist. ii., 2, 94 ; viris opus 
solenne, Epist. i., 18, 49. 

Romulus, Epist ii., 1, 5. Romuli prse- 
scriptum, Carm. ii., 15, 10, 11 ; meritis 
taciturnitas obstaret, Carm. iv., 8, 22, 24. 
Romulum. Carm. i., 12, 33. 

Romulus (adj.). Romulae gentis cus- 
tos, Carm. iv., 5,1, 2 ; genti rem prolem- 
que date, C. S., 47. 

Roscius. Roscia lex, Epist. i., 1, 62. 

Roscius (Q.) doctus, Epist. ii., 1, 82. 

Rubi. Rubos, Serm. i., 5, 90. 

Rufillus pastillos olet, Serm. i., 4, 91. 

Rupilius Rex (P.) proscriptus, Serm. 
i., 7, 1. 

Ruso (Octavius). Rusonem debitor 
aeris fugit, Serm. i., 3, 86. 

Rutuba. Rutubae Fulvique prcelia, 
Serm. ii., 8, 96. 



Sabeea. Sabaeae regibus, Carm. i., 29, 3. 

Sabellus, Epist. i., 16, 49. Sabellis pul- 
sis, Serm. ii., 1, 36. — Sabella anus, Serm. 
i., 9, 29, 30; carmina, Epod., xvii., 27. 
Sabellis ligonibus, Carm. iii., 6, 38. 

Sabinus. Sabinis rigidis, Epist. ii., 1, 
25. — Sabina dicta, Carm. i., 9, 8; silva, 
Carm. i., 22, 9; mulier, Epod., ii., 41; 
vallis, Carm. iii., 1, 47. Sabino agro, 
Serm. ii., 7, 85. Sabinos (montcs) in ar- 
duos tollor, Carm. iii., 4, 21, 22. Sabi- 
num (sc. vinum) vile, Carm. i., 20, 1 ; 
ccelum, Epist. i., 1, 77. Sabinis (sc. ag- 
ris), Carm. ii., 18, 14. 

Sabinus (amicus Horatii). Sabinum, 
Epist. i., 5, 27. 

Sagana, Epod., v., 25 ; Serm. i., 8, 24. 

Salaminius. Teucer, Carm. i., 15, 23. 

Salamis. Salamina Teucer cum fuge- 
ret, Carm. i., 7, 21 ; ambiguam tellure no- 
vam futuram promisit Apollo, ib., 29. 

Salernum, Epist. i., 15, 1. 

Saliaris. Saliare Numae carmen, 
Epist. ii., 1, 86. Saliaribus dapibus, 
Carm. i., 37, 2. 

Salii. Neu morem in Salium sit re- 
quies pedum, Carm. i., 36, 12. 

Sallustius (C. Crispus). Ad eum, 
Carm. ii., 2. 

Samnites, Epist. ii., 2, 98. 

Samos concinna, Epist i., 11, 2. Ro- 
mae laudetur, ib., 21. 

Sapientia, Epist i., 3, 27. 

Sappho mascula pede Archilocbi Mu- 
sam temperat, Epist. i., 19, 28 ; queren- 
tem jEoliis fidibus de puellis populari- 
bus, Carm. ii., 13, 24. 

Sardes. Croesi regia, Epist. i., 11, 2. 

Sardinia. Sardinian feracis opimas se- 
gestes, Carm. i., 31, 4. 

Sardus. Tigellius, Serm. i., 3, 3. 

Sarmentus. Sarmenti scurrae, Serm, 
i., 5, 52. 

Satureiamis. Satureiano caballo, 
Serm. i., 6, 59. 

Saturnalia, Serm. ii., 3, 4, 5. 

Satumius numerus, Epist. i., 1, 158. 

Satumits. Saturni veteris domus, 



728 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Carm. ii., 12, 8, 9. Saturno impio, Carm. 
ii., 17, 22, 23 ; orte, Carm. i., 12, 50. 

Satyri capripedi, Carm. ii., 19, 4 ; pro- 
tervi, Epist. ad Pis., 233 ; dicaces, ib., 225. 
Satyrorum scriptor, Epist. ii., 3, 235. Sa- 
tyris adscripsit Liber sanos poetas, Epist. 
i., 19, 4 ; cum Satyris chori Nympharum, 
Carm. i., 1, 31. — Satyrum moveri, Epist. 
ii., 2, 125. 

Scava ad eum, Epist. i., 17. 

Scava (homo prodigus). Scsevse ne- 
poti, Serm. ii., 1, 53. 

Scamander. Scamandri parvi frigida 
flumiua, Epod., xiii., 14. 

Scauri. Scauros insigni Camena refe- 
ram, Carm. i., 12, 37. 

Scetanus, Serm. i., 4, 111. 

Scipiades. Scipiadae virtus, Serm. ii., 
1,72. 

Scopas, Carm. iv., 8, 6. 

Scorpius formidolosus, Carm. iL, 17, 
17. 

Scylla, Epist. ad Pis., 145. 

Scytha bellicosus, Carm. ii., 11, 1 ; pro- 
fugus, Carm. iv., 14, 42 ; cf. Carm. i., 35, 
9. Scythen gelidum, Carm. iv., 5, 25. 
Scythae arcu laxo campis meditantur ce- 
dere, Carm. iii., 8, 23, 24; campestres, 
Carm. iii., 24, 9 ; superbi petunt respon- 
sa, C. S., 55. 

Sythicus amnis, Carm. iii., 4, 36. 

Semele. Semeles Thebanae puer, Carm. 
i., 19, 2. 

Semeleius. Thyoneus, Carm. i., 17, 22. 

Senecta instans, Cann. ii., 14, 3 ; tarda, 
Serm. ii., 1, 57 ; tranquilla, Serm. ii., 
2,88. 

Septembribus horis, Epist. i., 16, 16. 

Septicius, Epist. i., 5, 26. 

Septimius (T.), Epist. i... 9, 1. Septimi- 
um, Epist. i., 5, 26 ; ad eum, Carm. ii., 6. 

-Seres, Carm. iii., 29, 27 ; Carm. iv., 15, 
23. Seras subjectos Orientis orae, Carm. 
i., 12, 55. 

Sericus. Sericas sagittas, Carm. i., 29, 9. 

Servius, Serm. i., 10, 86. 

Sextilis, Epist. i., 7, 2 ; Epist. i., 11, 19. 

Sextius (£.). Ad eum, Carm. i., 4. 

Sibyllinus. Sibyllini versus, C. S., 5. 

Sicanus. Sicana ^Etna, Epod., xvii.,31. 

Siculus. Sicula unda, Carm. iii., 4, 28 ; 
cf. Carm. iv., 4, 44. Siculum mare, Carm. 
ii., 12, 1. Siculi Epicharmi, Epist. ii., 1, 
58 ; poetae (E?npedoclis), Epist. ad Pis., 
463 ; tyranni, Epist. i., 2, 58. Siculas da- 
pes, Carm. iii., 1, 18 ; vaccae, Carm. ii., 16, 
33, 34. Siculis fructibus, Epist. i., 12, 1. 

Sidonius. Sidonio astro, Epist. i., 10, 
26. Sidonii nautae, Epod., xvi., 61. 

Silenus custos famulusque dei alumni, 
Epist. ad Pis., 239. 

Silvanus. Silvani horridi dumeta, 
Carm. iii., 29, 23. Silvanum piabant lac- 
te, Epist. ii., 1 , 143. Silvane, tutor finium, 
Epod., ii., 22. 

Simo, Epist. ad Pis., 238. 

Simois lubricus, Epod., xiii., 14. 

Sinuessanus. Sinuessanum Petrinum, 
Epist. i., 5,5. 



Sirenes. Desidia Siren, Serm. ii., 3, 14. 
Sirenum voces, Epist. i., 2, 23. 

Sisenna, Serm. i., 7, 8. 

Sisyphus (JEoli jilius) damnatus Iongi 
laboris, Carm. ii., 14. 20; optat supremo 
co-llocare ia monte saxum, Epod., xvii., 
59 ; vafer, Serm. ii., 3, 21. 

Sisyphus (nanus A'rUonii) abortivus, 
Serm. i., 3, 47. 

Sithonii. Sithoniis monetlevis Euitzs, 
Carm. i., 18, 9. 

Smyrna, Epist. i., II, 3. 

Socraticus. Socraticam domum, Carm. 
i., 29, 14. Socraticse chartae, Epist. ad 
Pis., 310. Socraticis sermonibus, Carm. 
iii., 21, 9. 

Sol. Oceano subest, Carm. iv., 5, 40*. 
Solis ortus ab Hesperio cubili, Carm. iv., 
15, 16. 

Somnus facilis, Carm. ii., 11, 8; lenis, 
Carm. ii., 1, 21. 

Sophocles, Epist. ii., 1, 163. 

Soracte alta nive candidum, Carm. i„ 
9,2. 

Sosii fratres. Sasiorum pumice, Epist. 
L, 20, 2. Sosiis, Epist. ad Pis., 345. 

Spartacus acer, Epod., xvi., 5. Spar- 
tacum vagantem, Carm. iii., 14, 19. 

Spes, Carm. i., 35, 21. 

Staberius, Serm. ii., 3, 84, 89. 

Stertinius, Serm. ii., 3, 33; sapientum 
octavus, ib., 296. 

Stesichorus. Stesichori graves Came- 
nse, Carm. iv., 9, 8. 

Sthenelus sciens pugnse, Carm. i., 15, 
24 ; non solus pugnavit Musis dicenda 
prcelia, Carm. iv., 9, 20. 

Stygius. Stygia unda, Carm. ii., 20, 8. 
Stygiis fluctibus, Carm. iv., 8, 25. 

Styx, Carm. i., 34, 10. 

Suadela, Epist. i., 6, 38. 

Suburanus. Suburanae canes, Epod., 
v., 52. 

Sulcius, Serm. i., 4, 64. 

Sulpicius. Sulpiciis horreis, Carm. iv., 
12, 18. 

Surrentum amcenum, Epist. i., 17, 52. 

Surrentinus. Surrentina vina, Serm. 
ii., 4, 55. 

Sybaris, Carm. i., 8, 2. 

Sygambri feroces, Carm. iv. 2, 36 ; ces- 
de gaudentes, Carm. iv., 14, 51. 

Syrius. Syrio malobathro, Carm. ii., 
7,8. 

Syrtes aestuosas, Carm. i., 22, 5 ; bar- 
baras, Carm. ii., 6, 3. Geetulas, Carm. ii., 
20, 15 ; exercitatas Noto, Epod., ix., 31. 

Syrus. Syra merce, Carm. i., 31, 12. 

Syrus (vulgare apud Comicos servi no- 
men), Serm. i., 6, 38. 

Syrus (gladiator), Serm. ii., 6, 44. 



Tartarus. Taenari invisi horrida sedes, 
Carm. i., 34, 10. 

Tanais (fluvius) disoors, Carm. iii., 29, 
28. Tanain, Carm. iv., 15, 24. 

Tanais (spado quidam), Serm. i., 1» 
105. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



729 



• Tantalus a labris fugientia captat flu- 
mina sitiens, Serm. i., 1, 68 ; egens sem- 
per benignae dapis, Epod., xvii,, 57. Tan- 
tali genus, Carm. ii., 18, 37. Tantalum 
euperbum, ib. 

Tarentinus. Tarentino veneno, Epist. 
ii., 1, 107. 

Tarentum ad finem Italiae situm, Serm. 
i., 6, 105. Lacedaemonium, Carm. iii., 5, 
56 ; molle, Serm. ii., 4, 34 ; imbelle, Epist. 
i., 7, 45. Tarenti sacri custos Neptunus, 
Carm. i., 28, 29. 

Tarpa (Sp. Melius). Meti judicis au- 
res, Epist. ad Pis., 387. Tarpa judice, 
Serm. i., 10, 38. 

Tarquinius Superbus, regno pulsus, 
Serm. i., 6, 13. Tarquinii Superbi fasces, 
Carm. i., 12, 35. 

Tartarus. Tartara habent Panthoiden, 
Carm. i., 28, 10. 

Taurus (T. Statilius), Epist. L, 5, 4. 

Teanum, Epist. i., 1, 86. 

Teius. Teia fide, Carm. i, 17, 18. 

Telegonus. Telegoni parricidae juga, 
Carm. iii., 29, 8. 

Telemachus proles patientis Ulyssei, 
Epist A., 7,40. 

Ttlephus (Herculis ex Auge filius, Teu- 
thrantis patris adoptivi in Mysiae regno 
successor) pauper et exsul, Epist. ad Pis., 
96 ; movit nepotem Nereium, Epod., 
xvii., 8. 

Telephus (juvenis Graecus). Telephi 
cervix rosea, Carm. i., 13, 1. 

Tellus (Terra) injecta monstris suis do- 
let, Carm. iii., 4, 73 ; spicea donet coro- 
na Cererem, C. S., 22. Telluris juvenes, 
Carm. ii., 12, 7. 

Tempe. Thessala, Carm. i., 7, 4 ; agi- 
tata Zephyris, Carm. iii., 1, 24 ; tollite 
laudibus, Carm. i., 21, 9. 

Tempestas. Tempestatibus agna im- 
molabitur, Epod., x., 24. 

Terentius (P.) arte vincere dicitur, 
Epist. ii., 1, 59. Terenti tabula, Serm. i., 
2,20. 

Teridates. Teridaten quid terreat, 
Carm. i., 26, 5. 

Terminalis. Terminalibusfestis, Epod., 
ii., 59. 

Terminus, C. S., 27. 

Terra, via. Tellus. 

Teucer. Salamina patremque cum fu- 
geret, Carm. i., 7, 21. Salaminius, Carm. 
i., 15, 23 ; primusve tela Cydonio direxit 
arcu, Carm. iv., 9, 17. Teucrum non vi- 
olavit (Ajax), Serm. ii., 3, 204. Teucro 
duce et auspice nil desperandum, Carm. 
i., 7, 27. 

Teucer (adj.). Teucro pulvere, Carm. 
iv., 6, 12. 

Thalia. Argivae fidicen doctor, Phoe- 
be, Carm. iv., 6, 25. 

Tkaliarchus. Ad eum, Carm. i., 9. 

Theba. Echioniae, Carm. iv., 4, 64. 
Thebarum rector, Epist. i., 16, 74. The- 
bas Baccho insignes, Carm. i., 7, 3. The- 
bis, Serm. ii., 5, 73 j Epist. ii., 1, 213 ; Epist. 
ad Pis., 218. 

H 



Thebanvs. Tliebanae Semeles puer, 
Carm. i., 19, 2 ; arcis conditor, Epist. ad 
Pis., 394. Thebanos modos, Epist. i., 3, 13. 

Theoninus. Theonino dente, Epist. i., 
18, 82. 

Theseus non valet caro Pirithoo Lethea 
vincula abrumpere, Carm. iv., 7, 27. 

Thespis, Epist. ii., 1, 163 ; ignotum trag- 
icae genus invenisse Camenae dicitur et 
plaustris vexisse poemata, Epist. ad Pis., 
276. 

Thessalus. Thessala Tempe, Carm. i., 
7, 4. Thessalos ignes, Carm. i., 10, 15. 
Thessala portenta, Epist. ii., 2, 209. Thes- 
salis venenis, Carm. i., 27, 21. 

Thetis. Thetidis marinae filius, Carm. 
i., 8, 14 ; Carm. iv., 6, 6. Thetide Dea na- 
tus, Epod., xiii., 12. 

Thraca, Thrace (Thracia), Epist. i., 16, 
13 ; Epist. i., 3, 3 ; bello furiosa, Carm. ii., 
16, 5. Thracen candidam nive, Carm. 
iii., 25, 10, 11. 

Thracius. Thraciae animae lintea im- 
pellunt, Carm. iv., 12, 2. 

Thrux, Epist. i., 18, 36. Thracum est 
pugnare scyphis, Carm. i., 27, 2 ; impia 
pectora mollire, Epod., v., 14. — Thrax 
Gallina, Serm. ii., 6, 44. 

Threicius. Threicio Aquilone, Epod., 
xiii., 3. Orpheo, Carm. i., 24, 13. 

Thressa Chloe, Carm. iii., 9, 9. 

Thurinus. Thurini Ornyti, Carm. hi., 
9,14. 

Thyestes. Thyestae ccena, Epist. ad 
Pis., 91. Thyesten irae gravi exitio stra- 
vere, Carm. i., 16, 17. 

Thijesteus. Thyesteas preces, Epod., 
v., 64. 

Thyias. Thyiadas pervicaces, Carm. 
ii., 19, 9. 

Thyoneus. Semeleius cum Marte non 
confundet proelia, Carm. i., 17, 23. 

Tiberinus lupus, Serm. ii., 2, 31. Tibe- 
rino flumine, Epist. i., 11, 4. Tiberims 
undis, Carm. hi., 12, 6. 

Tiberis flavus, Carm. hi., 3, 18; per 
brumam, Epist. i., 11, 19. Tiberim, Serm. 
i., 9, 18 ; Serm. ii., 1, 8 ; flavum, Carm. i., 
2, 13 ; Carm. i., 8, 8 ; reverti quis neget ? 
Carm. i., 29, 12 ; in Tiberi stabit, Serm. 
ii., 3, 292. 

Tiberius. Tiberi, Serm. ii., 3, 173. 

Tibullus, vid. Albius Tibullus. 

Tibur. Argeo colono positum, Carm. 
ii., 6, 5 ; supinum, Carm. hi., 4, 23 ; udum, 
Carm. hi., 29, 6 ; fertile, Cann. iv., 3, 10; 
vacuum, Epist. i., 7, 45. Romae amem, 
Epist. i., 8, 12. Tiburis mite solum, Carm. 
i., 18, 2 ; uvidi ripas, Carm. iv., 2, 31 ; tui 
densa umbra, Carm. i., 7, 21. Tibure Ro- 
mam amem, Epist. i., 8, 12 ; natum pue- 
rum, Epist. ii., 2, 3. 

Tiburs. Tiburte via, Serm. i., 6, 108. 
Tiburtia Picenis pomis cedent, Serm. ii., 
4,70. 

Tigellius Sardus, Serm. i., 3, 3. Ti- 
gelli cantoris morte, Serm. i., 2, 3. Her- 
mogenis, Serm. i., 4, 71 ; Serm. i., 10, 80. 
Tigelli, Sei-m. i., 10, 90. 
h 2 



730 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Tigris rapidus, Carm. iv., 14, 46. 

Tillius, Serm. i., 6, 24 et 107. 

Timagenes. Timagenis aemula lingua, 
Epist. L, 19, 15. 

Timor, Carm. iii., 16, 15; Carm. iii., 
1,37. 

Tiresias, Serm. ii., 5, 1. 

Tisiphone. Tisiphonen vocat altera 
ssevam, Serm. i., 8, 33. 

Titanes. Titanas impios, Carm. iii., 
4,43. 

Tithonus remotus in auras, Carm. i., 
28, 8. Tithonum longa minuit senectus, 
Carm. ii., 16, 30. 

Titius. Romana venturus in ora, Epist. 
i., 3, 9. 

Tityos invito vultu risit, Carm. iii., 11, 
21 ; raptor, Carm. iv., 6, 2. Tityi incon- 
tinentis jecui-, Carm. iii., 4, 77. Tityon 
unda compescat, Carm. ii., 14, 8. 

Torquatus (£. Manlius). Torquate, 
Epist. i., 5, 2. Torquato consule, Epod., 
xiii., 6 ; ad eum, Carm. iv., 7. 

Trausius, Serm. ii., 2, 99. 

Trebatius Testa (C), Serm. ii., 1, 4. 

Triquetrus. Triquetra praedia, Serm. 
ii., 6, 5. 

Triumphus. Io Triumphe, Epod., ix., 
21 ; cf. Carm. iv., 2, 49. 

Triumviralis. Triumviralibus flagel- 
lis, Epod., iv., 11. 

Trivicum. Trivici villa, Serm. i., 5, 79. 

Troes. Troas male feriatos, Carm. iv., 
6,15. 

Troja. Trojae, Serm. ii., 5, 18 ; lacri- 
mosa funera, Carm. i., 8, 14 ; iniqua cas- 
tra, Carm. L, 10, 15 ; avitae tecta, Carm. 
iii., 3, 60 ; alite lugubri fortuna tristi cla- 
de iterabitur, Carm. iii., 3, 61 ; altae vic- 
tor Achilles, Carm. iv., 6, 3 ; domitor, 
Epist i., 2, 19 ; captae post tempora, 
Epist. ad Pis., 141. Trojam canemus, 
Carm. iv., 15, 13; ardentem, C. S., 41. 
Troja capta, Serm. ii., 3, 191 ; de Trojae 
excidio Nerei vaticinium, Carm. i., 15. 

Trojanus. Trojanum bellum, Epist. 
ad Pis., 147. Trojani belli scriptorem, 
Epist. i., 2, 1. Trojana tempora, Carm. 
i.,28,11. 

Troilus. Troilon impubem, Carm. ii., 
9, 15. 

Troius. Troia sacerdos, Carm. iii., 3, 32. 

Tullius (Serv.). Tulli ante potestatem, 
Serm. i., 6, 9. 

Tullius Hostilius dives, Carm. iv., 7, 15. 

Tullus. Tullo consule, Carm. iii., 8, 12. 

Turbo. Turbonis in armis, Serm. ii., 
3, 310. 

Turius, Serm. ii., 1, 49. 

Tusculum. Superni villa candens Tus- 
culi, Epod., i., 29. 

Tuscus (vicus Romse). Tusci vici tur- 
ba impia, Serm. ii., 3, 228. 

Tuscus (amnis), Serm. ii., 2, 33. Tus- 
cum mare, Epist. ii., 1, 202. Tuscis aequo- 
ribus, Carm. iv., 4, 54. 

Tydides atrox, Carm i., 15, 28. Tydi- 
den Palladis ope superis parem, Carm. 
i., 6, 16. 






TyndaridtB clarum sidus ab mfimis 
quassas eripiunt aequoribus rates, Carm. 
iv., 8, 31. Tyndaridarum fortissima, 
Serm. i., 1, 100. 

Tyndaris. Ad earn, Carm. i., 17. 

Typhbeus, Carm. iii., 4, 53. 

Tyrrhenus. Tyrrhena regum proge- 
nies, Carm. iii., 29, 1. Tyrrhenum mare, 
Carm. i., 11, 6; Carm. iii., 24, 4; aequor, 
Carm. iv., 15, 3. Tyrrhena sigilla, Epist 
ii., 2, 180. 

Tyrtceus mares animos in Martia bella 
versibus exacuit, Epist. ad Pis., 402. 

U. 

Ulixes quartae fit partis, Serm. ii., 5, 89. 
Ulixei duplicis cursus per mare, Carm. 
i., 6, 7 ; laboriosa cohors, Epod., xvi., 62 
laboriosi remiges, Epod., xvii., 16. Itha 
censis remigium vitiosum, Epist. i., 6, 63 
patientis proles Telemachus. Epist. i., 7. 
40. Ulixem inclytum, Serm. ii., 3, 197 
ipsum ille (Ajax) non violavit, ib., 204 
utile exemplar virtus nobis proposuit 
(Homerus), Epist. i., 2, 18. 

Ulubra, Epist. i., 11, 30. 

Umber aper, Serm. ii., 4, 40. 

Vmbrenus. Umbreni sub nomine, 
Serm. ii., 2, 133. 

Ummidius, Serm., L, 1, 95. 

Vstica. Usticse cubantis saxa levia, 
Carm. i., 17, 11. 

TJtica, Epist. i., 20, 13. 



Vacuna. Vacunae fanum puti'e, Epist. 
i., 10, 49. 

Vala, vid. Numonius. 

Valerius, vid. Ltzvinus. 

Vulgius Rufus (TV), Serm. i., 10, 82; 
ad eum, Carm. ii., 9. 

Varia, Epist. i., 14, 3. 

Varius (L.), Serm. i., 5, 40 ; acer forte 
epos ducit, Serm. i., 10, 44 ; probet haec, 
Serm. i., 10, 81; ab Augusto liberaliter 
habitus est, Epist. ii., 1, 247. Vario, Epist. 
ad Pis., 55. Varium, Serm. i., 9, 23. 

Varius cum Maecenate convivio Nasi- 
dieni intermit, Serm. ii., 8, 21. 

Varro (P. Terentius), Serm. i., 10, 46. 

Varus. Ad eum, Carm. i., 18. 

Vaticanus. Vaticani montis imago, 
Carm. i., 20, 7. 

Veia exhauriebat humum ligonibus, 
Epod., v., 29. 

Veianius latet abditus agro, Epist. i., 1, 4. 

Veiens. Veientis arvi emtor, Epist. ii., 
2, 167. 

Veientanus. Veientanum vinum, 
Serm. ii., 3, 143. 

Velabrum, Serm. ii., 3, 229. 

Velia, Epist. i., 15, 1. 

Veliua, Epist. i., 6, 52. 

Ve-aafranus. Venafrana? olivae bacca, 
Serm. ii., 4, 69. Venefranos agros, Carm. 
iii., 5, 55. 

Vena/rum. Venafri cella, Serm. ii., 8, 
45. Venafro viridi bacca certat, Carm, 
ii., 6, 16. 









INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



731 



Venus, Cann. i., 13, 15 ; Carm. iii., 16, 
6. Cytherea ducit choros, Carm. i., 4, 5 ; 
decens, Carm. i., 18, 6 ; in me tota ruens 
Cyprum deseruit, Carm. i., 19, 9 ; dum 
favet, Carm. iii., 11, 46 ; perfidum ridens, 
Carm. iii., 27, 67 ; bene nummatum deco- 
rat, Epist. i., 6, 38. Veneris praesidio fe- 
rox, Carm. L, 15, 13 ; sodali, Carm. iii., 18, 
6 ; grata? vocibus, Carm. iv., 6, 21 ; ma- 
rinas mensem Aprilem, Carm. iv., 11, 15 ; 
almas progeniem, Carm. iv., 15, 32 ; cla- 
ms sanguis, C. S., 50. Venerem canebat, 
Carm. i., 32, 9 ; regina Gnidi Paphique, 
Carm. i., 30, 1 ; laeta, Carm. iii., 21, 21.— 
Venus damnosa, Epist. i., 18, 21 ; si pris- 
ca redit, Carm. iii., 9, 17. Venerem des- 
tinat, Carm. iii., 13, 5. Venerem incer- 
tam rapientes, Serm. i., 3, 109 ; eripuere 
anni, Epist. ii., 2, 56 ; abstinuit puer, Epist. 
ad Pis., 414. — Pro : puella : Venus quae 
te cunque domat, Carm. i., 27, 14 ; me- 
lior, Carm. i., 13, 33. — Venus pro : venus- 
tas, suavitas: Venus haec ordinis erit, 
Epist. ad Pis., 42 ; fabula nullius Vene- 
ris, Epist. ad Pis., 320. — De bono talorum 
jactatu, Carm. ii., 7, 25. 

Venusinus. Venusinos colonos, Serm. 
ii., 1, 35. Venusinae silvae plectantur, 
Carm. i., 28, 26. 

Ver. Veris comites, Carm. iv., 12, 1. 
Ver proterit JEstaa interitura, Carm. iv., 
7,10. 

Veritas nuda, Carm. i., 24, 7. 

Vertumnus, Serm. ii., 7, 14 ; Epist. i., 
20,1. 

Vesperus, Carm. ii., 9, 10; Carm. iii., 
19, 26. 

Vesta. Vestae templa, Carm. i., 2, 16; 
intra penetralia, Epist ii., 2, 114 ; ad Ves- 
tae ventum erat, Serm. i., 9, 35. Vestae 
teternae, Carm. iii., 5, 11. Vestam minus 
audientem carmina fatigent prece sanc- 
tae Virgines, Carm. i., 2, 28. 



Vibidius, Serm. ii., 8, 22, 33, 40, 80. 

Victoria laeta, Serm. i., 1, 8; velox, 
Epist. L, 18, 64. 

Vindelici. Drusum gerentem bella 
Raetis sub Alpibus videre, Carm. iv., 4, 
18 ; expertes legis Latinec, Carm. iv., 14, 8. 

Vinnius Fronto Asella (C). Ad eum, 
Epist. i., 13. 

Virgilius Maro (P.), Carm. i., 3, 8; 
Serm. i., 5, 41, 48; Serm. L, 6, 55; ab 
Augusto donatur, Epist. ii., 1, 247 ; ei Ho- 
ratius carmina sua probari vult, Serm. 
i., 10, 81. Virgilio molle et facetum an- 
nuere gaudentes rure Camenge, Serm. 
i., 10, 44. 

Virtus, Carm. ii., 2, 19 ; C. S., 58 ; Serm 
ii., 3, 13, 95 ; Epist. i., 2, 17. 

Viscus (Vibius). Viscum, Serm. i., 9, 
22. Viscorum uterque, Serm. i., 10, 83. 

Viscus. Thurinus, Serm. ii., 8, 20. 

Visellius. Viselli socerum, Serm. i., 
1, 105. 

Volanerius scurra, Serm. ii., 7, 15. 

Voluptas emta dolore, Epist. i., 2, 55. 

Vulcanus dum ardens urit Cyclopum 
officinas, Carm. i., 4, 8; avidus, Carm. 
iii., 4, 58. Vulcano per veterem culi- 
nam delapso, Serm. i., 5, 74. 

Vulteius Mena, Epist. i., 7, 55, 64. Vul- 
tei, ib., 91. 

VuUur. Vulture in Apulo, Carm. iii., 
4,9. 



Xanthus. Xantho amne, Carm. iv., 
5,26. 



Zephyri. Zephyris, Epist. i., 7, 13 ; 
agitata Tempe, Carm. iii., 1, 24 ; frigora 
mitescunt, Carm. iv., 7, 9. 

Zethus (frater Amphionis), Epist. i., 
18, 42. 



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by Rev. Dr. Potter. 18mo, Muslin, 45 cents. 

Robins's (Miss) Tales from American History. 

With Engravings. 3 vols. 18mo, Muslin, $1 00. 

Beck's Botany of the United States, 

North of Virginia ; comprising Descriptions of the Flowering 
and Fern-like Plants hitherto found in those States, arranged 
according to the Natural System. With a Synopsis of the 
Genera according to the Linnaean System, a Sketch of the Ru- 
diments of Botany, &c. 12mo, Muslin, $1 25 ; Sheep, $1 50. 

Mill's Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive. 

Being a connected View of the Principles of Evidence and 
Methods of Scientific Investigation. 8vo, Muslin, $2 00. 



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